Kamil Polok

Jagiellonian University | UJ · Department of Intensive Care and Perioperative Medicine

Background: Self-reported functional capacity measures have an uncertain role in the pre-operative cardiovascular risk stratification. Aim: This substudy aimed to evaluate whether self-reported metabolic equivalent (MET) could improve the prediction of postoperative myocardial injury (MI) over other well-established cardiovascular risk factors....

Introduction: Patients undergoing vascular procedures are prone to developing postoperative complications affecting short-term mortality. Prospective reports describing the incidence of long-term complications after vascular surgery are lacking. Objectives: We aimed to describe the incidence of one-year complications after vascular surgery and t...

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 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 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 Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with many long-term health consequences. We hypothesized that previously unrecognized and untreated OSA may be associated with more severe respiratory failure in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Methods Patients hospitalized in the Pulmonology Department with confirmed COVID-19, University Ho...

Background: Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) and peripheral artery disease significantly increase the risk of perioperative complications. Aim: To determine the incidence, association with 30-day mortality and predictors of myocardial injury after noncardiac surgery (MINS), postoperative acute kidney injury (pAKI) and bleeding independently ass...

Introduction: The development of COVID-19 vaccines was the turning point of the ongoing pandemic. The Aim of this study is to describe the course of vaccination programme in Poland and effectiveness of BNT162b2 vaccine. Objective: The aim of study was to analyze vaccination rates and effectiveness stratified by age groups in Poland. Patients an...

Introduction: COVID-19 is associated with an increased thromboembolic risk. However, the mechanisms triggering clot formation in those patients remain unknown. Patients and methods: In 118 adult Caucasian severe but non-critically ill COVID-19 patients (median age 58 years; 73 % men) and 46 controls, we analyzed in vitro plasma thrombin generati...

Introduction: Hemostatic abnormalities play an important role in the pathogenesis of COVID-19 and are considered to be determinants of patients` outcomes. Less is known about the dynamics of these abnormalities in a short-term observation. Patients and methods: This was a prospective observational study enrolling adult patients hospitalized due...

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 and Objectives: Poor sleep quality in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may be associated with different clinical and polysomnographic features. The aim of this study was to identify features associated with poor sleep quality in OSA patients. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study enrolling patients with OSA c...

Hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), particularly those admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) are at high risk of morbidity and mortality. Several observational studies have described hemostatic derangements and thrombotic complications in patients with COVID-19. The aim of this review article is to summarize the curr...

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....

Background: The current European guidelines recommend that preoperative electrocardiogram (ECG) should be performed routinely in patients scheduled for high-risk surgery. However, the evidence regarding ECG as a predictor of perioperative cardiac complications is weak. Aim: To evaluate association of preoperative ECG with short- and long-term ou...

Aim: To assess the association between discharge policy and hospital stay length, and to evaluate the factors related to duration of viral clearance among patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled consecutive patients aged ≥18 years with SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed by reverse transcription...

Background Tracheostomy is performed in patients expected to require prolonged mechanical ventilation, but to date optimal timing of tracheostomy has not been established. The evidence concerning tracheostomy in COVID-19 patients is particularly scarce. We aimed to describe the relationship between early tracheostomy (≤10 days since intubation) and...

Background: The Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) is frequently used to measure frailty in critically ill adults. There is wide variation in the approach to analysing the relationship between the CFS score and mortality after admission to the ICU. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of modelling approach on the association between the CFS score...

Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate the structural changes of the airways using the endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) in ACO patients compared to severe asthma and COPD patients. Patients and Methods The study included 17 patients with ACO, 17 patients with COPD and 33 patients with severe asthma. Detailed clinical data were obtained from...

Objective The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of renal masses suspected of malignancy and adrenal incidentalomas in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm based on the computed tomography angiography (CTA). Methods In the retrospective cross-sectional study, the CTA scans of patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms and thoraco-abdom...

Introduction: A significant proportion of patients with COVID-19 present with a rapidly progressing severe acute respiratory failure (ARF). Objectives: We aimed to assess the therapeutic success of high-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) in severe ARF in the course of COVID-19 in a noncritical care setting as well as to identify predictors of HFNO failure...

Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is one of the greatest clinical challenges of the last decades. Clinical factors associated with severity of the disease remain unclear. The aim of the study was to characterize Polish patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 and to evaluate potential prognostic factors of severe course of the dis...

To evaluate association between bariatric surgery and changes in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) severity and sleep architecture was as well as to asses continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) effectiveness and compliance. We enrolled patients undergoing bariatric surgery. Polysomnography was performed in each patient preoperatively and 12 months...

Background: Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is associated with clinically significant short- and long-term complications after noncardiac surgery. Our aim was to describe the incidence of clinically important POAF after noncardiac surgery and establish the prognostic value of N-terminal pro-brain-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in th...

Objectives To compare preoperative coagulation and fibrinolysis activity and incidence of perioperative complications between patients undergoing vascular procedures for peripheral artery disease and abdominal aortic aneurysm. Methods This is a substudy of a prospective observational cohort study (VISION; NCT00512109) in which we recruited patient...

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, has led to significant global mortality and morbidity. Until now, no treatment has proven to be effective in COVID-19. To explore whether the use of remdesivir, initially an experimental broad-spectrum antiviral, is effective in the treatment of hospitalized...

Introduction: Hip fracture is an important cause of morbidity and mortality among elderly patients worldwide. It poses a particular challenge for healthcare systems with limited financial and human resources. Objectives: To assess factors associated with the length of hospital stay and in-hospital mortality, focusing on the admission to surgery...

Background The effect of renal replacement therapy on drug concentrations in patients with sepsis has not been fully elucidated because the pharmacokinetic properties of many antimicrobials are influenced by both pathophysiological and treatment-related factors. The aim of this study was to determine meropenem concentrations in patients with sepsis...

Background: Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host reaction to infection. There is an upward trend in sepsis prevalence and mortality worldwide. Sepsis causes hypoxia, which reduces the ability of cells to produce ATP. This process is also influenced by thyroid hormones. Some of the previous studies revealed a...

Purpose We performed a retrospective cohort study in patients who underwent endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) to determine the incidence and predictors of myocardial injury and acute kidney injury (AKI). Methods We included 267 consecutive patients who underwent EVAR at two tertiary centres in Canada and Poland. The primary outcome was myocardia...

Objective: The main goal of our study was to assess the impact of vascular procedures on the activity of hemostatic and fibrinolytic pathways. Methods: We enrolled 38 patients with ≥ 45 years old undergoing surgery for abdominal aortic aneurysm or peripheral artery disease under general or regional anesthesia and who were hospitalized at least o...

Background: Patients with autoimmune diseases constitute a relatively low percentage of the intensive care unit (ICU) population but their prognosis is particularly poor, partially due to involvement of multiple organs as well as complications related to immunosuppressive treatment. Diffuse alveolar haemorrhage (DAH) is one of the most life-threat...

Background The aim of our study is to assess the prevalence of concomitant arterial abnormalities (true aneurysms of iliac, common femoral, renal, visceral arteries and stenoses of iliac and renal arteries) in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm, and to evaluate whether the type of the aneurysm (suprarenal versus solely infrarenal) is associate...

Background: The increasing population of very old intensive care patients (VIPs) is a major challenge currently faced by clinicians and policymakers. Reliable indicators of VIPs' prognosis and purposefulness of their admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) are urgently needed. Methods: This is a report from the Polish sample of the VIP1 multi...

Purpose: Systemic autoimmune diseases are a heterogeneous group of disorders associated with dysfunction of multiple organs and unpredictable course. Complicated management and treatment become even more challenging when patients require critical care. This study aims to compare outcomes of small-vessel vasculitides (SVV) and other systemic autoim...

Objective/background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) has been considered the dominant major life threatening vascular complication after non-cardiac surgery, but recent studies have shifted the emphasis toward myocardial injury after non-cardiac surgery (MINS) as a common adverse event in the peri-operative setting. The aim of the present study was...

To the Editor The article by Juo et al¹ addresses the important issue of temporal trends in perioperative myocardial infarction after high-risk vascular surgery. We congratulate the authors on their contribution; however, we have some reservations concerning the methods of this study.