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International audience; Background: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients with the most severe forms of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) require invasive therapies such as extracorporeal life support. The risk of bleeding in ICU patients with ACS treated with a dual antiplatelet therapy of aspirin and ticagrelor is unknown. The primary objective of this study was to compare the bleeding risk of ticagrelor and clopidogrel in ICU patients with ACS.Methods and findings: We conducted a retrospective study based on a propensity score and a proportional hazards model. All patients with ACS hospitalized in the ICU of a French university hospital between January 2013 and January 2017 were included in the study. Bleeding during ICU stay was defined as all Thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) major or minor events. A total of 155 patients were included in the study. According to propensity score matching, 57 patients treated with aspirin and ticagrelor were matched with 57 patients treated with aspirin and clopidogrel. Median (first-third quartile) Simplified Acute Physiology Score II was 61.5 (41.0-85.0). Bleeding during ICU stay occurred in 12 patients (21.1%) treated with clopidogrel and in 35 patients (61.4%) treated with ticagrelor (p

Even though alcoholism is a major health concern, alcoholic cardiomyopathy is a little-known pathology. The exact prevalence remains elusive (20-40% of dilated cardiomyopathy). However, it can lead to dilated cardiomyopathy, heart failure and refractory cardiogenic shock. The literature on cardiogenic shock in alcoholic cardiomyopathy is limited. We report 4 cases of patients with refractory cardiogenic shock due to heavy alcohol consumption, who were treated with venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. The evolution was favourable with recovery in 3 patients and the need for heart transplantation in 1 patient. After 3-5 years, all patients are alive, 2 of 4 are sober, all of them are on cardiac follow-up and none of them have presented with a cardiac relapse.

Gram-negative bacilli Vibrio spp., Aeromonas spp., and Shewanella spp. are a major cause of severe waterborne infection. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical and microbiological characteristics and prognosis of patients hospitalized in Reunion Island for a waterborne infection. This retrospective study was conducted in the two university hospitals of Reunion Island between January 2010 and March 2017. Patients diagnosed with a Vibrio, Aeromonas, or Shewanella infection were evaluated. Over the study period, 112 aquatic strains were isolated at Reunion Island: Aeromonas spp. were found in 91 patients (81.3%), Shewanella spp. in 13 patients (11.6%), and Vibrio spp. in eight patients (7.2%). The in-hospital mortality rate was 11.6%. The main sites of infection were skin and soft tissue (44.6%) and the abdomen (19.6%). Infections were polymicrobial in 70 cases (62.5%). The most commonly prescribed empiric antibiotic regimen was amoxicillin–clavulanate (34.8%). Eighty-four percent of the aquatic strains were resistant to amoxicillin–clavulanate and more than > 95% were susceptible to third or fourth generation cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones. After multivariate analysis, the only independent risk factor of in-hospital mortality was the presence of sepsis (P < 0.0001). In Reunion Island, the most commonly isolated aquatic microorganisms were Aeromonas spp. Sepsis caused by aquatic microorganisms was frequent (> 50%) and associated with higher in-hospital mortality. This study suggests that empiric antibiotic regimens in patients with sepsis or septic shock caused by suspected aquatic microorganisms (tropical climate, skin lesion exposed to seawater…) should include broad-spectrum antibiotics (third or fourth generation cephalosporins).

Rationale: Very few cases of secondary peritonitis caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae have been described in the literature, and they have been found to occur mostly in patients with predisposing factors. Here, we report the case of an elderly patient who developed pneumococcal peritonitis secondary to perforation of gastroduodenal ulcer. Patient concerns: An 82-year-old man was admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) for septic shock with cardiac impairment 1 day after arriving in the Emergency Department. Diagnoses: The patient presented with pneumococcal bacteremia and pneumococcal antigenuria. No abdominal defense was found on examination. A computed tomography scan revealed pneumoperitoneum and peritoneal effusions. Interventions: The patient was treated with effective empiric antibiotic therapy, and delayed surgery. Outcomes: The patient gradually improved and was discharged from ICU on day 14. The ultimate outcome was unfavorable, with death occurring on day 28. Lessons: This rare infection can occur in elderly patients even in the absence of other predisposing factors. Secondary peritonitis may be suspected in patients with positive pneumococcal antigenuria or unexplained pneumococcal bacteremia, especially if an asthenic form is possible.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the determinants and prognostic value of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T peak plasma concentration in intensive care unit patients with non-cardiogenic shock. Material and methods: A prospective observational cohort study was conducted in a single intensive care unit between November 2014 and December 2015. Results: During the study period, 206 patients were hospitalized in the intensive care unit for non-cardiogenic shock and the median peak high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T was 55.1 [24.5–136] pg/mL. A multivariate analysis combining all variables showed that higher body mass index ( t = 2.52, P = 0.01), lower left ventricular systolic function ( t = −2.73, P = 0.007), higher white blood cell count ( t = 3.72, P = 0.0001), lower creatinine clearance ( t = −2.84, P = 0.0005), higher lactate level ( t = 2.62, P = 0.01) and ST-segment depression ( t = 3.98, P = 0.0001) best correlated with log10-transformed high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T peak plasma concentration. After multivariate analysis, the high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T peak was not associated with a significant reduction of in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio = 0.99 (95% confidence interval: 0.93–1.02)). Conclusion: High-sensitivity cardiac troponin T elevation was very common in patients hospitalized for non-cardiogenic shock. The factors significantly associated with high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T peak plasma concentration were higher body mass index, decreased left ventricular systolic ejection fraction, higher leucocyte count, decreased renal function, increased lactate level, and ST-segment depression. The high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T peak was not significantly associated with in-hospital mortality in this setting.

Background End-of-life decision-making in Intensive care Units (ICUs) is difficult. The main problems encountered are the lack of a reliable prediction score for death and the fact that the opinion of patients is rarely taken into consideration. The Decision Curve Analysis (DCA) is a recent method developed to evaluate the prediction models and which takes into account the wishes of patients (or surrogates) to expose themselves to the risk of obtaining a false result. Our objective was to evaluate the clinical usefulness, with DCA, of the Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS II) to predict ICU mortality. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study from January 2011 to September 2015, in a medical-surgical 23-bed ICU at University Hospital. Performances of the SAPS II, a modified SAPS II (without AGE), and age to predict ICU mortality, were measured by a Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis and DCA. Results Among the 4.370 patients admitted, 23.3% died in the ICU. Mean (standard deviation) age was 56.8 (16.7) years, and median (first-third quartile) SAPS II was 48 (34–65). Areas under ROC curves were 0.828 (0.813–0.843) for SAPS II, 0.814 (0.798–0.829) for modified SAPS II and of 0.627 (0.608–0.646) for age. DCA showed a net benefit whatever the probability threshold, especially under 0.5. Conclusion DCA shows the benefits of the SAPS II to predict ICU mortality, especially when the probability threshold is low. Complementary studies are needed to define the exact role that the SAPS II can play in end-of-life decision-making in ICUs.

The therapeutic effect of aminoglycosides is highest and optimal when the peak plasma concentration (C max)/minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) ratio is between 8 and 10. The French guidelines recommend to use high doses of aminoglycosides for empiric antibiotic therapy in patients suffering from severe sepsis or septic shock. In clinical practice, the recommended target is an amikacin C max between 60 and 80 mg/L, which corresponds to approximately 8 times the MIC breakpoint, as defined by the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing. The aim of this study was to assess the incidence and impact on mortality of an amikacin concentration between 60 and 80 mg/L in patients suffering from severe sepsis or septic shock. This was a prospective observational cohort study conducted in two intensive care units (ICU). Patients receiving amikacin at a loading dose of 30 mg/kg for severe sepsis or septic shock were enrolled in the cohort. The target C max for amikacin was between 60 and 80 mg/L, as recommended by French guidelines (i.e. C max/MIC breakpoint = 8–10). Over the study period, the amikacin C max was 80 mg/L in 20 (18.2%), 46 (41.8%) and 44 (40%) of the 110 selected patients, respectively. Mortality rate was 40, 28.3 and 56.8% in the groups of patients with C max 80 mg/L, respectively. Following multivariate analysis, mortality rate was significantly lower in the group of patients with amikacin C max between 60 and 80 mg/L than in the group of patients with amikacin C max > 80 mg/L (P = 0.004). The multivariate analysis also revealed that the factors independently associated with a higher in-ICU mortality rate were age (P = 0.02) and norepinephrine dose (P = 0.0001). With a loading dose of 30 mg/kg of amikacin, concentration was potentially suboptimal (C max 80 mg/L) was frequent and potentially associated with increased mortality.