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Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is raging all over the world. As we are delving more into management of COVID-19, certain new challenges are emerging. One of these is emergence or reactivation of viral infections belonging to Herpesviridae family, especially cytomegalovirus (CMV). Although we have come across the threat of fungal and resistant bacterial infections, experience regarding reactivation or coinfection with concomitant viral infections like CMV during the COVID pandemic is still limited. Whether CMV is a bystander or pathogen is difficult to say categorically and needs further research. In this case series, we intend to describe three patients of COVID-19 with CMV coinfections. To our knowledge, this is the first case series from India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Critically ill solid organ malignancy patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) as unplanned medical admissions behave differently from other subsets of cancer patients (hematolymphoid malignancies and cancer patients admitted for postoperative care). These patients if appropriately selected may benefit from the ICU care. There is paucity of data on critically ill unplanned admissions of solid organ malignancies from South Asia. We analyzed data of patients with solid tumors with unplanned admissions to the ICU to determine the clinical, epidemiological characteristics, and predictors of hospital mortality in an Indian ICU. Materials and methods: This prospective, observational study was done in our 14-bedded mixed medical--surgical ICU from July 2014 to November 2015. We included all consecutive adult unplanned admissions with solid organ malignancies having ICU stay of >24 hours. Surgical admissions, hematolymphoid malignancies, advanced malignancy with no treatment options, and those cured of cancer >5 years were excluded. Results: Two hundred and thirty-five consecutive patients were included in this cohort. ICU and hospital mortalities were 36.6 and 40%, respectively. On multivariate analysis, cancer status [odds ratio (OR): 3.204; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.271-8.078], invasive mechanical ventilation (OR: 5.940; 95% CI: 2.632-13.408), and sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score on the day of ICU admission (OR: 1.199; 95% CI: 1.042-1.379) were independent predictors of hospital mortality. Conclusion: Acute respiratory failure and septic shock are the common reasons of unplanned ICU admission for patients with solid organ malignancies. With good patient selection, more than half of such patients are likely to be discharged alive from the hospital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Despite advances in the field of oncology and intensive care, the outcomes of hematolymphoid malignancy (HLM) patients admitted to ICU are poor. This study was carried out to look at the demographic data, clinical features, and predictors of hospital mortality in these patients. Materials and methods: We prospectively studied 101 adult critically ill patients with HLM admitted to the 14-bedded mixed medical surgical ICU of a tertiary care cancer center. Out of 101 patients, end-of-life care decisions were taken in 7 patients, who were excluded from the outcome analysis. Predictors of in-hospital mortality were evaluated using univariate and multivariate analysis. Results: The ICU and in-hospital mortality recorded in our study were 48.9 and 54.3%, respectively. Neutropenia at ICU admission, Simplified Acute Physiology Score III (SAPS III) score, and mechanical ventilation (MV) within 24 hours of ICU admission were associated with in-hospital mortality on univariate analysis. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, neutropenia at ICU admission (OR 4.621; 95% CI, 1.2--17.357) and MV within 24 hours of ICU admission (OR 2.728; 95% CI, 1.077--6.912) were independent predictors of in-hospital mortality. Conclusion: The HLM patients needing critical care have high acuity of illness, and acute respiratory failure is the commonest reason for ICU admission in these patients. In our study, the ICU survival was more than 50% and more than 45% patients were discharged alive from the hospital. We found a need for MV within 24 hours of ICU admission and presence of neutropenia at ICU admission to be independent predictors of hospital mortality in our study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: To evaluate and validate four severity-of-illness scores, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation IV (APACHE IV), simplified acute physiology score III (SAPS III), mortality probability models II at 0 hours (MPM0 II), and ICU cancer mortality model (ICMM), in a prospective cohort of critically ill cancer patients. Materials and methods: Single-center, prospective observational study performed in a 14-bedded combined medical--surgical ICU of a tertiary care cancer center of India, from July 2014 to November 2015. Score performance was judged by discrimination and calibration, using the area under receiver--operating characteristics (ROC) curve and Hosmer--Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test, respectively. Results: A total of 431 patients were included in the study. Intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital mortality were 37.4% and 41.1%, respectively. The area under ROC curve for APACHE IV, SAPS III, MPM0 II, and ICMM were 0.73, 0.70, 0.67, and 0.67, respectively. Calibration as calculated by Hosmer--Lemeshow analysis type C statistics for APACHE IV, SAPS III, MPM0 II, and ICMM shows good calibration with Chi-square values of 5.32, 9.285, 9.873, and 9.855 and p values of 0.723, 0.319, 0.274, and 0.275, respectively. Conclusion: All the four models had moderate discrimination and good calibration. However, none of the mortality prediction models could accurately discriminate between survivors and nonsurvivors in our patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: With the expanding use of diagnostic and therapeutic radiological modalities in critically ill patients, doctors working in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) are increasingly exposed to ionizing radiation. This risk of radiation exposure occurs not only during bedside radiologic procedures, but also when ICU physicians accompany patients to radiology suites. The aim of this study was to quantify levels of radiation exposure among medical professionals working in the ICU. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out prospectively over 6 months in the ICU of a tertiary-referral cancer hospital. Two teams consisting of 4 ICU resident doctors each were instructed to wear thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) during their duty shifts. Standard radiation protection precautions were used throughout the study period. TLDs were also placed in selected areas of the ICU to measure the amount of scattered radiation. TLDs were analyzed at the end of every 3 months. Results: The readings recorded on TLDs placed in the ICU were almost immeasurable. The mean value of residents' radiation exposure was 0.059 mSv, though the highest individual reading approached 0.1 mSv. The projected maximum yearly radiation exposure was 0.4 mSv. Conclusions: If standard radiation safety precautions are followed, the cumulative radiation exposure to ICU resident doctors is well within permissible limits and is not a cause of concern. However, with the increasing use of radiological procedures in the management of critically ill patients, there is a need to repeat such audits periodically to monitor radiation exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various articles within the issue on topics including transport of critically ill patients; an incident of a faulty setup of an oxygen cylinder during pre-transfer phase; and transport checklists to prevent transport‑related adverse events.

Background: Methyl alcohol poisoning or deaths from drinking illegally brewed cheap alcohol which is often spiked with chemicals to increase its potency are frequent in India. Many outbreaks from different parts of the country have been reported from time to time. A total of 11,830 lives were lost between 2006 and 2015 due to the consumption of spurious liquor in the country. The symptoms can range from mild to severe depending upon factors like the amount of exposure and time of presentation., Aims and Objectives: The present study was designed to describe the clinical presentation, management, and outcome of the patients during a recent methanol outbreak that can form a basis for diagnosis and management. This study also highlights the salient autopsy findings and their correlation with clinical features., Materials and Methods: It is a retrospective, descriptive study discussing clinical features of patients with methanol intoxication, their outcome, and the clinical correlation with autopsy findings of patients who succumbed to death. The study was conducted at King George's Medical University, Lucknow. The patients were enrolled from a methanol intoxication outbreak in Barabanki district on 28th May 2019 followed by a similar outbreak in Sitapur district two days later., Results: A total of 33 patients were included in this study based on predefined clinical characteristics. The average amount of alcohol consumed was about 223 mL (range: 100-300 mL). The majority of patients had onset of symptoms between 12 and 24 hours. All patients had gastrointestinal symptoms, 97% of patients had visual disturbances, 91% of patients had central nervous system manifestation while frank coma was observed in 15% of patients. Decreased urine output was reported in 6% of patients. About 90% of patients had metabolic acidosis. Out of 33 patients included in this study, 30 patients were discharged in stable condition while two died and one absconded. Autopsy findings revealed marked cerebral edema and hyperemia, hyperemic heart, and congested lungs in all the patients. One patient showed putaminal necrosis which is characteristic of methanol poisoning. Kidneys in two cases were hyperemic and show parenchymal degeneration which co-relates with both patients being anuric., Conclusion: Methanol intoxication is a serious problem in developing countries like ours. Timely intervention is an important factor in reducing mortality among these patients. The study highlights the very important fact that methanol intoxication can be managed at the very ground level with minimal resources (as available) if intervened and recognized in time., (© Journal of the Association of Physicians of India 2011.)