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Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is a life-threatening situation in cancer patients. In this situation, anticoagulant therapy is complex to administer due to the risk of bleeding. Only few studies have been conducted when these patients are admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). The aim of this study was to assess the association between anticoagulation strategies as well as other factors with 90-day mortality in patients with cancer and PE admitted to ICU. Major bleeding was also evaluated according to the type of anticoagulation. Retrospective study carried out in 4 ICUs in France over a 12-year period (2009–2021). All patients with cancer and PE were included. An overlap propensity score weighting analysis was performed in the subgroup of patients treated with either unfractionated heparins (UFH) alone or low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWH) alone on 90-day mortality and major bleeding. A total of 218 consecutive cancer patients admitted to ICU and presenting PE were included. The 90-day mortality rate was 42 % for the global cohort. After propensity score analysis in the subgroup of patients treated with either "UFH alone" (n = 80) or "LMWH alone" (n = 71), the 90-day mortality was similar in patients treated with UFH alone (42.6 %) vs LMWH alone (39.9 %): OR = 1.124, CI 95 % [0.571–2.214], p = 0.750. There was a significant increased toward major bleeding rates in the "UFH alone" group (25.5 %) as compared to "LMWH alone" group (11.5 %), p = 0.04. In 218 patients admitted to ICU and presenting PE, the 90-day mortality rate was 42 %. Treatment with UFH alone was associated with a mortality comparable to treatment with LMWH alone but it appeared to be more prone to major bleeding. • UFH alone is associated with a mortality comparable to treatment with LMWH alone. • UFH alone seems to be more prone to major bleeding. • Metastatic cancer and thrombocytopenia are independently associated with mortality. • Pulmonary embolism diagnosed in the early postoperative period is associated with a good outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Leptospirosis is an anthropozoonosis that occurs worldwide but is more common in tropical regions. Severe forms may require intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Whether the clinical patterns and outcomes differ between tropical and non-tropical regions with similar healthcare systems is unclear. Our objective here was to address this issue by comparing two cohorts of ICU patients with leptospirosis managed in mainland France and in the overseas French department of Réunion, respectively. Methodology/Principal findings: We compared two retrospective cohorts of patients admitted to intensive care for severe leptospirosis, one from Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean (tropical climate) and the other from metropolitan France (temperate climate). Chi-square and Student's t tests were used for comparisons. After grouping the two cohorts, we also performed multiple correspondence analysis and hierarchical clustering to search for distinct clinical phenotypes. The Réunion and Metropolitan France cohorts comprised 128 and 160 patients respectively. Compared with the Réunion cohort, the metropolitan cohort had a higher mean age (42.5±14.1 vs. 51.4±16.5 years, p<0.001). Severity scores, length of stay and mortality did not differ between the two cohorts. Three phenotypes were identified: hepato-renal leptospirosis (54.5%) characterized by significant hepatic, renal and coagulation failure, with a mortality of 8.3%; moderately severe leptospirosis (38.5%) with less severe organ failure and the lowest mortality rate (1.8%); and very severe leptospirosis (7%) manifested by neurological, respiratory and cardiovascular failure, with a mortality of 30%. Conclusions/Significance: The outcomes of severe leptospirosis requiring ICU admission did not differ between tropical and temperate regions with similar healthcare access, practices, and resources, despite some differences in patient characteristics. The identification of three different clinical phenotypes may assist in the early diagnosis and management of severe leptospirosis. Author summary: This study aims to discern whether there are variations in the clinical manifestations and outcomes of severe Leptospirosis between tropical and non-tropical regions with comparable healthcare infrastructures. Conducted in France, the research scrutinizes the distinctions in patient characteristics, clinical presentations, and prognoses between a tropical area and a temperate one. The analysis reveals minimal discrepancies in patient profiles and clinical patterns across these regions. Additionally, no statistically significant differences were observed regarding the duration of intensive care unit (ICU) or hospital stays, as well as ICU or hospital mortality rates, between the tropical and non-tropical locales. The findings suggest that the clinical features and outcomes of individuals afflicted with severe leptospirosis exhibit substantial uniformity across tropical and temperate regions endowed with similar healthcare resources. This study contributes valuable insights into the understanding of leptospirosis, highlighting the consistency in disease presentation and prognosis irrespective of climatic distinctions, given comparable healthcare capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic pathogen that causes nosocomial infections and exhibits multiple antimicrobial resistance. Carbapenems are preferred in the treatment. In recent years, increasing resistance to carbapenems has been reported all over the world. The aim of the study is to investigate the presence of carbapenemases in carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii strains by molecular methods.A total of 77 carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii isolates, obtained from blood samples collected from catheter hubs of patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit at Ondokuz Mayıs University Faculty of Medicine between from January 2021 and September 2022, were examined. Bacterial identification used traditional methods alongside VITEK® MS (bioMérieux, France). Antibiotic resistance profiles were determined following EUCAST standards using the Vitek2 Compact automated system. Additionally, multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was utilized to investigate the presence of blaOXA 23-like, blaOXA 24-like, blaOXA 51-like, and blaOXA 58-like oxacillinase genes, as well as blaNDM, blaVIM, and blaIMP metallo-beta-lactamase genes. While all 77 A. baumannii isolates were resistant to meropenem, 75 isolates were also resistant to imipenem. In addition, all of the isolates were found to be resistant to ceftazidime, levofloxacin, and ciprofloxacin. Sensitivity to amikacin, gentamicin, and trimethoprim-sulfomethoxazole was 29.8%, 6.4%, and 6.4%, respectively. The blaOXA 51-like gene was found in all A. baumannii strains. The blaOXA 23-like gene was detected in 74 (96%) of the strains, and the blaOXA 24-like gene was detected in 16 (20.7%) strains. blaOXA 58-like, blaNDM, blaVIM, and blaIMP genes were not detected positively in any of the isolates. Oxacillinase-type enzymes, notably blaOXA 51-like, blaOXA 23-like, and blaOXA 24-like genes, primarily contribute to carbapenem resistance in A. baumannii isolates. The blaOXA 58-like gene and metallo-betalactamase metallo-beta-lactamase resistance genes were not found in the strains. These obtained data revealed reveals the necessity of molecular methods in defining the epidemiological relationship of isolates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied 50 patients with invasive nocardiosis treated during 2004-2023 in intensive care centers in France and Belgium. Most (65%) died in the intensive care unit or in the year after admission. Nocardia infections should be included in the differential diagnoses for patients in the intensive care setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with severe mental illness (SMI) (i.e., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder) have been reported to have excess mortality rates from infection compared to patients without SMI, but whether SMI is associated with higher or lower case fatality rates (CFRs) among infected patients remains unclear. The primary objective was to compare the 90-day CFR in septic shock patients with and without SMI admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), after adjusting for social disadvantage and physical health comorbidity. Methods and findings: We conducted a nationwide, population-based cohort study of all adult patients with septic shock admitted to the ICU in France between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2018, using the French national hospital database. We matched (within hospitals) in a ratio of 1:up to 4 patients with and without SMI (matched-controls) for age (5 years range), sex, degree of social deprivation, and year of hospitalization. Cox regression models were conducted with adjustment for smoking, alcohol and other substance addiction, overweight or obesity, Charlson comorbidity index, presence of trauma, surgical intervention, Simplified Acute Physiology Score II score, organ failures, source of hospital admission (home, transfer from other hospital ward), and the length of time between hospital admission and ICU admission. The primary outcome was 90-day CFR. Secondary outcomes were 30- and 365-day CFRs, and clinical profiles of patients. A total of 187,587 adult patients with septic shock admitted to the ICU were identified, including 3,812 with schizophrenia, 2,258 with bipolar disorder, and 5,246 with major depressive disorder. Compared to matched controls, the 90-day CFR was significantly lower in patients with schizophrenia (1,052/3,269 = 32.2% versus 5,000/10,894 = 45.5%; adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 0.70, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.65,0.75, p < 0.001), bipolar disorder (632/1,923 = 32.9% versus 2,854/6,303 = 45.3%; aHR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.63,0.76, p < 0.001), and major depressive disorder (1,834/4,432 = 41.4% versus 6,798/14,452 = 47.1%; aHR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.81,0.90, p < 0.001). Study limitations include inability to capture deaths occurring outside hospital, lack of data on processes of care, and problems associated with missing data and miscoding in medico-administrative databases. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that, after adjusting for social disadvantage and physical health comorbidity, there are improved septic shock outcome in patients with SMI compared to patients without. This finding may be the result of different immunological profiles and exposures to psychotropic medications, which should be further explored Author summary: Why was this study done?: Patients with severe mental illness (SMI) have been reported to have excess mortality from sepsis (number of deaths due to sepsis in the whole population). Whether SMI is associated with higher or lower sepsis-associated case fatality remains unclear (number of deaths due to sepsis in the population with sepsis). No study has determined whether SMI is associated with excess case fatality in patients with septic shock, the most severe form of sepsis when accounting for the most relevant confounding variables. What did the researchers do and find?: In this nationwide, population-based cohort study, we compared 30-, 90-, and 365-day case fatality rates (CFRs) in septic shock patients with and without SMI admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). We identified 187,587 adult patients with septic shock admitted to the ICU, including 3,812 with schizophrenia, 2,258 with bipolar disorder, and 5,246 with major depressive disorder. The 30-, 90-, and 365-day CFRs were lower in patients with SMI than in patients without SMI after controlling for multiple potential confounding factors (using intrahospital matching and adjustments for multiple comorbidities and illness severity) and addressing potential biases not considered in previous studies. What do these findings mean?: Our findings suggest improved septic shock outcomes in patients with SMI compared to patients without. Our findings also suggest that the excess mortality from sepsis is due to an increased risk of sepsis/infection among patients with SMI, but not due to increase case fatality among septic patients. This finding may be the result of different immunological profiles and exposures to psychotropic medications, a hypothesis that needs to be confirmed in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The causative microorganisms and their antibiotic susceptibility in bacteremia vary according to the centers and years. These changes should be identified in order to guide empirical treatment. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the general distribution and antibiotic susceptibility of microorganisms isolated from blood cultures of patients in intensive care units. Methods: Microorganisms isolated from blood cultures from the intensive care units of Niğde Training and Research Hospital between March 2019 and March 2021 were evaluated retrospectively. Blood samples were studied in the BD BACTEC FX (Becton Dickinson, USA) automated blood culture system and the identification and antibiotic susceptibility tests of the isolated bacterial and fungal strains were performed with the Vitek 2 compact (BioMérieux, France) automated system. Results: A positivity was detected in 995 of a total of 9607 blood culture bottles. Among the isolated microorganisms, Gram positive bacteria were 71.7% (713/995), Gram negative bacteria 27.2% (271/995), yeast 1.1% (11/995). Among all microorganisms, the most common coagulase negative staphylococcus (CNS) 58.9% (586/995), Acinetobacter baumannii 10.0% (100/995), Klebsiella pneumoniae 7.6% (76/995), Enterococcus faecium 4.1% (41/995), Escherichia coli found in 3.8% (38/995). Among the Gram positive bacteria, the most common coagulase negative staphylococci were 82.4% (586/711), and the most common Gram negative bacteria was A. baumannii 36.9% (100/271). Methicillin resistance was found in 89.8% of CNS and 57.1% in S. aureus. Vancomycin resistance in KNS, S. aureus and Enterococcus spp. was determined as 4.4%, 3.6% and 16.0%, respectively. ESBL positivity was 68.4% in E. coli and 87.0% in K. pneumoniae. While the most effective antibiotics against E. coli are meropenem (100%), colistin (100%), amikacin (100%), tigecycline (94.7%), the most effective antibiotics against K. pneumoniae are gentamicin (53.2%), amikacin (51.9%), tigecycline (48.1%) and colistin (46.8%). The most effective antibiotics against Pseudomonas aeruginosa were colistin (100%) and amikacin (69.0%), while the most effective antibiotics against A. baumannii were tigecycline (100%) and colistin (96%). Among the yeast fungi, Candida parapsilosis was found in 63.6% (7/11), Candida albicans 27.3% (3/11). Resistance to fluconazole was not detected in Candida species. Conclusion: Isolation of methicillin resistant staphylococci and enterococci, A. baumannii, P. aeruginosa, E. coli and K. pneumoniae strains showing multiple antibiotic resistance from blood cultures of patients hospitalized in our hospital's intensive care units; showed that infection control programs and rational antibiotic use policies should be made more effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nosocomial infections occur 48-72 hours after hospitalization, especially caused by bacteria, and pose a high risk for patients in intensive care units (ICUs), including COVID-ICUs. This study aimed to reveal bacteria distribution and antibiotic susceptibility profiles isolated from various clinical samples of non-COVID-ICU and COVID-ICU patients. We included in this study bacterial strains isolated from ICUs patients in Kastamonu Training and Research Hospital between March 2020 and October 2020. We identified the strains using the Vitek 2 compact automated system (BioMerieux, France) and standard microbiological methods. Using the Vitek 2 automated system, we analyzed antibiotic susceptibility tests and interpreted the results based on the European Committee for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Tests (EUCAST) guideline. There were 302 patients in the non-COVID-ICUs and 440 patients in the COVID-ICUs. We isolated a total of 470 strains, 370 from non-COVID-ICUs and 100 from COVID-ICUs. Acinetobacter spp. was the most frequently isolated strains for both ICUs. Acinetobacter spp. isolated from non-COVIDICUs had higher resistance rates to meropenem (p= 0.043), ceftazidime (p= 0.014), and levofloxacin (p<0.001) antibiotics than strains from COVID-ICUs. Antibiotic susceptibility profiles of other strains were similar for both ICUs. As a result, the incidence of nosocomial infections in COVID-ICU patients was lower than in non-COVID-ICU patients. Health personnel working in COVID-ICUs may have played an important role in this, as they were more careful about using personal protective equipment and complying with hygiene rules. However, antibiotic resistance continues to be a serious problem in ICUs, including COVID-ICUs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent guidelines advocate a step-up approach for managing suspected infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN) during acute pancreatitis. Nearly half the patients require secondary necrosectomy after catheter drainage. Our primary objective was to assess the external validity of a previously reported nomogram for catheter drainage, based on four predictors of failure. Our secondary objectives were to identify other potential predictors of catheter-drainage failure. We retrospectively studied consecutive patients admitted to the intensive care units (ICUs) of three university hospitals in France between 2012 and 2016, for severe acute pancreatitis with suspected IPN requiring catheter drainage. We assessed drainage success and failure rates in 72 patients, with success defined as survival without subsequent necrosectomy and failure as death and/or subsequent necrosectomy required by inadequate improvement. We plotted the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve for the nomogram and computed the area under the curve (AUROC). Results: Catheter drainage alone was successful in 32 (44.4%) patients. The nomogram predicted catheter-drainage failure with an AUROC of 0.71. By multivariate analysis, catheter-drainage failure was independently associated with a higher body mass index [odds ratio (OR), 1.12; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.00–1.24; P = 0.048], heterogeneous collection (OR, 16.7; 95% CI, 1.83–152.46; P = 0.01), and respiratory failure onset within 24 h before catheter drainage (OR, 18.34; 95% CI, 2.18–154.3; P = 0.007). Conclusion: Over half the patients required necrosectomy after failed catheter drainage. Newly identified predictors of catheter-drainage failure were heterogeneous collection and respiratory failure. Adding these predictors to the nomogram might help to identify patients at high risk of catheter-drainage failure. ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT03234166. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To compare the characteristics, management, and prognosis of patients admitted to intensive care units (ICU) for coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 during the first two waves of the outbreak and to evaluate the relationship between ICU strain (ICU demand due to COVID-19 admissions) and mortality. Methods: In a multicentre retrospective study, 1166 COVID-19 patients admitted to five ICUs in France between 20 February and 31 December 2020 were included. Data were collected at each ICU from medical records. A Cox proportional-hazards model identified factors associated with 28-day mortality. Results: 640 patients (55%) were admitted during the first wave (February to June 2020) and 526 (45%) during the second wave (July to December 2020). ICU strain was lower during the second wave (-0.81 [-1.04 –-0.31] vs. 1.18 [-0.34–1.29] SD when compared to mean COVID-19 admission in each center during study period, P<0.001). Patients admitted during the second wave were older, had more profound hypoxemia and lower SOFA. High flow nasal cannula was more frequently used during the second wave (68% vs. 39%, P<0.001) and intubation was less frequent (46% vs. 69%, P<0.001). Neither 28-day mortality (30% vs. 26%, P = 0.12) nor hospital mortality (37% vs. 31%, P = 0.27) differed between first and second wave. Overweight and obesity were associated with lower 28-day mortality while older age, underlying chronic kidney disease, severity at ICU admission as assessed by SOFA score and ICU strain were associated with higher 28-day mortality. ICU strain was not associated with hospital mortality. Conclusion: The characteristics and the management of patients varied between the first and the second wave of the pandemic. Rather than the wave, ICU strain was independently associated with 28-day mortality, but not with hospital mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The situation in France is unique, having a legal framework for continuous and deep sedation (CDS). However, its use in intensive care units (ICU), combined with the withdrawal of life-sustaining therapies, still raises ethical issues, particularly its potential to hasten death. The legalization of assistance in dying, i.e. , assisted suicide or euthanasia at the patient's request, is currently under discussion in France. The objectives of this national survey were first, to assess whether ICU professionals perceive CDS administered to ICU patients as a practice that hastens death, in addition to relieving unbearable suffering, and second, to assess ICU professionals' perceptions of assistance in dying. A national survey with online questionnaires for ICU physicians and nursesaddressed through the French Society of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine. A total of 956 ICU professionals responded to the survey (38% physicians and 62% nurses). Of these, 22% of physicians and 12% of nurses (p < 0.001) felt that the purpose of CDS was to hasten death. For 20% of physicians, CDS combined with terminal extubation was considered an assistance in dying. For 52% of ICU professionals, the current framework did not sufficiently cover the range of situations that occur in the ICU. A favorable opinion on the potential legalization of assistance in dying was observed in 83% of nurses and 71% of physicians (p < 0.001), with no preference between assisted suicide and euthanasia. Our findings highlight the tension between CDS and assisted suicide/euthanasia in the specific context of intensive care and suggest that ICU professionals would be supportive of a legislative evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are at high risk of adverse events. The effects of medical and paramedical education programmes to reduce these have not yet been assessed.Methods: In this multicentre, stepped-wedge, cluster-randomised controlled trial done in France, we randomly assigned 12 NICUs to three clusters of four units. Eligible neonates were inpatients in a participating unit for at least 2 days, with a postmenstrual age of 42 weeks or less on admission. Each cluster followed a 4-month multifaceted programme including education about root-cause analysis and care bundles. The primary outcome was the rate of adverse events per 1000 patient-days, measured with a retrospective trigger-tool based chart review masked to allocation of randomly selected files. Analyses used mixed-effects Poisson modelling that adjusted for time. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02598609.Findings: Between Nov 23, 2015, and Nov 2, 2017, event rates were analysed for 3454 patients of these 12 NICUs for 65 830 patient-days. The event rate per 1000 patient-days reduced significantly from the control to the intervention period (33·9 vs 22·6; incidence rate ratio 0·67; 95% CI 0·50-0·88; p=0·0048).Interpretation: A multiprofessional safety-promoting programme in NICUs reduced the rate of adverse events and severe and preventable adverse events in highly vulnerable patients. This programme could significantly improve care offered to critically ill neonates.Funding: Solidarity and Health Ministry, France. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The presence of bacteraemia in pneumococcal pneumonia in critically ill patients does not appear to be a strong independent prognostic factor in the existing literature. However, there may be a specific pattern of factors associated with mortality for ICU patients with bacteraemic pneumococcal community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). We aimed to compare the factors associated with mortality, according to the presence of bacteraemia or not on admission, for patients hospitalised in intensive care for severe pneumococcal CAP. Methods: This was a post hoc analysis of data from the prospective, observational, multicentre STREPTOGENE study in immunocompetent Caucasian adults admitted to intensive care in France between 2008 and 2012 for pneumococcal CAP. Patients were divided into two groups based on initial blood culture (positive vs. negative) for Streptococcus pneumoniae. The primary outcome was hospital mortality, which was compared between the two groups using odds ratios according to predefined variables to search for a prognostic interaction present in bacterial patients but not non-bacteraemic patients. Potential differences in the distribution of serotypes between the two groups were assessed. The prognostic consequences of the presence or not of initial bi-antibiotic therapy were assessed, specifically in bacteraemic patients. Results: Among 614 included patients, 274 had a blood culture positive for S. pneumoniae at admission and 340 did not. The baseline difference between the groups was more frequent leukopaenia (26% vs. 14%, p = 0.0002) and less frequent pre-hospital antibiotic therapy (10% vs. 16.3%, p = 0.024) for the bacteraemic patients. Hospital mortality was not significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.11). We did not observe any prognostic factors specific to the bacteraemic patient population, as the statistical comparison of the odds ratios, as an indication of the association between the predefined prognostic parameters and mortality, showed them to be similar for the two groups. Bacteraemic patients more often had invasive serotypes but less often serotypes associated with high case fatality rates (p = 0.003). The antibiotic regimens were similar for the two groups. There was no difference in mortality for patients in either group given a beta-lactam alone vs. a beta-lactam combined with a macrolide or fluoroquinolone. Conclusion: Bacteraemia had no influence on the mortality of immunocompetent Caucasian adults admitted to intensive care for severe pneumococcal CAP, regardless of the profile of the associated prognostic factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Staphylococcus aureus remains a common cause of ventilator-associated pneumonia, with little change in incidence over the past 15 years. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of suvratoxumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting the α toxin, in reducing the incidence of S aureus pneumonia in patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) who are on mechanical ventilation.Methods: We did a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, phase 2 pilot trial at 31 hospitals in Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland. Eligible patients were in the ICU, aged ≥18 years, were intubated and on mechanical ventilation, were positive for S aureus colonisation of the lower respiratory tract, as assessed by quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis of endotracheal aspirate, and had not been diagnosed with new-onset pneumonia. Patients were excluded if they had confirmed or suspected acute ongoing staphylococcal disease; had received antibiotics for S aureus infection for more than 48 h within 72 h of randomisation; had a Clinical Pulmonary Infection Score of 6 or higher; had an acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II score of 25 or higher with a Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score of more than 5, or an acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II score of at least 30 with a GCS score of 5 or less; had a Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score of 9 or higher; or had active pulmonary disease that would impair the ability to diagnose pneumonia. Colonised patients were randomly assigned (1:1:1), by use of an interactive voice or web response system, to receive either a single intravenous infusion of suvratoxumab 2000 mg, suvratoxumab 5000 mg, or placebo. Randomisation was done in blocks of size four, stratified by country and by whether patients had received systemic antibiotics for S aureus infection. Patients, investigators, and study staff involved in the treatment or clinical evaluation of patients were masked to patient assignment. The primary efficacy endpoint was the incidence of S aureus pneumonia at 30 days, as determined by a masked independent endpoint adjudication committee, in all patients who received their assigned treatment (modified intention-to-treat [ITT] population). Primary safety endpoints were the incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events at 30 days, 90 days, and 190 days after treatment, and the incidence of treatment-emergent serious adverse events, adverse events of special interest, and new-onset chronic disease at 190 days after treatment. All primary safety endpoints were assessed in the modified ITT population. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02296320) and the EudraCT database (2014-001097-34).Findings: Between Oct 10, 2014, and April 1, 2018, 767 patients were screened, of whom 213 patients with confirmed S aureus colonisation of the lower respiratory tract were randomly assigned to the suvratoxumab 2000 mg group (n=15), the suvratoxumab 5000 mg group (n=96), or the placebo group (n=102). Two patients in the placebo group did not receive treatment after randomisation because their clinical conditions changed and they no longer met the eligibility criteria for dosing. As adjudicated by the data monitoring committee at an interim analysis, the suvratoxumab 2000 mg group was discontinued on the basis of predefined pharmacokinetic criteria. At 30 days after treatment, 17 (18%) of 96 patients in the suvratoxumab 5000 mg group and 26 (26%) of 100 patients in the placebo group had developed S aureus pneumonia (relative risk reduction 31·9% [90% CI -7·5 to 56·8], p=0·17). The incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events at 30 days were similar between the suvratoxumab 5000 mg group (87 [91%]) and the placebo group (90 [90%]). The incidence of treatment-emergent serious adverse events at 30 days were also similar between the suvratoxumab 5000 mg group (36 [38%]) and the placebo group (32 [32%]). No significant difference in the incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events between the two groups at 90 days (89 [93%] in the suvratoxumab 5000 mg group vs 92 [92%] in the placebo group) and at 190 days (93 [94%] vs 93 [93%]) was observed. 40 (40%) patients in the placebo group and 50 (52%) in the suvratoxumab 5000 mg group had a serious adverse event at 190 days. In the suvratoxumab 5000 mg group, one (1%) patient reported at least one treatment-emergent serious adverse event related to treatment, two (2%) patients reported an adverse event of special interest, and two (2%) reported a new-onset chronic disease.Interpretation: In patients in the ICU receiving mechanical ventilation with qPCR-confirmed S aureus colonisation of the lower respiratory tract, the incidence of S aureus pneumonia at 30 days was not significantly lower following treatment with 5000 mg suvratoxumab than with placebo. Despite these negative results, monoclonal antibodies still represent one promising therapeutic option to reduce antibiotic consumption that require further exploration and studies.Funding: AstraZeneca, with support from the Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Usually responsible for soft tissue infections, Clostridioides species can also cause bacteremia, life-threatening infections often requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission. We conducted a multicenter retrospective study to investigate Clostridioides bacteremia in ICUs to describe the clinical and biologic characteristics and outcomes in critically ill patients. We identified 135 patients with Clostridioides bacteremia, which occurred almost exclusively (96%) in patients with underlying conditions. Septic shock and digestive symptoms were the hallmarks of Clostridioides bacteremia in the ICU. We identified 16 different species of Clostridioides, among which C. perfringens accounted for 31% of cases. Despite the high sensitivity of Clostridioides to common antimicrobial drugs, mortality rates were high: 52% for ICU patients and 71% overall at 3 months. In multivariate analysis, the most important factor associated with increased risk for death was the presence of hemolysis. Clostridioides bacteremia often leads to multiple organ failures, which have high mortality rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is possible to monitor an epidemic evolution by plotting the number of patients, or its log-transform, as a function of time. However, these representations do not allow quick identifications of significant changes in the outbreak; a key information for estimating the needs for hospital and ICU beds, for decision-making, and resource allocation. Moreover, an epidemic is characterised by a heterogeneous evolution that depends on many unpredictable factors, coming from the virus itself or from its ecosystem. Simulations are very complex and based on hypotheses that are impossible to certify a priori, since each outbreak is different and has specific characteristics. A validation phase is necessary that may delay the usefulness of these tools. We tested a simpler method for monitoring the epidemic and rapidly predicting the peak. Results: We present here a simple and easy-to-draw figure by plotting the daily rate of change in the number of patients as a function of time. This allows: (1) to rapidly identify the changes in the infection growth, (2) to extrapolate the regression lines for predicting the peaks, and (3) to use simple statistical models for identifying the significant inflexions and deriving the uncertainties. This figure predicted confidently the peak epidemic of the three waves in France. Conclusion: Plotting the daily rate of change in the number of patients as a function of time is a simple tool for monitoring an epidemic growth, allowing to quickly identify significant changes and to help in predicting the peak of the infection, with its confidence interval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among 197 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in ICU, 88 (44.7%) experienced at least one bacterial infection, with pneumonia (39.1%) and bloodstream infections (15,7%) being the most frequent. Unusual findings include frequent suspicion of bacterial translocations originating from the digestive tract as well as bacterial persistence in the lungs despite adequate therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led authorities to evacuate via various travel modalities critically ill ventilated patients into less crowded units. However, it is not known if interhospital transport impacts COVID-19 patient's mortality in intensive care units (ICUs). A cohort from three French University Hospitals was analysed in ICUs between 15th of March and the 15th of April 2020. Patients admitted to ICU with positive COVID-19 test and mechanically ventilated were recruited. Results: Among the 133 patients included in the study, 95 (71%) were male patients and median age was 63 years old (interquartile range: 54–71). Overall ICU mortality was 11%. Mode of transport included train (48 patients), ambulance (6 patients), and plane plus helicopter (14 patients). During their ICU stay, 7 (10%) transferred patients and 8 (12%) non-transferred patients died (p = 0.71). Median SAPS II score at admission was 33 (interquartile range: 25–46) for the transferred group and 35 (27–42) for non-transferred patients (p = 0.53). SOFA score at admission was 4 (3–6) for the transferred group versus 3 (2–5) for the non-transferred group (p = 0.25). In the transferred group, median PaO2/FiO2 ratio (P/F) value in the 24 h before departure was 197 mmHg (160–250) and remained 166 mmHg (125–222) in the first 24 h post arrival (p = 0.13). During the evacuation 46 (68%) and 21 (31%) of the patients, respectively, benefited from neuromuscular blocking agents and from vasopressors. Transferred and non-transferred patients had similar rate of nosocomial infections, 37/68 (54%) versus 34/65 (52%), respectively (p = 0.80). Median length of mechanical ventilation was significantly increased in the transferred group compared to the non-transferred group, 18 days (11–24) and 14 days (8–20), respectively (p = 0.007). Finally, ICU and hospital length of stay did not differ between groups. Conclusions: In France, inter-hospital evacuation of COVID-19 ventilated ICU patients did not appear to increase mortality and therefore could be proposed to manage ICU surges in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Long-term outcomes of awakened survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) are poorly known.Research Question: What are the month (M) 18 outcomes of survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) who awakened during the first 2 weeks' post-OHCA and their poor-outcome risk factors?Study Design and Methods: All OHCA survivors with a Glasgow Coma Scale score ≥12 during the first 2 weeks' post-OHCA were enrolled in six ICUs and followed up at M3, M6, M12, and M18. The primary outcome measure was Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (GOS-E) score at M18. Secondary outcome measures included evaluation at M18 of neurologic, behavioral, and cognitive disabilities; health-related quality of life (HR-QOL), anxiety and depression; and poor-outcome risk factors (GOS-E score ≤ 6).Results: Among the 139 included patients, 98 were assessable for the primary outcome measure. At M18, 64 (65%) had full recovery or minor disabilities (GOS-E score > 6), 18 (18%) had moderate disabilities but were autonomous for daily-life activities (GOS-E score = 6), 12 (12%) had poor autonomy (GOS-E score < 6 but > 1), and four had died. Percentages of patients with GOS-E scores > 6 increased significantly over the 18-month study period. At M18, no patients had major neurologic disabilities, 20% had cognitive disabilities, 32% had anxiety symptoms, 25% had depression symptoms, and their HR-QOL was impaired compared with a sex- and age-matched population. Low-flow time, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score at admission, coma duration > 3 days after cardiac arrest, and mechanical ventilation on days 3 and 7 were associated with poor functional outcome.Interpretation: Among patients who awoke (Glasgow Coma Scale score ≥12) in the 14 days following OHCA, 35% had moderate to severe disabilities or had died at M18. Interestingly, patients improved until M18 post-OHCA. Risk factors associated with poor functional outcome were low-flow time, clinical severity at ICU admission, prolonged coma duration, and mechanical ventilation.Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT02292147; URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: A new respiratory virus, SARS-CoV-2, has emerged and spread worldwide since late 2019. This study aims at analysing clinical presentation on admission and the determinants associated with admission in intensive care units (ICUs) in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Patients and methods: In this prospective hospital-based study, socio-demographic, clinical and biological characteristics, on admission, of adult COVID-19 hospitalized patients presenting from the community for their first admission were prospectively collected and analysed. Characteristics of patients hospitalized in medical ward to those admitted in ICU were compared using Mann-Whitney and Chi-square or Fisher exact test when appropriate. Univariate logistic regression was first used to identify variables on admission that were associated with the outcome i.e. admission to an ICU versus total hospital stay in a medical ward. Forward selection was then applied beginning with sex, age and temperature in the multivariable logistic regression model. Results: Of the 412 patients included, 325 were discharged and 87 died in hospital. Multivariable regression showed increasing odds of ICU hospitalization with temperature (OR, 1.56 [95% CI, 1.06–2.28] per degree Celsius increase), oxygen saturation <90% (OR, 12.45 [95% CI, 5.27–29.4]), abnormal lung auscultation on admission (OR, 3.58 [95% CI, 1.58–8.11]), elevated level of CRP (OR, 2.7 [95% CI, 1.29–5.66for CRP>100mg/L vs CRP<10mg/L). and monocytopenia (OR, 3.28 [95% CI, 1.4–7.68]) were also associated with increasing odds of ICU hospitalization. Older patients were less likely to be hospitalized in ICU (OR, 0.17 [95%CI, 0.05–0.51]. Conclusions: Age and delay between onset of symptoms and hospital admission were associated with the risk of hospitalisation in ICU. Age being a fixed variable, interventions that shorten this delay would improve the prognosis of Covid-19 patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Few data are available on patients who have experienced anaphylaxis and were admitted to ICUs. The purpose of this observational study was to describe the epidemiology and management of these patients.Methods: This was a multicentre retrospective study carried out in 23 French ICUs between 2012 and 2017. All patients who suffered anaphylaxis and were transferred to an ICU were included. Data were collected using an electronic database after approval by an ethics committee.Results: A total of 339 patients were included, and 17 (5%) died secondary to anaphylaxis. The main triggers were drugs (77%), contrast media (11%), and food (7%). Epinephrine was administered before ICU admission in 88% of patients with Grade III anaphylaxis and 100% of patients with Grade IV anaphylaxis. Most patients with Grades III and IV anaphylaxes did not receive the recommended dose of i.v. fluid of 30 ml kg-1 within the first 4 h of ICU admission. The time to epinephrine administration was not statistically different between survivors and non-survivors, but non-survivors received a higher dose of epinephrine (median: 5 [3-10] vs 3 [2-7] mg; P<0.0001), which suggests that some forms of anaphylactic shock may be resistant to epinephrine. In multivariate analysis, only lactate concentration at ICU admission was a predictor of death (odds ratio: 1.47 [1.15-1.88]; P=0.002).Conclusions: Lactate concentration at ICU admission appeared to be the most reliable criterion for assessing prognosis. Epinephrine is widely used during anaphylaxis, but the volume of fluid resuscitation was consistently lower than recommended.Clinical Trial Registration: NCT04290507. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sepsis is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The associated incidence, mortality and trends do not differ greatly between documented reports. The purpose of this study was to provide an in-depth description of patients with sepsis and septic shock hospitalized in France from 2010 to 2015 and to explore the temporal trends of their clinical characteristics, costs and outcomes. Methods: Retrospective cohort study of the French hospital administrative database in which organ failure therapies and severity scores are systematically registered. All patients admitted between 2010 and 2015 for sepsis and septic shock as defined by an ICD-10 code for infection, and for organ failure or the use of organ failure supplementation were included. Incidence, outcomes and trends were analyzed. Subgroup analyses based on several coding strategies and adjusted for severity scores were performed. Results: A total of 737,147 patients with sepsis and 492,902 patients with septic shock were included. From 2010 to 2015, the incidence of sepsis and septic shock increased, respectively, from 206 to 243 and from 135 to 171 cases per 100,000 population. Case fatality remained at 34% for sepsis, but decreased from 46 to 44% for septic shock. Median hospital stay costs amounted to €11,400 (IQR: 5036; 24,364) for patients with sepsis and €16,439 (IQR: 7339; 29,360) for patients with septic shock. After adjustment for case-mix and illness severity, the risk of death was stable for sepsis (0.08% [− 0.04; 0.20] per year), but decreased for sepsis patients admitted to the intensive care unit and for cases of septic shock (− 0.33%[ − 0.40; − 0.27] per year). Conclusions: Sepsis is common, frequently fatal and expensive to treat. Its incidence has increased. Case fatality has decreased in most severely affected patients, owing partly to general improvements in care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Remdesivir has been found to be potent in vitro inhibitor of RNA viruses including SARS-CoV-2, but its in vivo potency is still under investigation. • This study report the clinical and biological features of five patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and treated with remdesivir for compassionate use. • For two patients, viral loads in nasopharyngeal samples decreased, despite active replication in the lower respiratory tract area. • The treatment had to be interrupted in four of the five patients, because of ALT elevation and/or renal failure. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been identified as the virus responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak worldwide. Data on treatment are scare and parallels have been made between SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses. Remdesivir is a broad-spectrum antiviral with efficient in vitro activity against SARS-CoV-2. Evidence of clinical improvement in patients with severe COVID-19 treated with remdesivir is controversial. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical outcomes and virological monitoring of the first five COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit of Bichat-Claude Bernard University Hospital, Paris, France, for severe pneumonia related to SARS-CoV-2 and treated with remdesivir. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR was used to monitor SARS-CoV-2 in blood plasma and the lower and upper respiratory tract. Among the five patients treated, two needed mechanical ventilation and one needed high-flow cannula oxygen. A significant decrease in SARS-CoV-2 viral load in the upper respiratory tract was observed in most cases, but two patients died with active SARS-CoV-2 replication in the lower respiratory tract. Plasma samples were positive for SARS-CoV-2 in only one patient. Remdesivir was interrupted before the initialy planned duration in four patients, two because of alanine aminotransferase elevations (3 to 5 normal range) and two because of renal failure requiring renal replacement. This case series of five COVID-19 patients requiring intensive care unit treatment for respiratory distress and treated with remdesivir, highlights the complexity of remdesivir use in such critically ill patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fix data are available on the management of pregnant women infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We conducted a retrospective study of 100 pregnant women with SARS-CoV-2 infection in 4 obstetric units in the Paris metropolitan area of France during March 12-April 13, 2020. Among patients, 52 (52%) were hospitalized, 10 (10%) in intensive care units (ICUs). Women with higher body mass indexes (BMIs; median 30.7 kg/m2) were more likely to be hospitalized in ICUs than other women (median BMI 26.2 kg/m2). Women hospitalized in ICUs had lower lymphocyte count at diagnosis (median 0.77 × 109 cells/L) than women not hospitalized in ICUs (median lymphocyte count 1.15 × 109 cells/L). All women requiring oxygen >5 L/min were intubated. Clinical and laboratory evaluation of SARS-CoV-2-positive pregnant women at the time of diagnosis can identify patients at risk for ICU hospitalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In this study, the aim was to investigate the clonal relationship between carbapenem resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolates and carbapenem resistance genes isolated from blood samples of patients followed in intensive care units by molecular methods. Methods: Bactec 9240 system (Becton Dickinson, USA) was used for the isolation of bacteria from blood culture flasks. Identification of 112 strains included in the study were performed by conventional tests, API 20NE (bioMèrieux, France) and Phoenix TM 100 system (Becton Dickinson, USA) and confirmed by the presence of blaOXA-51 gene. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method and Phoenix TM 100 system. Carbapenem resistance genes; blaOXA-23, blaOXA-48, blaOXA-58, blaIMP, blaVIM and blaNDM-1 were investigated by Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method. Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) was used to determine the clonal relationship between Acinetobacter baumannii strains. Results: The antibiotic resistance percentages of strains for gentamicin, amikacin, tobramycin, netil micin, ceftazidime, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, siprofloksasin, ampisilin/sulbaktam, piperasilin/tazobaktam ve sefoperazon/sulbaktam için sırasıyla %88; %81; %78; %36; %98,5; %96; %89; %100; %100; %93; %91 olarak bulundu. İmipenem ve meropenem MİK değerleri tüm grupta =8 µg/mL'nin üzerinde saptandı. Çalışmaya alınan izolatların tümünde blaOXA-51 ve blaOXA-23 gen varlığı tespit edildi. PFGE yöntemi ile 62 farklı pulsotip saptandı. Pulsotiplerden 19 tanesi birbiriyle ayırt edilemez profil gösteren (eşittir üzeri) =2 suş içermekteydi. Toplam 108 (%96,4) suşun (benzerlik oranı pulsotipler için %85 ve üzeri kabul edildiği durumda) klonal yönden ilişkili 11 grup içerisinde toplandıkları gözlendi. Sonuç: Bu çalışmada, karbapenem dirençli A. baumannii suşlarının netilmisin dışında çalışılan tüm antibiyotiklere çok yüksek yüzdelerle dirence sahip olduğu ve hastane içinde çapraz bulaş yoluyla yayıldığı gösterildi. Bu suşlar hastane enfeksiyonları açısından risk oluşturmaktadır, bunula birlikte klonal yönden ilişkili suşlar spesifik bir ünite ve zaman periyodu ile sınırlı değildir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Intensive care unit survivors suffer from prolonged impairment, reduced quality of life, and higher mortality rates after discharge compared to the general population. Socioeconomic status may play a partial but important role in mortality and recovery. Therefore, the detection of factors that are responsible for poor long-term outcomes would be beneficial in designing targeted interventions for at-risk populations.Methods: For an endpoint analysis, 1834 intensive care unit patients with known French Deprivation Index (FDep) scores were included from the French and euRopean Outcome reGistry in Intensive Care Units (FROG-ICU) study, which was a prospective, observational, multicenter cohort study performed in 20 French intensive care units in 13 different hospitals. Socioeconomic status was defined by using the FDep score [represented as quintiles when referring to the general French population, as quintiles when referring to the FROG-ICU cohort, or as dichotomized data (which was defined as a FDep ≤ 0 for nondeprived patients)] and by using a detailed social questionnaire that was completed 3 months after discharge. The primary outcome included an all-cause, 1-year mortality after ICU discharge when regarding socioeconomic status. The secondary outcomes included both ICU and hospital lengths of stay, both short- and medium-term mortality, and the quality of life, as assessed during the 1-year follow-up by using the Medical Outcome Survey Short Form-36 (SF-36). The Revised Impact of Event Scale (IES-R) was used to evaluate the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to screen for anxiety and depression.Results: Of the 1447 patients who were discharged alive from the ICU, 19.2% died over the following year. No association was found between 1-year mortality and socioeconomic status, regardless of whether this association was analyzed in quintiles (p = 0.911 in the quintiles of the general French population; p = 0.589 in the quintiles of the FROG-ICU cohort itself) or as dichotomized data [nondeprived (n = 177; 1-year mortality of 18.2%) versus deprived (n = 97; 1-year mortality of 20.5%; p = 0.304)]. Moreover, no differences were found between the nondeprived and the deprived patients in the ICU and hospital lengths of stay, ICU mortalities, in-hospital mortalities, or 28-day mortalities. The SF-36 was below the score for the normal French population throughout the follow-up period. Socially deprived patients showed significantly lower median scores in the physical function subscale [55, interquartile range (IQR) (28.8-80) vs. 65, IQR (35-90); p = 0.014], the physical role subscale [25, IQR (0-75) vs. 33.3, IQR (0-100); p = 0.022], and the overall physical component scale [47.5, IQR (30-68.8) vs. 54.4, IQR (35-78.8); p = 0.010]. Up to 31.6% of survivors presented symptoms that indicated post-traumatic stress disorder, and up to 31.5% of survivors reported clinically meaningful symptoms of anxiety or depression.Conclusions: A lower socioeconomic status was associated with lower self-reported physical component scores in the nondeprived patients. Psychiatric symptoms are frequently reported after an ICU stay, and subsequent interventions should target those fields.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01367093; registered on June 6, 2011. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To determine whether ICUs caring for higher volumes of acute respiratory distress syndrome patients would be associated with lower ICU mortality.Design: A 9-year multicenter retrospective cohort study of prospectively collected data.Setting: French medical ICUs.Patients: From 2004 to 2012, acute respiratory distress syndrome cases were identified from a coding system through a regional database (Collège des Utilisateurs de Données en Réanimation).Interventions: None.Measurements and Main Results: Volume was calculated as the cumulative annual mean number of acute respiratory distress syndrome cases. Severity (Simplified Acute Physiology Score 2) and ICU mortality between categories (low, medium, and high) of acute respiratory distress syndrome cases volume were analyzed. Multivariable analysis using mixed effects models was performed to adjust for severity of illness and confounding factors. Over the study period, 8,383 acute respiratory distress syndrome patients among 31 ICUs met the study inclusion criteria. Overall, Simplified Acute Physiology Score 2 (median [interquartile]) was 58 (43-74), whereas ICU mortality was 53.7%. Severity as assessed by Simplified Acute Physiology Score 2 (median [interquartile]) was significantly higher in high-volume ICUs (> 65 acute respiratory distress syndrome per year) as compared to low (≤ 29 acute respiratory distress syndrome per year) and medium-volume ICUs (> 29-65 acute respiratory distress syndrome per year): 61 (46-77) versus 55 (41-72) and 55.0 (40-72), respectively (p < 0.01). ICU mortality was similar across the acute respiratory distress syndrome volume categories (53.6%, 54.1%, and 53.3% in low-, medium-, and high-volume categories ICUs, respectively). After adjustment for confounders, acute respiratory distress syndrome case volume was independently associated with ICU mortality (odds ratio for log-transformed volume: 0.77 [95% CI, 0.62-0.96]; p = 0.02).Conclusions: ICUs caring for higher volumes of acute respiratory distress syndrome cases were associated with lower ICU mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Family members of patients who die in the ICU often remain with unanswered questions and suffer from lack of closure. A letter of condolence may help bereaved relatives, but little is known about their experience of receiving such a letter. The objective of the study was to understand bereaved family members' experience of receiving a letter of condolence.Design: Qualitative study using interviews with bereaved family members who received a letter of condolence and letters written by these family members to the ICU team. This study was designed to provide insight into the results of a larger randomized, controlled, multicenter study.Setting: Twenty-two ICUs in France.Subjects: Family members who lost a loved one in the ICU and who received a letter of condolence.Measurements and Main Results: Thematic analysis was used and was based on 52 interviews and 26 letters. Six themes emerged: 1) a feeling of support, 2) humanization of the medical system, 3) an opportunity for reflection, 4) an opportunity to describe their loved one, 5) continuity and closure, and 6) doubts and ambivalence. Possible difficulties emerged, notably the re-experience of the trauma, highlighting the absence of further support.Conclusions: This study describes the benefits of receiving a letter of condolence; mainly, it humanizes the medical institution (feeling of support, confirmation of the role played by the relative, supplemental information). However, this study also shows a common ambivalence about the letter of condolence's benefit. Healthcare workers must strive to adapt bereavement follow-up to each individual situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Importance: The high mortality rate in critically ill elderly patients has led to questioning of the beneficial effect of intensive care unit (ICU) admission and to a variable ICU use among this population.Objective: To determine whether a recommendation for systematic ICU admission in critically ill elderly patients reduces 6-month mortality compared with usual practice.Design, Setting, and Participants: Multicenter, cluster-randomized clinical trial of 3037 critically ill patients aged 75 years or older, free of cancer, with preserved functional status (Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living ≥4) and nutritional status (absence of cachexia) who arrived at the emergency department of one of 24 hospitals in France between January 2012 and April 2015 and were followed up until November 2015.Interventions: Centers were randomly assigned either to use a program to promote systematic ICU admission of patients (n=1519 participants) or to follow standard practice (n=1518 participants).Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was death at 6 months. Secondary outcomes included ICU admission rate, in-hospital death, functional status, and quality of life (12-Item Short Form Health Survey, ranging from 0 to 100, with higher score representing better self-reported health) at 6 months.Results: One patient withdrew consent, leaving 3036 patients included in the trial (median age, 85 [interquartile range, 81-89] years; 1361 [45%] men). Patients in the systematic strategy group had an increased risk of death at 6 months (45% vs 39%; relative risk [RR], 1.16; 95% CI, 1.07-1.26) despite an increased ICU admission rate (61% vs 34%; RR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.66-1.95). After adjustments for baseline characteristics, patients in the systematic strategy group were more likely to be admitted to an ICU (RR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.54-1.82) and had a higher risk of in-hospital death (RR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.03-1.33) but had no significant increase in risk of death at 6 months (RR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.96-1.14). Functional status and physical quality of life at 6 months were not significantly different between groups.Conclusions and Relevance: Among critically ill elderly patients in France, a program to promote systematic ICU admission increased ICU use but did not reduce 6-month mortality. Additional research is needed to understand the decision to admit elderly patients to the ICU.Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01508819. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This prospective observational study included 80 adults (>18 years) patients admitted to the intensive care unit who were unconscious (Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS] score <9 with a motor response <5) and receiving mechanical ventilation. A tetanic stimulation was used to assess nociception; automated pupillometry (Algiscan, ID-MED, France) was used to compute the pupillary pain index score (PPI), with a PPI > 4 considered as nociception. Concomitantly, the number of skin conductance fluctuations (NSCF) per second, measured using a Skin Conductance Algesimeter (SCA, MEDSTORM Innovation AS, Norway; > 0.27 fluctuations/sec indicating nociception), and the instantaneous Analgesia Nociception Index (iANI, MDoloris Medical Systems, France; <50 indicating nociception) were collected. Tetanic stimulation resulted in a median pupillary dilation of 16 [6–25]% and a PPI of 5 [2–7]. According to the PPI assessment, 44 patients (55%) had nociception, whereas 23 (29%) and 18 (23%) showed nociception according to the algesimeter and iANI assessment, respectively. No significant changes in measured physiologic variables were observed after the tetanic stimulation. There were no correlations between PPI, post-stimulation iANI, and SCA-derived variables. There were no differences in PPI, iANI, and SCA variables in patients with low and normal baseline EEG power at baseline. Detection of nociception varies across different devices in unconscious critically ill patients. Further studies are required to understand which method to implement for analgesic administration in this patient population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Neurally adjusted ventilatory assist (NAVA) is a ventilatory mode that tailors the level of assistance delivered by the ventilator to the electromyographic activity of the diaphragm. The objective of this study was to compare NAVA and pressure support ventilation (PSV) in the early phase of weaning from mechanical ventilation.Methods: A multicentre randomized controlled trial of 128 intubated adults recovering from acute respiratory failure was conducted in 11 intensive care units. Patients were randomly assigned to NAVA or PSV. The primary outcome was the probability of remaining in a partial ventilatory mode (either NAVA or PSV) throughout the first 48 h without any return to assist-control ventilation. Secondary outcomes included asynchrony index, ventilator-free days and mortality.Results: In the NAVA and PSV groups respectively, the proportion of patients remaining in partial ventilatory mode throughout the first 48 h was 67.2 vs. 63.3 % (P = 0.66), the asynchrony index was 14.7 vs. 26.7 % (P < 0.001), the ventilator-free days at day 7 were 1.0 day [1.0-4.0] vs. 0.0 days [0.0-1.0] (P < 0.01), the ventilator-free days at day 28 were 21 days [4-25] vs. 17 days [0-23] (P = 0.12), the day-28 mortality rate was 15.0 vs. 22.7 % (P = 0.21) and the rate of use of post-extubation noninvasive mechanical ventilation was 43.5 vs. 66.6 % (P < 0.01).Conclusions: NAVA is safe and feasible over a prolonged period of time but does not increase the probability of remaining in a partial ventilatory mode. However, NAVA decreases patient-ventilator asynchrony and is associated with less frequent application of post-extubation noninvasive mechanical ventilation.Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02018666. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To our knowledge, there is no data on the epidemiology of patients hospitalized in intensive care unit (ICU) after a stay in Madagascar or other low-income countries. It is possible that such data may improve transfer delays and care quality for these patients.Methods: In a retrospective study, we reviewed the charts of all patients admitted to ICU of the Reunion Island Felix Guyon University Hospital from January 2011 through July 2013. We identified all patients who had stayed in Madagascar during the 6 months prior to ICU admission.Results: Of 1842 ICU patients, 62 (3.4%) had stayed in Madagascar during the 6 months prior to ICU admission. Patients were 76% male and the median age was 60.5 (48.25-64.75) years; patients were more frequently residents of Madagascar than travellers (56.5%). In most cases, patients were not hospitalized or given antibiotics in Madagascar. The most frequent causes of hospitalization were infections including malaria (21%) and lower respiratory infection (11%). Carriage and infection with multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria on ICU admission were frequent (37% and 9.7%, respectively). The mortality rate in ICU was 21%, and severity acute physiological Score II was 53.5 (37-68).Conclusions: Patients admitted to ICU after a stay to Madagascar are mainly elderly patients with chronic illnesses, and often foreign residents. The admission causes are specific of the country like malaria, or specific to the population concerned such as cardiovascular accidents that could be prevented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To assess the prevalence of decisions to forgo life-sustaining treatment (DFLST), the patients characteristics, and to estimate the impact of DFLST stages on mortality.Methods: Observational study of a prospective database between 2005 and 2012 from 13 ICUs. DFLST were defined as follows: no escalation of treatment (stage 1), not to start or escalate treatment even if such treatment is considered in the future; withholding (stage 2), not to start or escalate necessary treatment; withdrawal (stage 3), to stop necessary treatment. The impact of daily DFLST stage on day-30 hospital mortality was tested with a discrete-time Cox's model and adjusted for admission severity and daily SOFA score.Results: Of 10,080 patients, 1290 (13%) made DFLST. The highest DFLST stage during the ICU stay was no escalation of treatment in 339 (26%) patients, withholding in 502 (39%) patients, and withdrawal in 449 (35%) patients. Older patients, patients with at least one chronic disease, and patients with greater ICU severity were significantly more numerous in the DFLST group. Day-30 mortality was 13% for non-DFLST patients, 35% for no escalation of treatment, 75% for withholding, 93% for withdrawal. After adjustment, an increase in day-30 mortality was associated with withholding and withdrawal (hazard ratio 95% CI 5.93 [4.95-7.12] and 20.05 [15.58-25.79], P < 0.0001), but not with no escalation of treatment (HR 1.14 [0.91-1.44], P = 0.25).Conclusions: DFLST were made in 13% of ICU patients. Withholding, withdrawal, older age, more comorbidities, and higher severity of illness were associated with higher mortality. No escalation of treatment was not associated with increased mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate mortality of ICU patients over a 3-month period after an initial episode of septic shock and to identify factors associated with mortality. Design: Prospective multicenter observational cohort study. Setting: Fourteen ICUs from 10 French nonacademic and university teaching hospitals. Patients: All consecutive adult patients with septic shock admitted between October 2009 and September 2011 were eligible. Intervention: None. Measurements and Main Results: Multivariable analyses were performed using a Cox proportional hazard model and a flexible extension of the Cox model. In total, 1,495 of 10,941 patients (13.7%) had septic shock and 1,488 patients (99.5%) were included. Median age was 68 years (range, 58-78 yr). The majority of admissions (84%) were medical. Median (interquartile range) Simplified Acute Physiological Score II and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment were, respectively, 56 (45-70) and 11 (9-14). ICU and hospital mortality were, respectively, 39.4% and 48.6%. At 3 months, 776 patients (52.2%) had died. Factors significantly associated with increased risk of death in the multivariable Cox model were older age, male sex, comorbidities (immune deficiency, cirrhosis), Knaus C/D score, and high Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score. Flexible analyses indicated that the impact of Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score was greatest early after septic shock, while the onset of the effect of age, nosocomial infection, and cirrhosis was later. Conclusions: This is the most recent large-scale epidemiological study to investigate medium-term mortality in nonselected patients hospitalized in the ICU for septic shock. Advances in early management have improved survival at the initial phase, but risk of death persists in the medium term. Flexible modeling techniques yield insights into the profile of the risk of death in the first 3 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The search for cause of death is important to improve knowledge and provide answers for the relatives of the deceased. Medical autopsy following unexplained death in hospital is one way to identify cause of death but is difficult to carry out routinely. Post mortem sampling (PMS) of tissues via thin biopsy needle or 'mini incisions' in the skin may be a useful alternative. A study was undertaken to assess how this approach is perceived by intensive care doctors and also to evaluate how this practice is considered in ethical terms in France. Methods: A study of PMS practices immediately after death in 10 intensive care departments was performed. The medical director of each centre was interviewed by telephone and asked to describe practices in their unit and to outline the questions raised by this practice. Results: PMS is routinely performed in 70% of the units which responded, without systematically obtaining formal consent and without precise rules for communicating results. Approaches to PMS differed between centres, but all physicians felt that PMS is useful for the scientific information it gives and also for the information it provides for relatives. All physicians regret the lack of standards to structure PMS practices. Conclusion: Information from post mortem examinations is important for society to inform about causes of death, for doctors to improve practices and for decision-makers responsible for organising care. Debate persists regarding the balance between individual rights and community interests. It is suggested that an approach for identifying cause of death could easily be integrated into the relationship between carers and relatives, provided full transparency is maintained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An editorial is presented which addresses the viability of decisions to admit elderly patients to intensive care units (ICUs), and it mentions the costs associated with ICU care, as well as the article "Effect of Systematic Intensive Care Unit Triage on Long-Term Mortality Among Critically Ill Elderly Patients in France: A Randomized Clinical Trial" by G. Guidet and others which appears in the same issue of the journal. ICU admission criteria and bed supply are examined.

Background: There are growing concerns regarding the spread of carbapenemase-producing organisms (CPOs) among patients in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) and hospitals in South Korea. We have established a screening protocol for the detection of CPOs in high-risk patients upon admission to intensive care units (ICUs). The diagnostic performance of the Xpert Carba-R assay was compared to that of rectal culture for CPO detection in high-risk patients upon ICU admission. Methods: A total of 408 consecutive rectal swabs were obtained from December 2016 to December 2017. CPO screening was performed using the Xpert Carba-R assay (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA, USA). When a carbapenemase gene was detected, additional rectal swabs were incubated overnight and inoculated on chromID CARBA medium (bioMérieux, Marcy l'Etoile, France). Bacterial carbapenemase genes, including blaKPC, blaNDM, blaVIM, blaIMP-1, and blaOXA-48, were confirmed by conventional PCR. The diagnostic performance of the Carba-R assay was ascertained based on the culture results. Results: The prevalence of CPO carriage was 7.4% according to the Carba-R assay and 3.7% according to rectal culture. The median Ct values of IMP-1 and KPC were significantly different (35.2 vs. 26.6, P = 0.0143). The overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of the Carba-R assay were 100.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 78.2–100.0), 96.7% (94.4–98.2), 53.6% (40.4–66.4) and 100.0% (99.0–100.0), respectively. Conclusions: We demonstrated the prevalence of CPO carriage in high-risk patients upon ICU admission and evaluated the diagnostic performance of the Carba-R assay. The combined use of the Xpert Carba-R assay and culture produces rapid and reliable results for the active surveillance of rectal CPO in ICU patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author comments on the article "Long-Term Outcome of Patients Hospitalized in Intensive Care Units With Central or Extrapontine Myelinolysis," by G. Louis and colleagues. He believes that study should provoke attention and concern about the management of patients with central pontine/extrapontine myelinolysis (CPM/EPM) and give further insight into its often reversible nature. He then reports the findings of the multicentered study involving 36 intensive care unit (ICU) patients in France.