Bertrand Guidet

• MD
• Managing Director at French Institute of Health and Medical Research U1136

The heterogeneity of very old patients (age ≥ 80 years) and the prevalence of complex geriatric syndromes in this cohort constitute major challenges for the classical methods of evidence-based medicine to inform clinical practice. The lack of robust guidance for the management of critical conditions in these patients contributes to considerable unc...

Shock is a life-threatening condition. This study evaluated if sublingual microcirculatory perfusion on admission is associated with 30-day mortality in older intensive care unit (ICU) shock patients. This trial prospectively recruited ICU patients (≥ 80 years old) with arterial lactate above 2 mmol/L, requiring vasopressors despite adequate fluid...

Prognosis determines major decisions regarding treatment for critically ill patients. Statistical models have been developed to predict the probability of survival and other outcomes of intensive care. Although they were trained on the characteristics of large patient cohorts, they often do not represent very old patients (age ≥ 80 years) appropria...

Frailty, a condition that was first defined 20 years ago, is now assessed via multiple different tools. The Frailty Phenotype was initially used to identify a population of “pre-frail” and “frail” older adults, so as to prevent falls, loss of mobility, and hospitalizations. A different definition of frailty, via the Clinical Frailty Scale, is now a...

Introduction Prognostication of outcome in severe stroke patients necessitating invasive mechanical ventilation poses significant challenges. The objective of this study was to assess the prognostic significance and prevalence of early electroencephalogram (EEG) abnormalities in adult stroke patients receiving mechanical ventilation. Methods This...

Background Premorbid conditions influence the outcome of acutely ill adult patients aged 80 years and over who are admitted to the ICU. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of such premorbid conditions on 6 month survival. Methods Prospective cohort study in 242 ICUs from 22 countries including patients 80 years or above, admitted...

Introduction: Cases of major trauma in the very old (over 80 years) are increasingly common in the intensive care unit. Predicting outcome is challenging in this group of patients as chronological age is a poor marker of health and poor predictor of outcome. Increasingly, decisions are guided with the use of organ dysfunction scores of both the ac...

Background Suspected upper gastrointestinal bleeding (SUGIB) is a common issue during ICU stay. In the absence of specific guidelines on the indication and timing of esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), there is substantial variability in EGD indication depending on accessibility and clinical presentation. This study aimed to investigate factors assoc...

Background Albumin has potential endothelial protective effects through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the effect of albumin on peripheral tissue perfusion in human sepsis remains poorly known. Methods Bi-centric prospective study included patients with sepsis with or without shock and prolonged CRT > 3 s despite initial re...

The demographic shift, together with financial constraint, justify a re-evaluation of the trajectory of care of very old critically ill patients (VIP), defined as older than 80 years. We must avoid over- as well as under-utilisation of critical care interventions in this patient group and ensure the inclusion of health care professionals, the patie...

Background The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score is the sum of 6 components, each representing one organ system with dysfunction classified on a 4-point scale. In research, usually by default, the total SOFA score is taken into account, but it may not reflect the severity of the condition of the individual organs. Often, these values...

Background Epinephrine increases the chances of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), especially when the initial rhythm is non-shockable. However, this drug could also worsen the post-resuscitation syndrome (PRS). We assessed the association between epinephrine use during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (...

Introduction Frailty is widely acknowledged as influencing health outcomes among critically ill old patients. Yet, the traditional understanding of its impact has predominantly been through frequentist statistics. We endeavored to explore this association using Bayesian statistics aiming to provide a more nuanced understanding of this multifaceted...

Background Decisions about life-sustaining therapy (LST) in the intensive care unit (ICU) depend on predictions of survival as well as the expected functional capacity and self-perceived quality of life after discharge, especially in very old patients. However, prognostication for individual patients in this cohort is hampered by substantial uncert...

OBJECTIVES Mean arterial hypotension between 55 and 65 mm Hg could be tolerated safely in the absence of tissue hypoperfusion, but the consequences on fluid balance and kidney function remain unknown. DESIGN During a 1-year period, we retrospectively collected data of consecutive septic patients admitted for sepsis with a mean arterial pressure (M...

Background Little is known about the performance of the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score in older critically ill adults. We aimed to evaluate the prognostic impact of physiological disturbances in the six organ systems included in the SOFA score. Methods We analysed previously collected data from a prospective cohort study conducte...

Background Despite advances in asthma treatments, severe asthma exacerbation (SAE) remains a life-threatening condition in adults, and there is a lack of data derived from adult patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) for SAE. The current study investigated changes in adult patient characteristics, management, and outcomes of SAE over a 20...

Background Extubation failure is associated with increased mortality. Cough ineffectiveness may be associated with extubation failure, but its quantification for patients undergoing weaning from invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) remains challenging. Methods Patients under IMV for more than 24 h completing a successful spontaneous T-tube breath...

Objectives Clinical quality registries (CQRs) have been implemented worldwide by several medical specialties aiming to generate a better characterization of epidemiology, treatments, and outcomes of patients. National ICU registries were created almost 3 decades ago to improve the understanding of case-mix, resource use, and outcomes of critically...

Background Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) has been commonly used to treat acute respiratory failure due to COVID-19. In this study we aimed to compare outcomes of older critically ill patients treated with NIV before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We analysed a merged cohort of older adults admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) due to...

Purpose: Bleeding risk evaluation of thrombocytopenic patients admitted in ICU has been poorly investigated. Methods: A prospective observational study conducted in an 18-bed medical ICU. Consecutive patients with thrombocytopenia (<150 Giga/L) and no bleeding at admission were included. Results: Over one year, 91 patients were included, mainl...

Background: Data are scarce regarding epidemiology and management of critically ill patients with lung abscesses. Research question: What are the clinical and microbiological characteristics of critically ill patients with lung abscesses, how are they managed in the ICUs, and what are the risk factors of in-ICU mortality? Study design and metho...

Background Extubation failure is associated with increased mortality. Cough ineffectiveness may be associated with extubation failure but its quantification for patients undergoing weaning from invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) remains challenging. Methods patients under IMV for more than 24 hours completing a successful spontaneous T-tube brea...

In this narrative review, we describe the most important age-related “syndromes” found in the old ICU patients. The syndromes are frailty, comorbidity, cognitive decline, malnutrition, sarcopenia, loss of functional autonomy, immunosenescence and inflam-ageing. The underlying geriatric condition, together with the admission diagnosis and the acute...

Background: Long-term outcomes of patients with severe stroke remain poorly documented. We aimed to characterize one-year outcomes of patients with stroke requiring mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: We conducted a prospective multicenter cohort study in 33 ICUs in France (2017-2019) on patients with consecutive st...

Objectives No consensus criteria describe the medical eligibility of the patients to intermediate care units (IMCUs). In this first part of the UNISURC project, we aimed to develop criteria based on a consensus of physicians from the main specialties involved in IMCU admission decisions. Design We selected criteria from IMCU literature, scoring sy...

Purpose: The objective was to conduct a systematic review of mortality and factors independently associated with mortality of older patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) for COVID-19. Materials and methods: Data sources were MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and references of included studies. Two reviewers independently selecte...

Aims: Anemia is common in the old and often observed in critically ill patients. Increased age is associated with higher mortality following a COVID-19 infection, making old patients prone to poor outcomes. We investigated whether anemia at admission to the ICU or the need for blood transfusion was associated with 90-day mortality in older, critic...

Background: Limiting life-sustaining treatment (LST) in the intensive care unit (ICU) by withholding or withdrawing interventional therapies is considered appropriate if there is no expectation of beneficial outcome. Prognostication for very old patients is challenging due to the substantial biological and functional heterogeneity in that group. W...

Background: This large-scale analysis pools individual data about the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) to predict outcome in the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: A systematic search identified all clinical trials that used the CFS in the ICU (PubMed searched until 24th June 2020). All patients who were electively admitted were excluded. The prima...

Background Immune-mediated thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (iTTP) is a rare disease characterized by arteriolar and capillary microthrombosis precipitating organ failure. However, the contribution of endothelial dysfunction on impaired microvascular blood flow in iTTP patients has been poorly explored. This pilot observational study aimed to ex...

Background: In France, physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia are not legal but are still debated. French intensive care unit (ICU) health care workers (HCWs) have an insider's perspective on the global quality of the patient's end-of-life, whether it occurs in ICU or not. However, their opinion about euthanasia/physician-assisted suicide remain...

Background: Limitations of life-sustaining therapies (LST) practices are frequent and vary among intensive care units (ICUs). However, scarce data were available during the COVID-19 pandemic when ICUs were under intense pressure. We aimed to investigate the prevalence, cumulative incidence, timing, modalities, and factors associated with LST decis...

Background: Several studies have found an association between diabetes mellitus, disease severity and outcome in COVID-19 patients. Old critically ill patients are particularly at risk. This study aimed to investigate the impact of diabetes mellitus on 90-day mortality in a high-risk cohort of critically ill patients over 70 years of age. Methods...

Background: The optimal calorie and protein intakes at the acute phase of severe critical illness remain unknown. We hypothesised that early calorie and protein restriction improved outcomes in these patients, compared with standard calorie and protein targets. Methods: The pragmatic, randomised, controlled, multicentre, open-label, parallel-gro...

Background: In the early COVID-19 pandemic concerns about the correct choice of analgesics in patients with COVID-19 were raised. Little data was available on potential usefulness or harmfulness of prescription free analgesics, such as paracetamol. This international multicentre study addresses that lack of evidence regarding the usefulness or pot...

Background Recent multicenter studies identified COVID-19 as a risk factor for invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA). However, no large multicenter study has compared the incidence of IPA between COVID-19 and influenza patients. Objectives To determine the incidence of putative IPA in critically ill SARS-CoV-2 patients, compared with influenza pa...

Background Vitamin C has potential protective effects through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the effect of vitamin C supplementation on microvascular function and peripheral tissue perfusion in human sepsis remains unknown. We aimed to determine vitamin C effect on microvascular endothelial dysfunction and peripheral tissue...

Background A dysregulated immune response is emerging as a key feature of critical illness in COVID-19. Neutrophils are key components of early innate immunity that, if not tightly regulated, contribute to uncontrolled systemic inflammation. We sought to decipher the role of neutrophil phenotypes, functions, and homeostasis in COVID-19 disease seve...

Background Little is known about the impact of hospital trajectory on survival and functional decline of older critically ill patients. We evaluate 6-month outcomes after admission to: intensive care units (ICU), intermediate care units (IMCU) or acute medical wards (AMW). Methods Data from the randomised prospective multicentre clinical trial ICE...

Background Tracheal intubation and invasive mechanical ventilation initiation is a procedure at high risk for arterial hypotension in intensive care unit. However, little is known about the relationship between pre-existing peripheral microvascular alteration and post-intubation hemodynamic instability (PIHI). Methods Prospective observational mon...

Background Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is a promising alternative to invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) with a particular importance amidst the shortage of intensive care unit (ICU) beds during the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to evaluate the use of NIV in Europe and factors associated with outcomes of patients treated with NIV. Methods This i...

Background COVID-19 remains a complex disease in terms of its trajectory and the diversity of outcomes rendering disease management and clinical resource allocation challenging. Varying symptomatology in older patients as well as limitation of clinical scoring systems have created the need for more objective and consistent methods to aid clinical d...

Résumé Il faut optimiser les différentes étapes de la trajectoire des patients âgés avec une chirurgie à risque. Une approche pluridisciplinaire est nécessaire avec une évaluation préopératoire, une approche « protectrice » au bloc opératoire (protocole d’anesthésie, chirurgie mini-invasive si possible) et parcours postopératoire adapté. Le pronost...

Background: Limitations of life-sustaining therapies (LST) practices are frequent and vary among intensive care units (ICUs). However, scarce data were available during the COVID-19 pandemic when ICUs were under intense pressure. We aimed to investigate the prevalence, timing, modalities, and factors associated with LST decisions in critically-ill...

During analysis of a prospective multinational observation study of critically ill patients ≥80 years of age, the VIP2 study, we also studied the effects of differences in country consent for study inclusion. This is a post hoc analysis where the ICUs were analyzed according to requirement for study consent. Group A: ICUs in countries with no requi...

In Europe, tax-based healthcare systems (THS) and social health insurance systems (SHI) coexist. We examined differences in 30-day mortality among critically ill patients aged ≥ 70 years treated in intensive care units in a THS or SHI. Retrospective cohort study. 2406 (THS n = 886; SHI n = 1520) critically ill ≥ 70 years patients in 129 ICUs. Gener...

Background: COVID-19 is associated with cytokine release in critical disease states. Thus, cytokine absorption has been proposed as a therapeutic option. This study investigated the influence of cytokine absorption on mortality in old critical patients with COVID-19 and renal failure admitted to intensive care units (ICU). Methods: This retrospe...

Background Patients suffering from COVID-19 with pre-existing chronic heart failure (CHF) are considered to have a significant risk regarding morbidity and mortality. Similarly, older patients on the intensive care unit (ICU) constitute another vulnerable subgroup. This study investigated the association between pre-existing CHF and clinical practi...

Purpose Prognostication for patients with critical conditions remains challenging, especially for very old individuals. Time-limited trials (TLT) are used to decrease prognostic uncertainty in the individual patient by monitoring the response to treatment over a pre-determined period of time. However, there are substantial difficulties with determi...

Background: Several studies have reported an increased risk of thrombotic events in COVID-19 patients, but the pathophysiology of this procoagulant phenotype remains poorly understood. We hypothesized that corticosteroids may attenuate this procoagulant state through their anti-inflammatory effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact...

PurposeThe biological and functional heterogeneity in very old patients constitutes a major challenge to prognostication and patient management in intensive care units (ICUs). In addition to the characteristics of acute diseases, geriatric conditions such as frailty, multimorbidity, cognitive impairment and functional disabilities were shown to inf...

Background Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is common in patients with severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. The aim of this ancillary analysis of the coVAPid multicenter observational retrospective study is to assess the relationship between adjuvant corticosteroid use and the incidence of VAP. Methods Planned ancillary analysis of a multicenter retr...

ACUTE RESPIRATORY FAILURE IN THE ELDERLY PATIENTS Acute respiratory failure (ARF) requiring an admission in intensive care unit in the old patients presents specific characteristics that must be considered for diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. Old patients are at increased risk of ARF after any assault. It is imperative to assess the prognosis of...

Background Capillary refill time (CRT) is a valuable tool for triage and to guide resuscitation. However, little is known about CRT kinetics after fluid infusion. Methods We conducted a prospective observational study in a tertiary teaching hospital. First, we analyzed the intra-observer variability of CRT. Next, we monitored fingertip CRT in seps...

Purpose: Older critically ill patients with COVID-19 have been the most vulnerable during the ongoing pandemic, with men being more prone to hospitalization and severe disease than women. We aimed to explore sex-specific differences in treatment and outcome after intensive care unit (ICU) admission in this cohort. Methods: We performed a sex-spe...

What are the limitations of life-sustaining treatment (LLST)?

There is a rapid growing focus on the old and very old ICU patients, and this is reflected in the number of published papers on the subject. Looking at publications listed in PubMed that includes old and intensive care in title or abstract illustrates a very rapid increase from 2010 and onward (Fig. 37.1) demonstrating an exponential increase about...

A comprehensive book with 37 chapters written by authors from all over the world. Usually each chapter is written by a collaboration of an intensivist and a geriatrician. The book is a part of ESICM book series: Lessons from the ICU. The book can be bought as an e-book or in a paper version here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-941...

Background: Some clinical and histological studies have reported that SARS-CoV-2 infection may damage the endothelium. However, the impact of this virus on endothelial function in vivo remains poorly characterized. In this single-center pilot observational study, we performed iontophoresis of acetylcholine coupled with Laser doppler to investigate...

Background In-hospital cardiac arrest(IHCA) has received little attention compared with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Aim To address the paucity of data on IHCA patients, we examined key features, variations in mortality and predictors of death among patients admitted in French intensive care units(ICUs) from 1997 to 2015. Methods Using the dat...

Background The first COVID-19 wave started in February 2020 in France. The influx of patients requiring emergency care and high-level technicity led healthcare professionals to fear saturation of available care. In that context, the multidisciplinary Ethics-Support Cell (EST) was created to help medical teams consider the decisions that could poten...

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a shortage of intensive care resources. Intensivists' opinion of triage and ventilator allocation during the COVID-19 pandemic is not well described. Methods: This was a survey concerning patient numbers, bed capacity, triage guidelines, and three virtual cases involving ventilator allocations. Physic...

Introduction Prédire le devenir des patients gravement malades hospitalisés en unité de soins intensifs (USI) et atteints de la maladie du coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) est un défi majeur pour éviter les séjours futiles et prolongés en USI. L'objectif de cette recherche était de développer des modèles de prédictifs de la survie à 90 jours applicable à...

Background In moderate-to-severe COVID-19 pneumonia, dexamethasone (DEX) and tocilizumab (TCZ) reduce the occurrence of death and ventilatory support. We investigated the efficacy and safety of DEX+TCZ in an open randomized clinical trial. Methods From July 24, 2020, through May 18, 2021, patients with moderate-to-severe COVID-19 pneumonia requiri...

Background: Previous studies reported regional differences in end-of-life care (EoLC) for critically ill patients in Europe. Objectives: The purpose of this post-hoc analysis of the prospective multi-centre COVIP study was to investigate variations in EoLC practices among older patients in intensive care units during the coronavirus disease 2019...

Background Limited evidence suggests variation in mortality of older critically ill adults across Europe. We aimed to investigate regional differences in mortality among very old ICU patients. Methods Multilevel analysis of two international prospective cohort studies. We included patients ≥80 yr old from 322 ICUs located in 16 European countries....

During analysis of a prospective multinational observation study of critically ill patients ≥80 years of age, the VIP2 study, we also studied the effects of differences in country consent for study inclusion. This is a post hoc analysis where the ICUs were analyzed according to requirement for study consent. Group A: ICUs in countries with no requi...

Purpose Critically ill old intensive care unit (ICU) patients suffering from Sars-CoV-2 disease (COVID-19) are at increased risk for adverse outcomes. This post hoc analysis investigates the association of the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) with the outcome in this vulnerable patient group. Methods The COVIP study is a prospective international...

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the association between the use of early echocardiography performed by the treating physician certified in critical care ultrasound and mortality in ICU patients. Materials and methods: FROG-ICU was a multi-center cohort designed to investigate the outcome of critically ill patients. Of the 1359 patients...

Aims: Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a major risk factor for mortality in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This prospective international multicentre study investigates the role of pre-existing CHF on clinical outcomes of critically ill old (≥70 years) intensive care patients with COVID-19. Methods and results: Patients with pre-existing CHF...

Purpose: Critically ill old intensive care unit (ICU) patients suffering from Sars-CoV-2 disease (COVID-19) are at increased risk for adverse outcomes. This post hoc analysis investigates the association of the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) with the outcome in this vulnerable patient group. Methods: The COVIP study is a prospective internatio...

Purpose: The number of patients ≥ 80 years admitted into critical care is increasing. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) added another challenge for clinical decisions for both admission and limitation of life-sustaining treatments (LLST). We aimed to compare the characteristics and mortality of very old critically ill patients with or without CO...

Purpose: Acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) is a rare, but life-threatening condition occurring among critically ill patients. Several factors have been associated with AMI, but the causal link is debated, most studies being retrospective. Among these factors, enteral nutrition (EN) could be associated with AMI, in particular among patients with shoc...

Importance: Persistent physical and mental disorders are frequent in survivors of COVID-19-related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, data on these disorders among family members are scarce. Objective: To determine the association between patient hospitalization for COVID-19 ARDS vs ARDS from other causes and the risk of posttr...