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With a decrease in mortality of critically ill patients in recent years, intensive care medicine research has shifted its focus on functional impairments of intensive care units (ICU) survivors. ICU survivorship is characterized by long-term impairments of cognition, mental health, and physical health. Since 2012, these impairments have been summarized with the umbrella term Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS). Mental health impairments frequently entail new are aggravated symptoms of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Beyond impairments in the three PICS domains, critical illness survivors frequently suffer from chronic pain, dysphagia, and nutritional deficiencies. Furthermore, they have a higher risk for osteoporosis, bone fractures, and diabetes mellitus. Taken together, these sequelae reduce their health-related quality of life. Additionally, ICU survivors are challenged by social problems such as isolation, economic problems such as treatment costs and lost earnings, and return to previous employment. Yet, patients and caregivers have described post-ICU care as inadequate and fragmented. ICU follow-up clinics could improve post-ICU care, but there is insufficient evidence for their effectiveness. Thus far, large high-quality trials with multicomponent and interdisciplinary post-ICU interventions have mostly failed to improve patient outcomes. Hence, preventing PICS and minimizing risk factors by optimizing ICU care is crucial, e.g. by implementing the ABCDE bundle. Future studies need to identify effective components of post-ICU recovery interventions and determine which patient populations may benefit most from ICU recovery services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Medizinische Klinik: Intensivmedizin & Notfallmedizin is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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Copyright of Anaesthesiologie & Intensivmedizin is the property of DGAI e.V. - Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Anasthesiologie und Intensivmedizin e.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Zusammenfassung: Hintergrund: Bei Patienten mit nosokomialer bakterieller Pneumonie ist die Mortalität am höchsten bei denjenigen, die so weit dekompensieren, dass eine mechanische Beatmung (vHABP) nötig wird, gefolgt von denen mit beatmungsassoziierter Pneumonie (VABP) und nicht beatmungsassoziierter, im Krankenhaus erworbener Pneumonie (nvHABP). Die Ziele dieser Studie waren die Identifizierung von Risikofaktoren, die mit der Entwicklung und der Mortalität von vHABP assoziiert sind, und die Bewertung der Antibiotikabehandlung. Methoden: Eine multizentrische retrospektive Kohortenstudie wurde bei erwachsenen hospitalisierten Patienten mit nosokomialer Pneumonie zwischen 2014 und 2019 durchgeführt. Die Gruppen wurden nach vHABP, nvHABP und VABP stratifiziert und hinsichtlich demografischer Daten, klinischer Merkmale, Behandlung und Ergebnissen verglichen. Mithilfe von maschinellem Lernen wurden multivariate Modelle erstellt, um Risikofaktoren für die Progression zur vHABP und die Mortalität durch Pneumonie für jede Kohorte zu identifizieren. Ergebnisse: 457 Patienten (32% nvHABP, 37% vHABP und 31% VABP) wurden untersucht. Die vHABP- und die nvHABP-Gruppe waren ähnlich alt (medianes Alter 66,4 Jahre), 77% wiesen mehrere Komorbiditäten auf, aber mehr vHABP-Patienten hatten eine Lebererkrankung (18,2% vs. 7,7%; p = 0,05) und eine Alkoholkonsumstörung (27% vs. 7,1%; p < 0,001) und waren in den vorausgehenden 30 Tagen im Krankenhaus gewesen (30,4% vs. 19,5%; p = 0,02). 70% der vHABP-Patienten benötigten am Tag der Diagnose eine sofortige Beatmung. Die Mortalität war in der vHABP-Gruppe am höchsten, gefolgt von der VABP- und der nvHABP-Gruppe (44,6% vs. 36% vs. 14,3%; p < 0,0001). Fast alle (96%) vHABP-Patienten hatten positive Kulturen, wobei Gram-negative Erreger 58,8% ausmachten und 33,0% resistent gegen β-Laktame mit breitem Wirkungsspektrum (ESBL), Ceftriaxon (17,5%), Fluorchinolone (20,6%) und Carbapeneme (12,4%) waren. Bis zur Hälfte der vHABP-Patienten mit ESBL-Enterobacteriaceae oder Pseudomonas aeruginosa erhielten keine wirksame empirische Therapie. Bei Patienten, bei denen eine wirksame Therapie erst nach dem Tag der Pneumoniediagnose begonnen wurde, war die Mortalität um mehr als 50% erhöht. Risikofaktoren, die mit der Entwicklung einer vHABP assoziiert waren, waren Alkoholkonsumstörung, APACHE-II-Score, eine Vasopressortherapie vor der Infektion und eine positive Kultur für ESBL-Enterobacteriales, während eine Krankenhausaufnahme in den letzten 30 Tagen, eine aktive maligne Erkrankung, die Isolierung von Ceftriaxon-resistenten Erregern oder P. aeruginosa und eine Vasopressortherapie Risikofaktoren für eine vHABP-assoziierte Mortalität waren. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The utilization of AI language models in education and academia is currently a subject of research, and applications in clinical settings are also being tested. Studies conducted by various research groups have demonstrated that language models can answer questions related to medical board examinations, and there are potential applications of these models in medical education as well. Research question: This study aims to investigate the extent to which current version language models prove effective for addressing medical inquiries, their potential utility in medical education, and the challenges that still exist in the functioning of AI language models. Method: The program ChatGPT, based on GPT 3.5, had to answer 1025 questions from the second part (M2) of the medical board examination. The study examined whether any errors and what types of errors occurred. Additionally, the language model was asked to generate essays on the learning objectives outlined in the standard curriculum for specialist training in anesthesiology and the supplementary qualification in emergency medicine. These essays were analyzed afterwards and checked for errors and anomalies. Results: The findings indicated that ChatGPT was able to correctly answer the questions with an accuracy rate exceeding 69%, even when the questions included references to visual aids. This represented an improvement in the accuracy of answering board examination questions compared to a study conducted in March; however, when it came to generating essays a high error rate was observed. Discussion: Considering the current pace of ongoing improvements in AI language models, widespread clinical implementation, especially in emergency departments as well as emergency and intensive care medicine with the assistance of medical trainees, is a plausible scenario. These models can provide insights to support medical professionals in their work, without relying solely on the language model. Although the use of these models in education holds promise, it currently requires a significant amount of supervision. Due to hallucinations caused by inadequate training environments for the language model, the generated texts might deviate from the current state of scientific knowledge. Direct deployment in patient care settings without permanent physician supervision does not yet appear to be achievable at present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background and objective: The Working Group on Ethics in Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine of the Austrian Society for Anesthesiology Resuscitation and Intensive Care Medicine (ÖGARI) already developed documentation tools for the adaption of therapeutic goals 10 years ago. Since then the practical implementation of Comfort Terminal Care in the daily routine in particular has raised numerous questions, which are discussed in this follow-up paper and answered in an evidence-based manner whenever possible. Results: The practical implementation of pain therapy and reduction of anxiety, stress and respiratory distress that are indicated in the context of Comfort Terminal Care are described in more detail. The measures that are not (or no longer) indicated, such as oxygen administration and ventilation as well as the administration of fluids and nutrition, are also commented on. Furthermore, recommendations are given regarding monitoring, (laboratory) findings and drug treatment and the importance of nursing actions in the context of Comfort Terminal Care is mentioned. Finally, the support for the next of kin and the procedure in the time after death are presented. Discussion: A change in treatment goals with a timely switch to Comfort Terminal Care enables good and humane care for seriously ill patients and their relatives at the end of life and the appreciation of their previous life with the possibility of positive experiences until the end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: The administration of intravenous fluids includes various indications, e.g., fluid replacement, nutritional therapy or as a solvent for drugs and is a common routine in the intensive care unit (ICU); however, overuse of intravenous fluids can lead to fluid overload, which can be associated with a poorer outcome in critically ill patients. Objective: The aim of this survey was to find out the current status of the use and management of intravenous fluids as well as the interprofessional cooperation involving clinical pharmacists on German ICUs. Methods: An online survey with 33 questions was developed. The answers of 62 participants from the Scientific Working Group on Intensive Care Medicine of the German Society for Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine were evaluated. Results: Fluid overload occurs "frequently" in 62.9% (39/62) and "very frequently" in 9.7% (6/62) of the ICUs of respondents. An established standard for an infusion management system is unknown to 71.0% (44/62) of participants and 45.2% of the respondents stated that they did not have a patient data management system. In addition, the participants indicated how they define fluid overload. This was defined by the presence of edema by 50.9% (28/55) and by positive fluid balance by 30.9% (17/55). According to the participants septic patients (38/60; 63.3%) and cardiological/cardiac surgical patients (26/60; 43.3%) are most susceptible to the occurrence of fluid overload. Interprofessional collaboration among intensive care physicians, critical care nurses, and clinical pharmacists to optimize fluid therapy was described as "relevant" by 38.7% (24/62) and "very relevant" by 45.2% (28/62). Participants with clinical pharmacists on the wards (24/62; 38.7%) answered this question more often as "very relevant" with 62.5% (15/24). Conclusion: Fluid overload is a frequent and relevant problem in German intensive care units. Yet there are few established standards in this area. There is also a lack of validated diagnostic parameters and a clear definition of fluid overload. These are required to ensure appropriate and effective treatment that is tailored to the patient and adapted to the respective situation. Intravenous fluids should be considered as drugs that may exert side effects or can be overdosed with severe adverse consequences for the patients. One approach to optimize fluid therapy could be achieved by a fluid stewardship corresponding to comparable established procedures of the antibiotic stewardship. In particular, fluid stewardship will contribute to drug safety of intravenous fluids profiting from joined expertise in a setting of interprofessional collaboration. An important principle of fluid stewardship is to consider intravenous fluids in the same way as medication in terms of their importance. Furthermore, more in-depth studies are needed to investigate the effects of interprofessional fluid stewardship in a prospective and controlled manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Medizinische Klinik: Intensivmedizin & Notfallmedizin is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Medizinische Klinik: Intensivmedizin & Notfallmedizin is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Medizinische Klinik: Intensivmedizin & Notfallmedizin is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: The transition of patients from the intensive care unit (ICU) to the palliative care (PC) ward often implies changes including establishing a palliative concept. Adaptation of therapeutic goals can be challenging for medical staff, patients and relatives; however, descriptions of these transition trajectories are rare. Objective: The aim of this retrospective study was to characterize the consultation requests of the ICU to the PC consultation team as well as the patients by a description of trajectories and interventions. Methods: Retrospective analysis of all patients receiving intensive care at RWTH Aachen University Hospital in 2019 for whom a PC consultation was requested. The patient population transferred from the ICU to the PC ward was compared with the non-transferred population. In each case, the primary consultation was evaluated regarding the following factors: question, vigilance, length of time from consultation request to its performance, and primary focus of the question. The question focus was categorized into "symptom control", "counselling" and "transfer" (tick options). In addition, a free text field was available for further notes. Exploration of diagnoses was complemented by accessing the electronic health records. Results: A total of 102 consultation requests from the ICU to the PC ward were evaluated. The morbidity of patients was high, and most patients had at least one of the following diagnoses: pulmonary (62%), cardiovascular (61%), and/or neurological disease (55%). Of the patients 32 (31%) were transferred to the PC ward, among whom weakness (94%), fatigue (77%), anxiety (55%), pain (53%), and dyspnea (48%) were the most frequently noted symptoms. Of the transferred patients 5 (16%) could be discharged to home, nursing home, hospice or other. In total, 35 (34%) of all patients who were seen by palliative care specialists on ICUs in 2019 could be discharged alive. The most frequent reasons for nonadmission were lack of capacity of the PC ward (33%), dying while being on the waiting list (20%), and refusal by the patient (20%). Of the patients, 7 (26%) died within 48 h after they had been transferred to the PC ward. Performed consultation services "symptom control" (χ2 = 10.17; p < 0.05) and "counselling" (χ2 = 12.82; p < 0.001), which were requested by the intensive care physicians, showed a significant linkage with the respective intervention performed by the palliative care team. On the other hand, no statistically significant difference was found for requested and performed "transfer" of patients from ICUs to PC ward. Comparing the transferred versus non-transferred patient population, a significantly more frequent transfer of patients with malignant tumors (p = 0.00) was observed. Conclusion: The need for palliative care support in the ICUs exceeded the admission capacity of the PC ward. Future studies should further examine palliative care models in intensive care medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: The SARS-CoV‑2 pandemic posed unexpected challenges for hospitals worldwide and in addition to the supply emergency, simultaneously caused a high pressure to innovate. Due to the high number of cases of COVID-19 patients requiring intensive care, structured networking of hospitals gained particular importance. The tele-ICU communication platform TeleCOVID was developed to improve the quality of intensive care both by enabling teleconsultations and by supporting patient transfers. Objective: The present study aimed to survey user experiences with TeleCOVID. The study investigated the extent to which the app is used, the user experiences of the participating hospitals, and the resulting implications for the further development of the telemedicine application. Material and methods: A user survey was conducted in May 2022 using an online questionnaire. The survey contained both closed and open questions with a free text field. It was sent via the Hessian Ministry of Social Affairs and Integration (HMSI). All 135 hospitals in Hesse were contacted by e‑mail and invited to participate in the study. The results of the closed questions were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and the results of the open questions were clustered and thematically summarized using qualitative content analysis. Results: The study showed that TeleCOVID was used primarily for transfer requests, followed by the need for a treatment consultation without a transfer request. Most often, ECMO treatment or treatment in a hospital of a higher care level was required. The content analysis showed that users particularly rated the possibility of a data protection-compliant and structured transfer of patient data as advantageous. It is also worth mentioning that in almost 25% of the cases a transfer of patients could be prevented by TeleCOVID. Disadvantages frequently mentioned by respondents were the lack of connection to the electronic hospital information system, the increased time required for the registration process, and the poor primary accessibility of contact persons. Conclusion: In a further development of the application the connection to the electronic hospital information system should be considered particularly urgent. In addition, the time expenditure should be reduced by a simplified login process. Due to interface barriers, an alternative data infrastructure would also be conceivable to create interoperability. The introduction of a web client could also increase usability. The main beneficiaries of hospital networking are physicians and patients in a context associated with a high workload and specific medical issues. Continuation and expansion of the app to intensive care medicine and beyond are therefore recommended. In further studies on the project, personal interviews with decision makers could be useful to conduct a more targeted needs analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: In the course of building extension works at Dresden University Hospital, it was necessary to shut down the central medical gas supply in a building with 3 intensive care wards with 22 beds, an operating theater tract with 5 operating rooms and 6 normal wards each with 28 beds during ongoing services. Thus, for the construction phase there was a need to establish an interim decentralized gas supply with zero failure tolerance for the affected functional units. Methods: Following established procedures for possible risk and failure analysis, a project group was set up by the hospital's emergency and disaster management officer to develop a project plan, a needs assessment and a communication plan. Results: A variety of risk factors were systematically identified for which appropriate countermeasures needed to be designed. The needs assessment over 4 h based on physiological parameters for the maximum available 22 ventilator beds resulted in 26,000 l of oxygen and 26,000 l of compressed air. A total of 7 supply points were each equipped with two 50l cylinders for both oxygen and compressed air, with a total availability of 175,000 l of each of the 2 gases. Another eight cylinders each were held in reserve. The project was carried out on a Saturday without an elective surgery program, so that the operating rooms concerned could be closed. The timing was chosen so that double staffing of intensive care personnel was available during the afternoon shift change. In advance, as many of the patients on mechanical ventilation as possible were transferred within the hospital; however, nine of the mechanically ventilated patients had to remain. The technical intervention in the gas supply lasted only 2 h without affecting the patient's condition. During the 2‑h interim supply, 16,500 l of compressed air and 8000 l of oxygen were consumed on the high-care wards. The calculated hourly consumption per ventilated patient was 917 l of air (15 l/min) and 444 l of oxygen (7 l/min). The quantity framework based on empirical values from intensive care medicine was significantly lower. This was more than compensated for by the 10-fold stocking of gas and the predictably lower number of ventilated patients than the maximum occupancy used as a basis. Conclusion: For technical interventions in high-risk areas, careful planning and execution in an effective team is required. Established procedures of project management and risk assessment help to avoid errors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Medizinische Klinik: Intensivmedizin & Notfallmedizin is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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Despite relevant improvements in the diagnostics and treatment of autoimmune encephalitis (AE), severely affected patients still need treatment on the intensive care unit (ICU). Such complex disease states are sometimes difficult to bring under control and ICU complications have a negative influence on the outcome of treatment. A rapid diagnosis and timely initiation of immunotherapy are crucial to minimize ICU treatment and to avoid potentially severe complications. This article outlines the ICU treatment of autoimmune encephalitis and describes the most common challenges and complications of (neuro)intensive medical care and their management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the high prevalence and the enormous medical and health economic impact, delirium syndromes are often underdiagnosed, which is mainly attributable to the high frequency of hypoactive delirium and to the frequently subtle and fluctuating psychopathology in the initial phase of delirium. These aspects also justify the need for a consequent and continuous application of standardized screening tools to detect delirium as early as possible. A multidimensional, nonpharmacological prevention of delirium is effective and still underutilized in the clinical practice. So far, there are no consensus recommendations regarding the pharmacological prevention of delirium. From a therapeutic perspective a causal approach is prioritized. Pharmacological treatment of delirium can only be considered under strict observance of specific indicators. When treating non-withdrawal-related delirium benzodiazepines should be avoided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of delirium syndromes is high, they are often underdiagnosed and therefore medically as well as economically highly relevant syndromes due to the long-term sequelae. In the majority of cases, delirium has a multifactorial etiology, which is why a comprehensive search for the cause is of highest priority. Surgery, administration of potentially proinflammatory drugs as well as the intensive care environment, including the underlying disease and drugs used, represent relevant etiological factors. Pathophysiology and psychopathology are complex and vary depending on the etiological factors present. Prominent impairment of attention and consciousness are central symptoms of delirium allowing the differentiation from important differential diagnoses, such as encephalopathy, depression, psychosis and dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]