Daily Ards Research Analysis

BACKGROUND: High mortality rates among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) during the COVID-19 pandemic highlight the need for tailored clinical management strategies. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory data were collected in REDCap for 6512 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 across 55 Spanish ICUs. Patients were stratified into three groups: those with COPD, those with other chronic respiratory diseases (CRD), and those without respiratory comorbidities (No CRD). The primary outcome was to determine clinical predictors for 90-day mortality, focusing on the COPD group. A propensity score matching (PSM) method was applied to analyze the effects of respiratory support, biomarkers, and immunomarkers. RESULTS: Patients with COPD (n = 328) exhibited a 50% mortality rate compared to 33% of those with other chronic respiratory diseases (CRD, n = 547), and those without respiratory comorbidities (No CRD, n = 5124). Among COPD patients, 95% of whom had Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) due to COVID-19, the use of a high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) was associated with reduced 90-day mortality (hazard ratio: 0.54 (95% Confidence Interval [0.31-0.95]). At a molecular scale, lower IgG levels but higher viral load and TNF-alpha, Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and Fas Cell Surface Death Receptor (Fas) were associated with mortality in the COPD group. CONCLUSIONS: In COPD patients with ARDS due to COVID-19, the use of HFNC was associated with a better prognosis. The dysregulation in biomarkers and immunomarkers in COPD patients and its association with mortality highlight the need for further targeted therapeutic strategies.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of tracheostomy on clinical outcomes in adults with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) who require mechanical ventilation (MV). METHODS: This systematic review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Three electronic databases including PubMed, The Cochrane Library, and EMBASE to identify relevant studies on ARDS patients receiving MV were searched from inception to July 31, 2024. The reviewers assessed the risk of bias of included studies according to the Cochrane Risk of Bias 1 tool or JBI checklists, as appropriate. Two reviewers independently screened the literature and extracted the data. Outcomes among patients who underwent tracheostomy were compared and analyzed. RESULTS: Twenty studies involving 4,022 patients with ARDS who required tracheostomy were included, comprising 2 randomized controlled trials, 5 prospective studies, 12 retrospective studies, and 1 case series. On average, tracheostomized patients spent 30.2 days in the ICU and 44.8 days in the hospital, with an overall mean duration of MV of 27 days. Tracheostomy-related adverse events were reported in 15 studies and local bleeding was the most common complication. Of the 1,074 patients with tracheostomy, 626 (58.3%) were successfully weaned from the ventilator. Mortality outcomes were documented in 18 studies, indicating that 883 out of 2,302 (38.4%) of these patients died during hospitalization. CONCLUSION: Tracheostomy in MV patients with ARDS does not have a clearly defined impact on ICU length of stay due to variability in study findings. However, it remains a safe intervention with generally minor complications. Future research should focus on standardized weaning protocols and multidisciplinary rehabilitation strategies to potentially improve patient outcomes. IMPLICATIONS FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE: Tracheostomy allows for a more controlled and gradual weaning process in patients with ARDS requiring prolonged MV. Moreover, although current evidence does not indicate a significant reduction in ICU length of stay, tracheostomy contributes to more effective patient management during the weaning by facilitating oral hygiene, improving mobility, and enabling both verbal communication and oral feeding.

BACKGROUND: Emergency abdominal surgery is a high-risk procedure often performed on high-risk patients. The incidence of Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) in emergency abdominal surgery is not well established yet. Several factors, such as the ventilatory approach, may be associated with PPCs but data on patients undergoing emergency abdominal surgery is scarce. The primary aim of the study was to describe the incidence of PPCs during the first 7 postoperative days. METHODS: Prospective international cohort study including all consecutive patients > 18 y/o undergoing emergency abdominal surgery. From April to June 2023 each hospital selected a single 7-day period for the recruitment with a 7-day follow-up. The PPCs included the following international standard definitions for the primary outcome: acute respiratory failure; pneumothorax; weaning failure; acute respiratory distress syndrome; pulmonary infection; atelectasis; pleural effusion; bronchospasm; aspiration pneumonitis; pulmonary thromboembolism; and pulmonary edema. RESULTS: 45 hospitals from 5 geographical areas participated in the study with 507 patients included in the final analysis. A total of 114 (22.5%) patients developed PPCs and 38 (7.5%) developed severe PPCs. The multivariate analysis showed that the independent risk factors for PPCs were: high ARISCAT score (Odds Ratio: 2.67; 95%CI 1.06-6.86), laparotomy (OR: 2.29; 95%CI 1.06-5.01), and postoperative positive air-test (OR: 2.05; 95%CI 1.02-4.24). Conversely, neuromuscular block reversal was associated with a reduced risk of PPCs (OR: 0.36; 95%CI 0.16-0.82). CONCLUSION: Incidence of PPCs in patients undergoing emergency abdominal surgery is significant. Among the modifiable risk factors, a lack of neuromuscular block reversal and postoperative positive air test were associated with the increased incidence of PPCs.