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ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Rehospitalization is an important and costly outcome that occurs commonly in several diseases encountered in the medical intensive care unit (ICU). Although alcohol use disorders are present in 40% of ICU survivors and alcohol withdrawal is the most common alcohol-related reason for admission to an ICU, rates and predictors of rehospitalization have not been previously reported in this population. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of medical ICU survivors with a primary or secondary discharge diagnosis of alcohol withdrawal using 2 administrative databases. The primary outcome was time to rehospitalization or death. Secondary outcomes included time to first emergency department or urgent care clinic visit in the subset of ICU survivors who were not rehospitalized. Cox proportional hazard models were adjusted for age, gender, race, homelessness, smoking, and payer source. RESULTS: Of 1,178 patients discharged from the medical ICU over the study period, 468 (40%) were readmitted to the hospital and 54 (4%) died within 1 year. Schizophrenia (hazard ratio 2.23, 95% CI 1.57, 3.34, p < 0.001), anxiety disorder (hazard ratio 2.04, 95% CI 1.30, 3.32, p < 0.01), depression (hazard ratio 1.62, 95% CI 1.05, 2.40, p = 0.03), and Deyo comorbidity score ≥3 (hazard ratio 1.43, 95% CI 1.09, 1.89, p = 0.01) were significant predictors of time to death or first rehospitalization. Bipolar disorder was associated with time to first emergency department or urgent care clinic visit (hazard ratio 2.03, 95% CI 1.24, 3.62, p < 0.01) in the 656 patients who were alive and not rehospitalized within 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of a psychiatric comorbidity is a significant predictor of multiple measures of unplanned healthcare utilization in medical ICU survivors with a primary or secondary discharge diagnosis of alcohol withdrawal. This finding highlights the potential importance of targeting longitudinal multidisciplinary care to patients with a dual diagnosis.
Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research 05/2013; · 3.34 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVES:: The effects of excess alcohol consumption (alcohol misuse) on outcomes in patients with acute lung injury have been inconsistent, and there are no studies examining this association in the era of low tidal volume ventilation and a fluid conservative strategy. We sought to determine whether validated scores on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test that correspond to past-year abstinence (zone 1), low-risk drinking (zone 2), mild to moderate alcohol misuse (zone 3), and severe alcohol misuse (zone 4) are associated with poor outcomes in patients with acute lung injury. DESIGN:: Secondary analysis. SETTING:: The Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Network, a consortium of 12 university centers (44 hospitals) dedicated to the conduct of multicenter clinical trials in patients with acute lung injury. SUBJECTS:: Patients meeting consensus criteria for acute lung injury enrolled in one of three recent Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Network clinical trials. INTERVENTIONS:: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:: Of 1,133 patients enrolled in one of three Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Network studies, 1,037 patients had an Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test score available for analysis. Alcohol misuse was common with 70 (7%) of patients having Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test scores in zone 3 and 129 (12%) patients in zone 4. There was a U-shaped association between validated Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test zones and death or persistent hospitalization at 90 days (34% in zone 1, 26% in zone 2, 27% in zone 3, 36% in zone 4; p < 0.05 for comparison of zone 1 to zone 2 and zone 4 to zone 2). In a multiple logistic regression model, there was a significantly higher odds of death or persistent hospitalization in patients having Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test zone 4 compared with those in zone 2 (adjusted odds ratio 1.70; 95% confidence interval 1.00, 2.87; p = 0.048). CONCLUSIONS:: Severe but not mild to moderate alcohol misuse is independently associated with an increased risk of death or persistent hospitalization at 90 days in acute lung injury patients.
Critical care medicine 03/2013; · 6.37 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) continues to be a major health care problem, affecting more than 190,000 people in the US annually with a mortality of 27-45% depending on the severity of the illness and co-morbidities. Despite advances in clinical care, particularly lung protective strategies of mechanical ventilation, most survivors experience impaired health-related quality of life for years after the acute illness. While most patients survive the acute illness, a subset of ARDS survivors develops a fibroproliferative response characterized by fibroblast accumulation and deposition of collagen and other extracellular matrix components in the lung. Historically, the development of severe fibroproliferative lung disease has been associated with a poor prognosis with high mortality and/or prolonged ventilator dependence. More recent studies also support a relationship between the magnitude of the fibroproliferative response and long-term health-related quality of life. The factors that determine which patients develop fibroproliferative ARDS and the cellular mechanisms responsible for this pathological response are not well understood. This article will review our current understanding of the contribution of pulmonary dysfunction to mortality and to quality of life in survivors of ARDS, the mechanisms driving pathological fibroproliferation, and potential therapeutic approaches to prevent or attenuate fibroproliferative lung disease.
European Respiratory Journal 03/2013; · 5.89 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVES:: Despite decreasing mortality rates in acute lung injury, studies of long-term physical function in acute lung injury survivors have consistently reported poorer quality of life persisting years into recovery for reasons that are not completely understood. We sought to determine if pulmonary dysfunction is independently associated with functional impairment among acute lung injury survivors and to determine if high-resolution computed tomography could be used to predict its development. DESIGN:: Secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial in acute lung injury. SETTING:: ICUs at three academic medical centers. PATIENTS:: Patients diagnosed with acute lung injury who had high-resolution computed tomography scans performed at 14 and/or 180 days after diagnosis. INTERVENTIONS:: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:: An objective radiologic scoring system was used to quantify patterns present on chest high-resolution computed tomography obtained at 14 and 180 days in patients with acute lung injury. These scores were correlated in univariable and multivariable analyses with pulmonary function testing and quality of life survey data obtained at 180 days. Eighty-nine patients had evaluable data at day 14, and 47 at 180 days. At 180 days, increased radiologic scores for reticulation were associated with a decreased total lung capacity, forced vital capacity, and diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (p values all < 0.002). Decrements in quality of life attributable to pulmonary dysfunction were most strongly associated with higher radiologic scores. Additionally, radiologic scores at 14 days independently predicted poorer quality of life at 180 days, accounting for age, severity of illness, pneumonia as the acute lung injury risk factor, and length of time on mechanical ventilation. CONCLUSIONS:: Among survivors of acute lung injury, increasing chest high-resolution computed tomography involvement correlated with restrictive physiology and poorer health-related quality of life, implicating pulmonary dysfunction as a potential contributor to activity limitation in these patients.
Critical care medicine 12/2012; · 6.37 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: PURPOSE: This study sought to determine the utilization of speech-language pathologist (SLPs) for the diagnosis and treatment of post-extubation dysphagia in survivors of mechanical ventilation. METHODS: We designed, validated, and mailed a survey to 1,966 inpatient SLPs who routinely evaluate patients for post-extubation dysphagia. RESULTS: Most SLP diagnostic evaluations (60%; 95% CI, 59%-62%) were performed using clinical techniques with uncertain accuracy. Instrumental diagnostic tests (such as fluoroscopy and endoscopy) are more likely to be available at university than community hospitals. After adjusting for hospital size and academic affiliation, instrumental test use varied significantly by geographical region. Treatments for post-extubation dysphagia usually involved dietary adjustment (76%; 95% CI, 73-79%) and postural changes/compensatory maneuvers (86%; 95% CI, 84-88%), rather than on interventions aimed to improve swallowing function (24%; 95% CI, 21-27%). CONCLUSIONS: SLPs frequently evaluate acute respiratory failure survivors. However, diagnostic evaluations rely mainly upon bedside techniques with uncertain accuracy. The use of instrumental tests varies by geographic location and university affiliation. Current diagnostic practices and feeding decisions for critically ill patients should be viewed with caution until further studies determine the accuracy of bedside detection methods.
Journal of critical care 10/2012; · 2.13 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: In their work, pediatric acute care nurses may encounter traumatic events and be at risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This survey-based study examines the potential diagnosis of PTSD among nurses at a tertiary children's hospital with a Level 1 trauma center. Twenty-one percent of respondents had strong PTSD symptoms without significant difference between units. Nurses with potential PTSD had more comorbid symptoms of anxiety, depression, and burnout and were more often considering a career change. Furthermore, symptoms affected not only their work but also their personal lives. Future research should focus upon identifying pediatric nurses with PTSD to provide therapeutic interventions and reducing high-risk events and their potential impact.
Journal of pediatric nursing 08/2012; 27(4):357-65.
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ABSTRACT: Critically ill patients frequently display impaired decision-making capacity due to their underlying illness and the use of sedating medications. Healthcare providers often rely on surrogates to make decisions for medical care and participation in clinical research. However, the accuracy of surrogate decisions for a variety of critical care research studies is poorly understood.
Cross-sectional observational study.
Academic medical center.
Medical intensive care unit patients and their designated surrogates.
Patients were asked whether they would consent to participate in hypothetical research studies of increasing complexity, and surrogates independently indicated whether they would consent to enroll the patient in the same scenarios.
Overall, 69 medical intensive care unit patients were enrolled into the study. The majority of surrogates were either the spouse (58%) or parent (22%) of the patient. The percentage of patients that would agree to participate in a research study and the percentage of surrogates that would agree to have the patient enrolled into a research study both declined as the risk of the study increased (p < .001 for both analyses). In addition, the overall discrepancy, the false-negative rates, and the false-positive rates between patient and surrogates were greater as the risk of the study increased (p < .001, p < .001, and p = .049, respectively). κ values for all seven scenarios demonstrated less-than-moderate agreement (range 0.03-0.41).
There are significant discrepancies in the willingness to participate in various types of clinical research proposals between critically ill patients and their surrogate decision makers. The results of this study raise concerns about the use of surrogate consent for inclusion of critically ill patients into research protocols.
Critical care medicine 06/2012; 40(9):2590-4. · 6.37 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Intensive care unit (ICU) nurses are at increased risk of developing psychological problems including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, there are resilient individuals who thrive and remain employed as ICU nurses for many years. The purpose of this study was to identify mechanisms employed by highly resilient ICU nurses to develop preventative therapies to obviate the development of PTSD in ICU nurses.
Qualitative study using semi-structured telephone interviews with randomly selected ICU nurses in the USA. Purposive sampling was used to identify ICU nurses who were highly resilient, based on the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale and those with a diagnosis of PTSD, based on the posttraumatic diagnostic scale. New interviews were conducted until we reached thematic saturation.
Thirteen highly resilient nurses and fourteen nurses with PTSD were interviewed (n = 27). A constructivist epistemological framework was used for data analysis. Differences were identified in four major domains: worldview, social network, cognitive flexibility, and self-care/balance. Highly resilient nurses identified spirituality, a supportive social network, optimism, and having a resilient role model as characteristics used to cope with stress in their work environment. ICU nurses with a diagnosis of PTSD possessed several unhealthy characteristics including a poor social network, lack of identification with a role model, disruptive thoughts, regret, and lost optimism.
Highly resilient ICU nurses utilize positive coping skills and psychological characteristics that allow them to continue working in the stressful ICU environment. These characteristics and skills may be used to develop target therapies to prevent PTSD in ICU nurses.
European Journal of Intensive Care Medicine 05/2012; 38(9):1445-51. · 5.17 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Preoperative risk stratification is commonly performed by assessing end-organ function (such as cardiac and pulmonary) to define postoperative risk. Little is known about impaired preoperative cognition and outcomes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of baseline impaired cognition on postoperative outcomes in geriatric surgery patients.
Subjects 65 years and older undergoing a planned elective operation requiring postoperative ICU admission were recruited prospectively. Preoperative baseline cognition was assessed using the validated Mini-Cog test. Impaired cognition was defined as a Mini-Cog score of ≤ 3. Delirium was assessed using the Confusion Assessment Method-ICU by a trained research team. Adverse outcomes were defined using the Veterans Affairs Surgical Quality Improvement Program definitions.
One hundred and eighty-six subjects were included, with a mean age of 73 ± 6 years. Eighty-two subjects (44%) had baseline impaired cognition. The impaired cognition group had the following unadjusted outcomes: increased incidence of 1 or more postoperative complications (41% vs 24%; p = 0.011), higher incidence of delirium (78% vs 37%; p < 0.001), longer hospital stays (15 ± 14 vs 9 ± 9 days; p = 0.001), higher rate of discharge institutionalization (42% vs 18%; p = 0.001), and higher 6-month mortality (13% vs 5%; p = 0.040). Adjusting for potential confounders determined by univariate analysis, logistic regression found impaired cognition was still associated with the occurrence of 1 or more postoperative complications (odds ratio = 2.401; 95% CI, 1.185-4.865; p = 0.015). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed higher mortality in the impaired cognition group (log-rank p = 0.008).
Baseline cognitive impairment in older adults undergoing major elective operations is related to adverse postoperative outcomes including increased complications, length of stay, and long-term mortality. Improved understanding of baseline cognition and surgical outcomes can aid surgical decision making in older adults.
Journal of the American College of Surgeons 05/2012; 215(1):12-7; discussion 17-8. · 4.55 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Shedding of neuregulin-1 (NRG-1) from pulmonary epithelium leads to activation of the epithelial HER2 receptor and increased pulmonary epithelial permeability and acute lung injury (ALI). We sought to determine if NRG-1 was detectable and elevated in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and plasma from patients with ALI compared with controls and to determine whether a correlation exists between NRG-1 and inflammation and outcome in ALI.Matched BAL and plasma samples were obtained from 23 ALI patients requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation. Control patients (n=5) included healthy volunteers. NRG-1 and indices of inflammation were measured in BAL and plasma via ELISA.The mean BAL NRG-1 concentration in ALI patients was 187.0±21.35 pg/mL compared to 85.50±9.2 pg·mL(-1) in controls (P=0.001). Increased BAL NRG-1 was associated with markers of inflammation, and inversely correlated with ventilator free days (VFDs; r= -0. 51, P=0.015). Plasma NRG-1 was elevated in ALI patients compared to controls (611.7±354.2 pg·mL(-1) vs. 25.17±19.33 pg·mL(-1), P < 0.001) and inversely correlated with VFDs (r= -0.51, P=0.04).These results confirm shedding of NRG-1 in ALI and suggest that the NRG-1-HER2 pathway is active in patients with ALI.
European Respiratory Journal 05/2012; · 5.89 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: ICU nurses are repeatedly exposed to work related stresses resulting in the development of psychological disorders including posttraumatic stress disorder and burnout syndrome. Resilience is a learnable multidimensional characteristic enabling one to thrive in the face of adversity. In a national survey, we sought to determine whether resilience was associated with healthier psychological profiles in intensive care unit nurses.
Surveys were mailed to 3500 randomly selected ICU nurses across the United States and included: demographic questions, the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale.
Overall, 1239 of the mailed surveys were returned for a response rate of 35%, and complete data was available on a total of 744 nurses. Twenty-two percent of the intensive care unit nurses were categorized as being highly resilient. The presence of high resilience in these nurses was significantly associated with a lower prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder, symptoms of anxiety or depression, and burnout syndrome (<0.001 for all comparisons). In independent multivariable analyses adjusting for five potential confounding variables, the presence of resilience was independently associated with a lower prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (p<0.001), and a lower prevalence of burnout syndrome (p<0.001).
The presence of psychological resilience was independently associated with a lower prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder and burnout syndrome in intensive care unit nurses. Future research is needed to better understand coping mechanisms employed by highly resilient nurses and how they maintain a healthier psychological profile.
International journal of nursing studies 03/2012; 49(3):292-9. · 1.91 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) can develop a condition referred to as ICU-acquired weakness. This condition is characterized by profound weakness that is greater than might be expected to result from prolonged bed rest. ICU-acquired weakness often is accompanied by dysfunction of multiple organ systems. Individuals with ICU-acquired weakness typically have significant activity limitations often requiring physical assistance for even the most basic activities associated with bed mobility. Many of these individuals have activity limitations months to years after hospitalization. The purpose of this article is to review evidence that guides physical rehabilitation of people with ICU-acquired weakness. Included are diagnostic criteria, medical management, and prognostic indicators as well as criteria for beginning physical rehabilitation, with an emphasis on patient safety. Data are presented indicating that rehabilitation can be implemented with very few adverse effects. Evidence is provided for appropriate measurement approaches and for physical intervention strategies. Finally, some of the key issues are summarized that should be investigated to determine the best intervention guidelines for individuals with ICU-acquired weakness.
Physical Therapy 01/2012; · 3.11 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Alcohol use disorders (AUDs), including alcohol abuse and dependence, have been linked to the development of acute lung injury (ALI). Prior clinical investigations suggested an association between AUDs and abnormal alveolar epithelial permeability mediated through pulmonary oxidative stress that may partially explain this relationship. We sought to determine if correcting pulmonary oxidative stress in the setting of AUDs would normalize alveolar epithelial permeability in a double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of Protandim, a nutraceutical reported to enhance antioxidant activity. We randomized 30 otherwise healthy AUD subjects to receive directly observed inpatient oral therapy with either Protandim (1,350 mg/day) or placebo. Subjects underwent bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and blood sampling before study drug administration and after 7 days of therapy; all AUD subjects completed the study protocol without adverse events. BAL total protein was measured at each timepoint as an indicator of alveolar epithelial permeability. In subjects with AUDs, before study drug initiation, BAL total protein values were not significantly higher than in 11 concurrently enrolled controls (P = 0.07). Over the 7-day study period, AUD subjects did not exhibit a significant change in BAL total protein, regardless of their randomization to Protandim {n = 14, -2% [intraquartile range (IQR), -56-146%]} or to placebo [n = 16, 77% (IQR -20-290%); P = 0.19]. Additionally, among those with AUDs, no significant changes in BAL oxidative stress indexes, epithelial growth factor, fibroblast growth factor, interleukin-1β, or interleukin-10 were observed regardless of drug type received. Plasma thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, a marker of lipid peroxidation, decreased significantly over time among AUD subjects randomized to placebo (P < 0.01). These results suggest that Protandim for 7 days in individuals with AUDs who are newly abstinent does not alter alveolar epithelial permeability. However, our work demonstrates the feasibility of safely conducting clinical trials that include serial bronchoscopies in a vulnerable population at risk for acute lung injury.
AJP Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology 01/2012; 302(7):L688-99. · 3.66 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Dysphagia is common among survivors of critical illness who required mechanical ventilation during treatment. The risk factors associated with the development of postextubation dysphagia, and the effects of dysphagia on patient outcomes, have been relatively unexplored.
We conducted a retrospective, observational cohort study from 2008 to 2010 of all patients over 17 years of age admitted to a university hospital ICU who required mechanical ventilation and subsequently received a bedside swallow evaluation (BSE) by a speech pathologist.
A BSE was performed after mechanical ventilation in 25% (630 of 2,484) of all patients. After we excluded patients with stroke and/or neuromuscular disease, our study sample size was 446 patients. We found that dysphagia was present in 84% of patients (n = 374) and classified dysphagia as absent, mild, moderate or severe in 16% (n = 72), 44% (n = 195), 23% (n = 103) and 17% (n = 76), respectively. In univariate analyses, we found that statistically significant risk factors for severe dysphagia included long duration of mechanical ventilation and reintubation. In multivariate analysis, after adjusting for age, gender and severity of illness, we found that mechanical ventilation for more than seven days remained independently associated with moderate or severe dysphagia (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.84 [interquartile range (IQR) = 1.78 to 4.56]; P < 0.01). The presence of severe postextubation dysphagia was significantly associated with poor patient outcomes, including pneumonia, reintubation, in-hospital mortality, hospital length of stay, discharge status and surgical placement of feeding tubes. In multivariate analysis, we found that the presence of moderate or severe dysphagia was independently associated with the composite outcome of pneumonia, reintubation and death (AOR = 3.31 [IQR = 1.89 to 5.90]; P < 0.01).
In a large cohort of critically ill patients, long duration of mechanical ventilation was independently associated with postextubation dysphagia, and the development of postextubation dysphagia was independently associated with poor patient outcomes.
Critical care (London, England) 09/2011; 15(5):R231. · 4.61 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Unhealthy alcohol use predisposes to multiple conditions that frequently result in critical illness and is present in up to one-third of patients admitted to a medical intensive care unit (ICU). We sought to determine the baseline readiness to change in medical ICU patients with unhealthy alcohol use and hypothesized that the severity of acute illness would be independently associated with higher scores on readiness to change scales. We further sought to determine whether this effect is modified by the severity of unhealthy alcohol use.
We performed a cross-sectional observational study of current regular drinkers in 3 medical ICUs. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test was used to differentiate low-risk and unhealthy alcohol use and further categorize patients into risky alcohol use or an alcohol use disorder. The severity of a patient's acute illness was assessed by calculating the Acute Physiologic and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score at the time of admission to the medical ICU. Readiness to change was assessed using standardized questionnaires.
Of 101 medical ICU patients who were enrolled, 65 met the criteria for unhealthy alcohol use. The association between the severity of acute illness and readiness to change depended on the instrument used. A higher severity of illness measured by APACHE II score was an independent predictor of readiness to change as assessed by the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (Taking Action scale; p < 0.01). When a visual analog scale was used to assess readiness to change, there was a significant association with severity of acute illness (p < 0.01) that was modified by the severity of unhealthy alcohol use (p = 0.04 for interaction term).
Medical ICU patients represent a population where brief interventions require further study. Studies of brief intervention should account for the severity of acute illness and the severity of unhealthy alcohol use as potential effect modifiers.
Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research 09/2011; 36(3):544-51. · 3.34 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Despite recent advances in critical care and ventilator management, acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome continue to cause significant morbidity and mortality. Granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor may be beneficial for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.
To determine whether intravenous infusion of granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor would improve clinical outcomes for patients with acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome.
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of human recombinant granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor vs. placebo. The primary outcome was days alive and breathing without mechanical ventilatory support within the first 28 days after randomization. Secondary outcomes included mortality and organ failure-free days.
Medical and surgical intensive care units at three academic medical centers.
One hundred thirty individuals with acute lung injury of at least 3 days duration were enrolled, out of a planned cohort of 200 subjects.
Patients were randomized to receive human recombinant granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (64 subjects, 250 μg/M) or placebo (66 subjects) by intravenous infusion daily for 14 days. Patients received mechanical ventilation using a lung-protective protocol.
There was no difference in ventilator-free days between groups (10.7 ± 10.3 days placebo vs. 10.8 ± 10.5 days granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor, p = .82). Differences in 28-day mortality (23% in placebo vs. 17% in patients receiving granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (p = .31) and organ failure-free days (12.8 ± 11.3 days placebo vs. 15.7 ± 11.9 days granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor, p = .16) were not statistically significant. There were similar numbers of serious adverse events in each group.
In a randomized phase II trial, granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor treatment did not increase the number of ventilator-free days in patients with acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome. A larger trial would be required to determine whether treatment with granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor might alter important clinical outcomes, such as mortality or multiorgan failure. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00201409 [ClinicalTrials.gov]).
Critical care medicine 09/2011; 40(1):90-7. · 6.37 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of frailty and 6-month postoperative costs.
Subjects aged ≥ 65 years undergoing elective colorectal operations were enrolled in a prospective observational study. Frailty was assessed by a validated measure of function, cognition, nutrition, comorbidity burden, and geriatric syndromes. Frailty was quantified by summing the number of positive characteristics in each subject.
Sixty subjects (mean age, 75 ± 8 years) were studied. Inpatient mortality was 2% (n = 1). Overall, 40% of subjects (n = 24) were considered nonfrail, 22% (n = 13) were prefrail, and 38% (n = 22) were frail. With advancing frailty, hospital costs increased (P < .001) and costs from discharge to 6-months increased (P < .001). Higher degrees of frailty were related to increased rates of discharge institutionalization (P < .001) and 30-day readmission (P = .044).
A simple, brief preoperative frailty assessment accurately forecasts increased surgical hospital costs and postdischarge to 6-month healthcare costs after colorectal operations in older adults.
American journal of surgery 09/2011; 202(5):511-4. · 2.36 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Individuals with critical illness experience dysfunction of many body systems including the neuromuscular system. Neuromuscular impairments result in a syndrome referred to as intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired weakness, which may lead to difficulty with activities and participation. The purposes of this case series were to (1) describe safety and feasibility of physical intervention in individuals with ICU-acquired weakness mechanically ventilated for at least 7 days and (2) characterize physical therapist management and patient outcomes.
Nineteen patients with ICU-acquired weakness who required mechanical ventilation for at least 7 days were enrolled over a 1-year period.
Physical therapy (PT) was provided 5 d/wk for 30 minutes per session.
Outcome measures included manual muscle tests and item scores from the Functional Independence Measure. Participants completed 170 PT sessions. Only 20 sessions (12%) were stopped before 30 minutes. Seventeen participants survived to discharge; no PT-related adverse events occurred. At discharge, participants who went home showed a trend toward greater independence and strength than those who were discharged to another level of care. Median total hospital days was 28 for those discharged to home and 22 for those discharged to other level of care.
This case series demonstrates safety and feasibility of PT intervention for patients with ICU-acquired weakness requiring mechanical ventilation for at least 7 days. The examination and intervention procedures are described and could be implemented with other similar individuals in the hospital setting. Future studies should investigate frequency and duration of physical intervention, both during hospitalization and postdischarge, and how these factors influence outcomes.
Journal of neurologic physical therapy: JNPT 09/2011; 35(3):133-40.
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American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 06/2011; 183(11):1443-4. · 11.08 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Cigarette smoking and unhealthy alcohol use are common causes of preventable morbidity and mortality that frequently result in admission to an intensive care unit. Understanding how to identify and intervene in these conditions is important because critical illness may provide a "teachable moment." Furthermore, the Joint Commission recently proposed screening and receipt of an intervention for tobacco use and unhealthy alcohol use as candidate performance measures for all hospitalized patients. Understanding the efficacy of these interventions may help drive evidence-based institution of programs, if deemed appropriate.
A summary of the published medical literature on interventions for unhealthy alcohol use and smoking obtained through a PubMed search.
Interventions focusing on behavioral counseling for cigarette smoking in hospitalized patients have been extensively studied. Several studies include or focus on critically ill patients. The evidence demonstrates that behavioral counseling leads to increased rates of smoking cessation but the effect depends on the intensity of the intervention. The identification of unhealthy alcohol use can lead to brief interventions. These interventions are particularly effective in trauma patients with unhealthy alcohol use. However, the current literature would not support routine delivery of brief interventions for unhealthy alcohol use in the medical intensive care unit population.
Intensive care unit admission represents a "teachable moment" for smokers and some patients with unhealthy alcohol use. Future studies should assess the efficacy of brief interventions for unhealthy alcohol use in medical intensive care unit patients. In addition, identification of the timing and optimal individual to conduct the intervention will be necessary.
Critical care medicine 06/2011; 39(6):1500-6. · 6.37 Impact Factor
