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The article examines the effects of moderate-dose hydrocortisone on hemodynamic status in critically ill patients throughout the period of etomidate-related adrenal insufficiency. When compared with the control group treated with norepinephrine, required doses of norepinephrine dropped at a significantly higher rate in the HC group. This indicates that critically ill patients without septic shock do not benefit from moderate-dose hydrocortisone.

The article presents a study which examines the association between assessing pain in mechanically ventilated patients in the intensive care units (ICU) and changes in clinical practice. Subjects of the study were patients who were assessed for pain as well as patients who were not, in which the investigators compared the duration of ventilator support and duration of ICU stay. Results of the study indicated that pain assessment in patients with mechanical ventilation is independently associated with a reduction in the duration of ventilator support and duration of ICU stay.

In the past decade, it has become possible to use the nuclear (proton, 1H) signal of the hydrogen atoms in water for noninvasive assessment of functional and physiological parameters with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Here we show that it is possible to produce pH-sensitive MRI contrast by exploiting the exchange between the hydrogen atoms of water and the amide hydrogen atoms of endogenous mobile cellular proteins and peptides. Although amide proton concentrations are in the millimolar range, we achieved a detection sensitivity of several percent on the water signal (molar concentration). The pH dependence of the signal was calibrated in situ, using phosphorus spectroscopy to determine pH, and proton exchange spectroscopy to measure the amide proton transfer rate. To show the potential of amide proton transfer (APT) contrast for detecting acute stroke, pH effects were noninvasively imaged in ischemic rat brain. This observation opens the possibility of using intrinsic pH contrast, as well as protein- and/or peptide-content contrast, as diagnostic tools in clinical imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor and a response by the authors are presented in reference to the article "Corticosteroid After Etomidate in Critically Ill Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial" that was published in a 2012 issue.

Background: Although short- and long-term survival in critically ill patients with cancer has been described, data on their quality of life (QoL) after an intensive care unit (ICU) stay are scarce. This study aimed to determine the impact of an ICU stay on QoL assessed at 3 months in patients with solid malignancies. Methods: A prospective case-control study was conducted in three French ICUs between February 2020 and February 2021. Adult patients with lung, colorectal, or head and neck cancer who were admitted in the ICU were matched in a 1:2 ratio with patients who were not admitted in the ICU regarding their type of cancer, curative or palliative anticancer treatment, and treatment line. The primary endpoint was the QoL assessed at 3 months from inclusion using the mental and physical components of the Short Form 36 (SF-36) Health Survey. The use of anticancer therapies at 3 months was also evaluated. Results: In total, 23 surviving ICU cancer patients were matched with 46 non-ICU cancer patients. Four patients in the ICU group did not respond to the questionnaire. The mental component score of the SF-36 was higher in ICU patients than in non-ICU patients: median of 54 (interquartile range: 42–57) vs. 47 (37–52), respectively (p = 0.01). The physical component score of the SF-36 did not differ between groups: 35 (31–47) vs. 42 (34–47) (p = 0.24). In multivariate analysis, no association was found between patient QoL and an ICU stay. A good performance status and a non-metastatic cancer at baseline were independently associated with a higher physical component score. The use of anticancer therapies at 3 months was comparable between the two groups. Conclusion: In patients with solid malignancies, an ICU stay had no negative impact on QoL at 3 months after discharge when compared with matched non-ICU patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: We evaluated the concordance of the Neurological pupil Index (NPi) with other predictors of outcome after cardiac arrest (CA).Methods: Post hoc analysis of a prospective, international, multicenter study including adult CA patients. Predictors of unfavorable outcome (UO, Cerebral Performance Category of 3-5 at 3 months) included: a) worst NPi ≤ 2; b) presence of discontinuous encephalography (EEG) background; c) bilateral absence of N20 waves on somatosensory evoked potentials (N20ABS); d) peak neuron-specific enolase (NSE) blood levels > 60 mcg/L; e) myoclonus, which were all tested in a subset of patients who underwent complete multimodal assessment (MMM).Results: A total of 269/456 (59 %) patients had UO and 186 (41 %) underwent MMM. The presence of myoclonus was assessed in all patients, EEG in 358 (78 %), N20 in 186 (41 %) and NSE measurement in 228 (50 %). Patients with discontinuous EEG, N20ABS or high NSE had a higher proportion of worst NPi ≤ 2. The accuracy for NPi to predict a discontinuous EEG, N20ABS, high NSE and the presence of myoclonus was moderate. Concordance with NPi ≤ 2 was high for NSE, and moderate for discontinuous EEG and N20ABS. Also, the higher the number of concordant predictors of poor outcome, the lower the observed NPi.Conclusions: In this study, NPi ≤ 2 had moderate to high concordance with other unfavorable outcome prognosticators of hypoxic-ischemic brain injury. This indicates that NPi measurement could be considered as a valid tool for coma prognostication after cardiac arrest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The present study explores the frequency, diagnostic approach, and therapeutic management of cerebral vasospasm in a cohort of children with moderate-to-severe traumatic and nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Methods: This was a single-center retrospective study performed over a 10-year period, from January 2010 to December 2019. Children aged from one month to 18 years who were admitted to the pediatric or adult intensive care unit with a diagnosis of SAH were eligible. Cerebral vasospasm could be suspected by clinical signs or transcranial Doppler (TCD) criteria (mean blood flow velocity > 120 cm/s or an increase in mean blood flow velocity by > 50 cm/s within 24 h) and then confirmed on cerebral imaging (with a reduction to less than 50% of the caliber of the cerebral artery). Results: Eighty patients aged 8.6 years (3.3–14.8 years, 25–75th centiles) were admitted with an initial Glasgow Coma Scale score of 8 (4–12). SAH was nontraumatic in 21 (26%) patients. A total of 14/80 patients (18%) developed cerebral vasospasm on brain imaging on day 6 (5–10) after admission, with a predominance of nontraumatic SAH (12/14). The diagnosis of cerebral vasospasm was suspected on clinical signs and/or significant temporal changes in TCD monitoring (7 patients) and then confirmed on cerebral imaging. Thirteen of 14 patients with vasospasm were successfully treated using a continuous intravenous infusion of milrinone. The Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category score at discharge from the intensive care unit was comparable between children with vasospasm (score of 2 [1–4]) vs. children without vasospasm (score of 4 [2–4]) (p = 0.09). Conclusions: These findings indicate that cerebral vasospasm exists in pediatrics, particularly after nontraumatic SAH. The use of TCD and milrinone may help in the diagnostic and therapeutic management of cerebral vasospasm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are common in family members of patients who have died in the ICU.Research Question: Could a pamphlet describing the role of relatives in the end-of-life decision decrease their risk of developing PTSD-related symptoms?Study Design and Methods: In this assessor-blinded, randomized controlled trial, 90 relatives of adult patients for whom an end-of-life decision was anticipated were enrolled. Relatives were randomly assigned to receive oral information as well as an information pamphlet explaining that the end-of-life decision is made by physicians (Group 1; n = 45) or oral information alone (Group 2; n = 45). PTSD-related symptoms were blindly assessed at 90 days following the patient's death by using the Impact of Event Scale (scores range from 0 [indicating no symptoms] to 75 [indicating severe symptoms]). Anxiety and depression symptoms were assessed by using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale score (range, 0-21 [higher scores indicate worse symptoms]).Results: On day 90, the number of relatives with PTSD-related symptoms was significantly lower in Group 1 than in Group 2: 18 of 45 vs 33 of 45 (P = .001). The risk ratio of having PTSD-related symptoms in Group 2 compared with Group 1 was 1.8 (95% CI, 1.2-2.7). The mean Impact of Event Scale and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale scores were significantly reduced in Group 1 compared with Group 2: 28 ± 10 vs 38 ± 14 (P < .001) and 13 ± 5 vs 17 ± 8 (P = .023), respectively.Interpretation: An information pamphlet describing the relatives' role during end-of-life decisions significantly reduced their risk of developing PTSD-related symptoms.Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT02329418; URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although non-invasive ventilation (NIV) is recommended in patients with chest trauma, this procedure may expose to discomfort and even failure due to agitation or excessive pain. We tested the impact of dexmedetomidine on the duration of the first session of NIV. This randomised, crossover study enrolled 19 patients with blunt chest trauma who needed NIV. During one cycle comprising two NIV sessions, patients received in a random order an intravenous infusion of dexmedetomidine (0.7 mcg/kg/h) and placebo (saline solution) that was initiated 60 min prior to NIV. Dexmedetomidine (or placebo) was titrated to maintain a Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale (RASS) score between 0 and −3. A 6-h washout period was observed between NIV sessions. The reproducibility of the drug-related effects was tested during a second cycle of two NIV sessions. During the first cycle, dexmedetomidine prolonged the duration of NIV compared to placebo: 280 min (118–450) (median, 25–75th quartiles) versus 120 min (68–287) respectively, corresponding to a median increased duration of 96 min (12–180) (P = 0.03). Dexmedetomidine was associated with a lower score for RASS: −0.8 (−1.0;0.0) versus 0.0 (−0.5;0.0) (P < 0.01), and reduced respiratory discomfort according to the 10 cm visual similar scale: 0.6 cm (0.0–3.0) versus 2.2 cm (0.0–5.3) (P = 0.05). Pain scores, morphine consumption, and blood gas measurements were comparable between groups. No difference in the duration of non-invasive ventilation was found during the second cycle. In this pilot trial, dexmedetomidine could facilitate the acceptance of the first session of non-invasive ventilation for patients with chest trauma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Predicting outcome after cardiac arrest (CA) is particularly difficult when therapeutic hypothermia (TH) is used. We investigated the performance of quantitative pupillometry and transcranial Doppler (TCD) in this context.Methods: This prospective observational study included 82 post-CA patients. Quantitative assessment of pupillary light reflex (PLR) and TCD measurements of the two middle cerebral arteries were performed at admission (day 1) and after 24h (day 2) during TH (33-35°C) and sedation. Neurological outcome was assessed at 3 months using cerebral performance category (CPC) scores; patients were classified as having good (CPC 1-2) or poor (CPC 3-5) outcome. Prognostic performance was analyzed using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC).Results: Patients with good outcome (n=27) had higher PLR amplitude than patients with poor outcome (n=55) both at day 1, 13% (10-18) (median, 25th-75th percentile) vs. 8% (2-11) (P<0.001), and at day 2, 17% (13-20) vs. 8% (5-13) (P<0.001), respectively. The AUC-ROC curves at days 1 and 2 were 0.76 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.65-0.86) and 0.82 (95% CI 0.73-0.92), respectively. The best cut-off values of PLR amplitude to predict a 3-month poor outcome were <9% and <11%, respectively. A PLR amplitude of <7% at day 2 predicted a 3-month poor outcome with a specificity of 100% (95% CI 86-100) and a sensitivity of 42% (95% CI 28-58). No differences in TCD measurements were found between the two patient groups.Conclusion: PLR measurements might be informative in the prediction of outcome of post-CA patients even under sedation and hypothermia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Treatment programs designed to enhance recovery after caesarean delivery include multimodal analgesia to ensure optimal analgesia while reducing exposure to systemic opioids. Evidence for the effectiveness of continuous wound infiltration with local anaesthetic after unplanned caesarean delivery is needed., Objective: To determine whether continuous ropivacaine wound infiltration has noninferior analgesic properties compared to epidural morphine, while reducing side effects related to opioids., Design: Triple-blinded, noninferiority, randomised controlled trial., Setting: One university hospital, between February 2015 and August 2021., Patients: Eighty-one women undergoing unplanned lower segment caesarean section under epidural anaesthesia., Intervention: At the end of the procedure, randomly assigned patients received either an epidural bolus of 0.9% saline with 48 h continuous ropivacaine wound infusion (ropivacaine group) or an epidural bolus of morphine with 48 h 0.9% saline wound infusion (morphine group)., Main Outcome Measures: Pain during mobilisation at 24 h postsurgery was assessed using the visual analogue pain scale (VAS 0 to 10) with no indication of the allocated group., Results: Pain scores were 4.4 (95% CI, 3.6 to 5.1) in the ropivacaine group versus 3.1 (95% CI, 2.4 to 3.9) in the morphine group. The mean VAS pain difference between the two groups was 1.2 (95% CI, 0.2 to 2.3), which exceeded the prespecified noninferiority margin of 1. The differences between the two groups at rest and during mobilisation at 6 and 24 h were statistically significant. The ropivacaine group received rescue morphine more frequently, and were less satisfied despite fewer morphine-related side effects. Continuous wound infiltration was not technically feasible in 18% of the patients., Conclusions: We failed to show that continuous ropivacaine wound infiltration was noninferior to epidural morphine in providing analgesia after unplanned caesarean delivery. Because of a significant rate of technical failures, continuous wound infiltration should only be considered when neuraxial morphine is contraindicated., (Copyright © 2025 European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.)

The effect of sex in outcomes after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains uncertain. We explored whether outcomes differed between women and men after standardized care management during the first 5 days in the intensive care unit (ICU). This study was an observational analysis of the OXY-TC multicenter randomized clinical trial between June 15, 2016 and April 17, 2021. Recruited patients had a pre-hospital Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 3-8, mechanical ventilation, and intracranial pressure (ICP) with or without brain tissue oxygen pressure (PbtO 2 ) monitoring. Objectives were to maintain ICP at 20 mmHg or below and PbtO2 above 20 mmHg at all times. The primary end-point was the proportion of women and men with poor outcomes at 6 months, corresponding to an extended Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOSE) score of 1-4 (death to upper severe disability). Of 318 randomized patients, 200 men and 71 women were analyzed. They were comparable in age, comorbidities, and initial injury severity scores. However, women had larger doses of ICP as the proportion of monitoring time of ICP above 20 mmHg 8% (3-18; median, interquartile range) versus 3% (1-10), respectively ( p = 0.002). They required more often at least one tier-3 treatment, i.e., barbiturate coma and therapeutic hypothermia, for refractory intracranial hypertension during the first 5 days in the ICU: 33/68 (48%) versus 60/193 (31%), respectively ( p = 0.012). At 6 months, the proportion of women with GOSE 1-4 was significantly higher than men: 48/71 (68%) versus 94/200 (47%), respectively (odds ratio 2.35 [1.33-4.16]; p = 0.003]. Similar differences were found using Disability Rating Scale and Functional Independence Measure at 6 and 12 months, and GOSE at 12 months. Sex differences in neurological outcomes persisted after adjustment for other determinants of outcome such as age, initial GCS score, and dose of ICP during the 5-day monitoring. In conclusion, women sustained more severe ICP and required more active treatment, both of which would explain a worse outcome after severe TBI. Prospective research is required to confirm these findings and identify possible mechanisms. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT02754063 (April 28, 2016).

Aims and Scope: The aim of this panel was to develop consensus recommendations on targeted temperature control (TTC) in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and in patients with moderate TBI who deteriorate and require admission to the intensive care unit for intracranial pressure (ICP) management., Methods: A group of 18 international neuro-intensive care experts in the acute management of TBI participated in a modified Delphi process. An online anonymised survey based on a systematic literature review was completed ahead of the meeting, before the group convened to explore the level of consensus on TTC following TBI. Outputs from the meeting were combined into a further anonymous online survey round to finalise recommendations. Thresholds of ≥ 16 out of 18 panel members in agreement (≥ 88%) for strong consensus and ≥ 14 out of 18 (≥ 78%) for moderate consensus were prospectively set for all statements., Results: Strong consensus was reached on TTC being essential for high-quality TBI care. It was recommended that temperature should be monitored continuously, and that fever should be promptly identified and managed in patients perceived to be at risk of secondary brain injury. Controlled normothermia (36.0-37.5 °C) was strongly recommended as a therapeutic option to be considered in tier 1 and 2 of the Seattle International Severe Traumatic Brain Injury Consensus Conference ICP management protocol. Temperature control targets should be individualised based on the perceived risk of secondary brain injury and fever aetiology., Conclusions: Based on a modified Delphi expert consensus process, this report aims to inform on best practices for TTC delivery for patients following TBI, and to highlight areas of need for further research to improve clinical guidelines in this setting., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background and Purpose: Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis due to vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (CVST-VITT) is an adverse drug reaction occurring after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccination. CVST-VITT patients often present with large intracerebral haemorrhages and a high proportion undergoes decompressive surgery. Clinical characteristics, therapeutic management and outcomes of CVST-VITT patients who underwent decompressive surgery are described and predictors of in-hospital mortality in these patients are explored., Methods: Data from an ongoing international registry of patients who developed CVST within 28 days of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, reported between 29 March 2021 and 10 May 2022, were used. Definite, probable and possible VITT cases, as defined by Pavord et al. (N Engl J Med 2021; 385: 1680-1689), were included., Results: Decompressive surgery was performed in 34/128 (27%) patients with CVST-VITT. In-hospital mortality was 22/34 (65%) in the surgical and 27/94 (29%) in the non-surgical group (p < 0.001). In all surgical cases, the cause of death was brain herniation. The highest mortality rates were found amongst patients with preoperative coma (17/18, 94% vs. 4/14, 29% in the non-comatose; p < 0.001) and bilaterally absent pupillary reflexes (7/7, 100% vs. 6/9, 67% with unilaterally reactive pupil, and 4/11, 36% with bilaterally reactive pupils; p = 0.023). Postoperative imaging revealed worsening of index haemorrhagic lesion in 19 (70%) patients and new haemorrhagic lesions in 16 (59%) patients. At a median follow-up of 6 months, 8/10 of surgical CVST-VITT who survived admission were functionally independent., Conclusions: Almost two-thirds of surgical CVST-VITT patients died during hospital admission. Preoperative coma and bilateral absence of pupillary responses were associated with higher mortality rates. Survivors often achieved functional independence., (© 2023 The Authors. European Journal of Neurology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Academy of Neurology.)

Background: Therapeutic head positioning plays a role in the management of patients with acute brain injury. Although intracranial pressure (ICP) is typically lower in an upright posture than in a flat position, limited data exist concerning the effect of upright positioning on brain oxygenation and circulation. We sought to determine the impact of supine (0°) and semirecumbent (15° and 30°) postures on ICP, brain oxygenation, and brain circulation., Methods: An observational cohort study was conducted between February 2012 and September 2015. Twenty-three patients with severe acute brain injury were successively observed at head elevations of 30°, 15°, and 0°. Postural-induced changes in ICP, cerebral perfusion pressure, brain tissue oxygenation pressure, and transcranial Doppler findings were simultaneously measured during three repeated experiments: 24 h after admission to the intensive care unit (exp1), 24 h later (exp2), and 96 h later (exp3). Cerebral perfusion pressure, arterial blood gases, hemoglobin content, and body temperature remained unchanged during the three experiments., Results: Using linear random-slope mixed models, we found that during the early phase of acute brain injury (exp1), lowering the head posture from 30° to 15°, and then to 0°, was associated with a gradual mean ICP increase of 2.6 mm Hg (1.4-3.7 mm Hg; P < 0.001); and from 30° to 0°, an increase of 7.4 mm Hg (6.3-8.6 mm Hg; P < 0.001). Furthermore, brain tissue oxygenation pressure and mean blood flow velocity improved when the head posture was lowered from 30° to 0° by 1.2 mm Hg (0.2-2.3 mm Hg) and 4.1 cm/s (0.0-8.2 cm/s), respectively (both P < 0.05)., Conclusions: Changing the positioning of stable patients with acute brain injury resulted in opposite changes of ICP versus brain oxygenation and circulation. This information supports the concept of an individualized approach to head positioning that is based on the multimodal monitoring of brain parameters., (© 2021. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature and Neurocritical Care Society.)

Background: Pupillary reflex dilation is a reliable indicator of response to noxious stimulation. In a proof of concept study, we investigated the performance of pupillary pain index, a new score derived from pupillary reflex dilation measurements, to predict nociceptive response to endotracheal suctioning in sedated critically ill patients., Methods: Twenty brain-injured and 20 non-brain-injured patients were studied within 48 hours of admission (T1) in the intensive care unit and at 48-72 hours later (T2). Video-based pupillometer was used to determine pupillary reflex dilation during tetanic stimulation. The tetanic stimulation (100 Hz) was applied to the skin area innervated by the ulnar nerve and was stepwise increased from 10 to 60 mA until pupil size had increased by 13% compared to baseline. The maximum intensity value allowed the determination of a pupillary pain index score ranging from 1 (no nociception) to 9 (high nociception). The Behavioral Pain Scale response to endotracheal suctioning was measured thereafter., Results: Behavioral Pain Scale responses to endotracheal suctioning and pupillary pain index scores were positively correlated at T1 and T2 (both P < .01). After adjustments for repeated measurements and group of patients, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of pupillary pain index to predict Behavioral Pain Scale response to endotracheal suctioning was of 0.862 (95% CI, 0.714-0.954). In the combined set of patients, a pupillary pain index score of ≤4 could predict no nociceptive response to endotracheal suctioning with a sensitivity of 88% (95% CI, 68%-97%) and a specificity of 79% (95% CI, 66%-88%). By contrast with endotracheal suctioning, tetanic stimulation had no effect on intracranial pressure in the brain-injured group., Conclusions: These results are a proof of concept. The nociceptive response to endotracheal suctioning could be accurately predicted using the determination of pupillary pain index score in sedated critically ill patients whether they have brain injury or not.