About the Journal
The Critical Care Science (Crit Care Sci), ISSN 2965-2774 (formerly Revista Brasileira de Terapia Intensiva), is a continuous publication of the Associação de Medicina Intensiva Brasileira (AMIB) and the Sociedade Portuguesa de Cuidados Intensivos (SPCI) and has the objective to disseminate high-quality clinical, epidemiological, translational, and health services research related to adult and pediatric critical care medicine.
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Research Letter
Clinical outcomes of intensive care unit-acquired weakness in critically ill COVID-19 patients. A prospective cohort study
Crit Care Sci. 2024;36:e20240003en
Abstract
Research LetterClinical outcomes of intensive care unit-acquired weakness in critically ill COVID-19 patients. A prospective cohort study
Crit Care Sci. 2024;36:e20240003en
DOI 10.62675/2965-2774.20240003-en
Views18To the Editor Intensive care unit-acquired weakness (ICUAW) is one of the most common neurological complications in ICU patients,(,) and the prevalence of ICUAW after developing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) was 70 – 100%.() The risk factors for ICUAW, such as the frequent use of neuromuscular blockers (NMBs) and the […]See more -
Original Article
Factors associated with carbon dioxide transfer in an experimental model of severe acute kidney injury and hypoventilation during high bicarbonate continuous renal replacement therapy and oxygenation membrane support
Crit Care Sci. 2024;36:e20240005en
Abstract
Original ArticleFactors associated with carbon dioxide transfer in an experimental model of severe acute kidney injury and hypoventilation during high bicarbonate continuous renal replacement therapy and oxygenation membrane support
Crit Care Sci. 2024;36:e20240005en
DOI 10.62675/2965-2774.20240005-en
Views40ABSTRACT
Objective
To investigate the factors influencing carbon dioxide transfer in a system that integrates an oxygenation membrane in series with high-bicarbonate continuous veno-venous hemodialysis in hypercapnic animals.
Methods
In an experimental setting, we induced severe acute kidney injury and hypercapnia in five female Landrace pigs. Subsequently, we initiated high (40mEq/L) bicarbonate continuous veno-venous hemodialysis with an oxygenation membrane in series to maintain a pH above 7.25. At intervals of 1 hour, 6 hours, and 12 hours following the initiation of continuous veno-venous hemodialysis, we performed standardized sweep gas flow titration to quantify carbon dioxide transfer. We evaluated factors associated with carbon dioxide transfer through the membrane lung with a mixed linear model.
Results
A total of 20 sweep gas flow titration procedures were conducted, yielding 84 measurements of carbon dioxide transfer. Multivariate analysis revealed associations among the following (coefficients ± standard errors): core temperature (+7.8 ± 1.6 °C, p < 0.001), premembrane partial pressure of carbon dioxide (+0.2 ± 0.1/mmHg, p < 0.001), hemoglobin level (+3.5 ± 0.6/g/dL, p < 0.001), sweep gas flow (+6.2 ± 0.2/L/minute, p < 0.001), and arterial oxygen saturation (-0.5 ± 0.2%, p = 0.019). Among these variables, and within the physiological ranges evaluated, sweep gas flow was the primary modifiable factor influencing the efficacy of low-blood-flow carbon dioxide removal.
Conclusion
Sweep gas flow is the main carbon dioxide removal-related variable during continuous veno-venous hemodialysis with a high bicarbonate level coupled with an oxygenator. Other carbon dioxide transfer modulating variables included the hemoglobin level, arterial oxygen saturation, partial pressure of carbon dioxide and core temperature. These results should be interpreted as exploratory to inform other well-designed experimental or clinical studies.
Keywords:Acute kidney injuryAnimalBicarbonatesCarbon dioxideRenal replacement therapyRespiratory insufficiencySee more -
Original Article
Influence of obesity on mortality, mechanical ventilation time and mobility of critical patients with COVID-19
Crit Care Sci. 2024;36:e20240253en
Abstract
Original ArticleInfluence of obesity on mortality, mechanical ventilation time and mobility of critical patients with COVID-19
Crit Care Sci. 2024;36:e20240253en
DOI 10.62675/2965-2774.20240253-en
Views35ABSTRACT
Objective
To identify the influence of obesity on mortality, time to weaning from mechanical ventilation and mobility at intensive care unit discharge in patients with COVID-19.
Methods
This retrospective cohort study was carried out between March and August 2020. All adult patients admitted to the intensive care unit in need of ventilatory support and confirmed to have COVID-19 were included. The outcomes included mortality, time on mechanical ventilation, and mobility at intensive care unit discharge.
Results
Four hundred and twenty-nine patients were included, 36.6% of whom were overweight and 43.8% of whom were obese. Compared with normal body mass index patients, overweight and obese patients had lower mortality (p = 0.002) and longer intensive care unit survival (log-rank p < 0.001). Compared with patients with a normal body mass index, overweight patients had a 36% lower risk of death (p = 0.04), while patients with obesity presented a 23% lower risk (p < 0.001). There was no association between obesity and time on mechanical ventilation. The level of mobility at intensive care unit discharge did not differ between groups and showed a moderate inverse correlation with length of stay in the intensive care unit (r = -0.461; p < 0.001).
Conclusion
Overweight and obese patients had lower mortality and higher intensive care unit survival rates. The duration of mechanical ventilation and mobility level at intensive care unit discharge did not differ between the groups.
Keywords:Coronavirus infectionsCOVID-19Intensive care unitsMortalityObesityRehabilitationRespiration, artificialSARS-CoV-2See more -
Correspondence
To: Death by community-based methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: case report
Crit Care Sci. 2024;36:e20240040en
Abstract
CorrespondenceTo: Death by community-based methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: case report
Crit Care Sci. 2024;36:e20240040en
DOI 10.62675/2965-2774.20240040-en
Views16To the Editor We read with interest Vieira et al.’s article about a 13-year-old male who died of necrotizing pneumonia caused by infection with community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA).() The patient was initially misdiagnosed with tonsillitis but developed pneumonia complicated by massive bronchial and pulmonary bleeding, extensive mediastinal and subcutaneous emphysema, sepsis, septic and hypovolemic […]See more -
Original Article
The respiratory oxygenation index for identifying the risk of orotracheal intubation in COVID-19 patients receiving high-flow nasal cannula oxygen
Crit Care Sci. 2024;36:e20240203en
Abstract
Original ArticleThe respiratory oxygenation index for identifying the risk of orotracheal intubation in COVID-19 patients receiving high-flow nasal cannula oxygen
Crit Care Sci. 2024;36:e20240203en
DOI 10.62675/2965-2774.20240203-en
Views38ABSTRACT
Objective:
To assess whether the respiratory oxygenation index (ROX index) measured after the start of high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy can help identify the need for intubation in patients with acute respiratory failure due to coronavirus disease 2019.
Methods:
This retrospective, observational, multicenter study was conducted at the intensive care units of six Brazilian hospitals from March to December 2020. The primary outcome was the need for intubation up to 7 days after starting the high-flow nasal cannula.
Results:
A total of 444 patients were included in the study, and 261 (58.7%) were subjected to intubation. An analysis of the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) showed that the ability to discriminate between successful and failed high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy within 7 days was greater for the ROX index measured at 24 hours (AUROC 0.80; 95%CI 0.76 – 0.84). The median interval between high-flow nasal cannula initiation and intubation was 24 hours (24 – 72), and the most accurate predictor of intubation obtained before 24 hours was the ROX index measured at 12 hours (AUROC 0.75; 95%CI 0.70 – 0.79). Kaplan-Meier curves revealed a greater probability of intubation within 7 days in patients with a ROX index ≤ 5.54 at 12 hours (hazard ratio 3.07; 95%CI 2.24 – 4.20) and ≤ 5.96 at 24 hours (hazard ratio 5.15; 95%CI 3.65 – 7.27).
Conclusion:
The ROX index can aid in the early identification of patients with acute respiratory failure due to COVID-19 who will progress to the failure of high-flow nasal cannula supportive therapy and the need for intubation.
Keywords:CannulaCoronavirus infectionsCOVID-19IntubationOxygenRespiratory insufficiencyRespiratory rateSee more -
Correspondence
To: Biomarkers of neuropsychiatric dysfunction in intensive care unit survivors: a prospective cohort study
Crit Care Sci. 2024;36:e20240260en
Abstract
CorrespondenceTo: Biomarkers of neuropsychiatric dysfunction in intensive care unit survivors: a prospective cohort study
Crit Care Sci. 2024;36:e20240260en
DOI 10.62675/2965-2774.20240260-en
Views66To the Editor We read with interest the article by Rocha et al. on a long-term, prospective cohort study of the neuropsychiatric outcomes of 65 intensive care unit (ICU) survivors assessed using the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Impact of Event Scale-6 (IES-6), and several wet inflammatory biomarkers.() Delirium […]See more -
Editorial
Waiting for the Pediatric Acute Lung Injury Consensus Conference 3
Crit Care Sci. 2024;36:e20240114en
Abstract
EditorialWaiting for the Pediatric Acute Lung Injury Consensus Conference 3
Crit Care Sci. 2024;36:e20240114en
DOI 10.62675/2965-2774.20240114-en
Views42Since the publication of a case series by Ashbaugh et al. in 1967 involving 11 adult patients and only one child, pediatricians have been trying to define acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in pediatric patients.() In 1988, Murray et al. created a score for the classification of ARDS using four variables—chest radiography, partial pressure of […]See more
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Original Article
Efficacy of melatonin in decreasing the incidence of delirium in critically ill adults: a randomized controlled trial
Crit Care Sci. 2024;36:e20240144en
Abstract
Original ArticleEfficacy of melatonin in decreasing the incidence of delirium in critically ill adults: a randomized controlled trial
Crit Care Sci. 2024;36:e20240144en
DOI 10.62675/2965-2774.20240144-pt
Views1,139See moreABSTRACT
Objective:
To determine whether enteral melatonin decreases the incidence of delirium in critically ill adults.
Methods:
In this randomized controlled trial, adults were admitted to the intensive care unit and received either usual standard care alone (Control Group) or in combination with 3mg of enteral melatonin once a day at 9 PM (Melatonin Group). Concealment of allocation was done by serially numbered opaque sealed envelopes. The intensivist assessing delirium and the investigator performing the data analysis were blinded to the group allocation. The primary outcome was the incidence of delirium within 24 hours of the intensive care unit stay. The secondary outcomes were the incidence of delirium on Days 3 and 7, intensive care unit mortality, length of intensive care unit stay, duration of mechanical ventilation and Glasgow outcome score (at discharge).
Results:
We included 108 patients in the final analysis, with 54 patients in each group. At 24 hours of intensive care unit stay, there was no difference in the incidence of delirium between Melatonin and Control Groups (29.6 versus 46.2%; RR = 0.6; 95%CI 0.38 – 1.05; p = 0.11). No secondary outcome showed a statistically significant difference.
Conclusion:
Enteral melatonin 3mg is not more effective at decreasing the incidence of delirium than standard care is in critically ill adults.
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Viewpoint
Revolutionizing care: unleashing the power of comprehensive geriatric assessment in tailoring treatment for frail postintensive care patients
Crit Care Sci. 2024;36:e20240023en
Abstract
ViewpointRevolutionizing care: unleashing the power of comprehensive geriatric assessment in tailoring treatment for frail postintensive care patients
Crit Care Sci. 2024;36:e20240023en
DOI 10.62675/2965-2774.20240023-en
Views516Frailty represents a condition of vulnerability leading to inadequate recovery following a stressful event, such as an acute illness or injury. This inadequate recovery results from cumulative, multisystem physiological depletion over a lifetime.() The frailty state implies that the available functional reserve is insufficient for complete recovery, often leading to a maladaptive response disproportionate to […]See more -
Clinical Report
Prospective, randomized, controlled trial assessing the effects of a driving pressure–limiting strategy for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome due to community-acquired pneumonia (STAMINA trial): protocol and statistical analysis plan
Crit Care Sci. 2024;36:e20240210en
Abstract
Clinical ReportProspective, randomized, controlled trial assessing the effects of a driving pressure–limiting strategy for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome due to community-acquired pneumonia (STAMINA trial): protocol and statistical analysis plan
Crit Care Sci. 2024;36:e20240210en
DOI 10.62675/2965-2774.20240210-en
Views402ABSTRACT
Background:
Driving pressure has been suggested to be the main driver of ventilator-induced lung injury and mortality in observational studies of acute respiratory distress syndrome. Whether a driving pressure-limiting strategy can improve clinical outcomes is unclear.
Objective:
To describe the protocol and statistical analysis plan that will be used to test whether a driving pressure-limiting strategy including positive end-expiratory pressure titration according to the best respiratory compliance and reduction in tidal volume is superior to a standard strategy involving the use of the ARDSNet low-positive end-expiratory pressure table in terms of increasing the number of ventilator-free days in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome due to community-acquired pneumonia.
Methods:
The ventilator STrAtegy for coMmunIty acquired pNeumoniA (STAMINA) study is a randomized, multicenter, open-label trial that compares a driving pressure-limiting strategy to the ARDSnet low-positive end-expiratory pressure table in patients with moderate-to-severe acute respiratory distress syndrome due to community-acquired pneumonia admitted to intensive care units. We expect to recruit 500 patients from 20 Brazilian and 2 Colombian intensive care units. They will be randomized to a driving pressure-limiting strategy group or to a standard strategy using the ARDSNet low-positive end-expiratory pressure table. In the driving pressure-limiting strategy group, positive end-expiratory pressure will be titrated according to the best respiratory system compliance.
Outcomes:
The primary outcome is the number of ventilator-free days within 28 days. The secondary outcomes are in-hospital and intensive care unit mortality and the need for rescue therapies such as extracorporeal life support, recruitment maneuvers and inhaled nitric oxide.
Conclusion:
STAMINA is designed to provide evidence on whether a driving pressure-limiting strategy is superior to the ARDSNet low-positive end-expiratory pressure table strategy for increasing the number of ventilator-free days within 28 days in patients with moderate-to-severe acute respiratory distress syndrome. Here, we describe the rationale, design and status of the trial.
Keywords:Extracorporeal membrane oxygenationPneumoniaPositive pressure respirationRespiration, artificialRespiratory distress syndromeVentilator-induced lung injurySee more -
Original Article
Conscious prone positioning in nonintubated COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome: systematic review and meta-analysis
Crit Care Sci. 2024;36:e20240176en
Abstract
Original ArticleConscious prone positioning in nonintubated COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome: systematic review and meta-analysis
Crit Care Sci. 2024;36:e20240176en
DOI 10.62675/2965-2774.20240176-en
Views314See moreABSTRACT
Objective:
To systematically review the effect of the prone position on endotracheal intubation and mortality in nonintubated COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Methods:
We registered the protocol (CRD42021286711) and searched for four databases and gray literature from inception to December 31, 2022. We included observational studies and clinical trials. There was no limit by date or the language of publication. We excluded case reports, case series, studies not available in full text, and those studies that included children < 18-years-old.
Results:
We included ten observational studies, eight clinical trials, 3,969 patients, 1,120 endotracheal intubation events, and 843 deaths. All of the studies had a low risk of bias (Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and Risk of Bias 2 tools). We found that the conscious prone position decreased the odds of endotracheal intubation by 44% (OR 0.56; 95%CI 0.40 – 0.78) and mortality by 43% (OR 0.57; 95%CI 0.39 – 0.84) in nonintubated COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. This protective effect on endotracheal intubation and mortality was more robust in those who spent > 8 hours/day in the conscious prone position (OR 0.43; 95%CI 0.26 – 0.72 and OR 0.38; 95%CI 0.24 – 0.60, respectively). The certainty of the evidence according to the GRADE criteria was moderate.
Conclusion:
The conscious prone position decreased the odds of endotracheal intubation and mortality, especially when patients spent over 8 hours/day in the conscious prone position and treatment in the intensive care unit. However, our results should be cautiously interpreted due to limitations in evaluating randomized clinical trials, nonrandomized clinical trials and observational studies. However, despite systematic reviews with meta-analyses of randomized clinical trials, we must keep in mind that these studies remain heterogeneous from a clinical and methodological point of view.
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Viewpoint
Why the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score needs updating?
Crit Care Sci. 2024;36:e20240296en
Abstract
ViewpointWhy the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score needs updating?
Crit Care Sci. 2024;36:e20240296en
DOI 10.62675/2965-2774.20240296-en
Views285The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score was developed almost 30 years ago. It rapidly became one of the most widely used scoring systems in intensive care, both for clinical practice and research,(,) and remains one of the most cited scores in our speciality. Since its original description, there have been substantial changes in clinical […]See more -
Original Article
Driving pressure, as opposed to tidal volume based on predicted body weight, is associated with mortality: results from a prospective cohort of COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome patients
Crit Care Sci. 2024;36:e20240208en
Abstract
Original ArticleDriving pressure, as opposed to tidal volume based on predicted body weight, is associated with mortality: results from a prospective cohort of COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome patients
Crit Care Sci. 2024;36:e20240208en
DOI 10.62675/2965-2774.20240208-en
Views206ABSTRACT
Objective:
To evaluate the association between driving pressure and tidal volume based on predicted body weight and mortality in a cohort of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome caused by COVID-19.
Methods:
This was a prospective, observational study that included patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome due to COVID-19 admitted to two intensive care units. We performed multivariable analyses to determine whether driving pressure and tidal volume/kg predicted body weight on the first day of mechanical ventilation, as independent variables, are associated with hospital mortality.
Results:
We included 231 patients. The mean age was 64 (53 – 74) years, and the mean Simplified Acute and Physiology Score 3 score was 45 (39 – 54). The hospital mortality rate was 51.9%. Driving pressure was independently associated with hospital mortality (odds ratio 1.21, 95%CI 1.04 – 1.41 for each cm H2O increase in driving pressure, p = 0.01). Based on a double stratification analysis, we found that for the same level of tidal volume/kg predicted body weight, the risk of hospital death increased with increasing driving pressure. However, changes in tidal volume/kg predicted body weight were not associated with mortality when they did not lead to an increase in driving pressure.
Conclusion:
In patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome caused by COVID-19, exposure to higher driving pressure, as opposed to higher tidal volume/kg predicted body weight, is associated with greater mortality. These results suggest that driving pressure might be a primary target for lung-protective mechanical ventilation in these patients.
Keywords:acute respiratory distress syndromeCoronavirus infectionsCOVID-19Intensive care unitsMortalityRespiration, artificialTidal VolumeSee more -
Letter to the Editor
To: Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome in a child with severe multisystem inflammatory syndrome due to COVID-19
Crit Care Sci. 2023;35(4):427-428
Abstract
Letter to the EditorTo: Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome in a child with severe multisystem inflammatory syndrome due to COVID-19
Crit Care Sci. 2023;35(4):427-428
DOI 10.5935/2965-2774.20230283-pt
Views158To the editorWe read with interest the article by Dominguez-Rojas et al. about a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-negative 9-year-old male who underwent laparotomy for suspected acute abdomen (vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea), which was noninformative.() On postoperative day one, the patient experienced respiratory insufficiency attributed to pneumonia with pleural […]See more -
Editorial
Searching for the Holy Grail: where do we go with the current biomarkers for sepsis?
Rev Bras Ter Intensiva. 2012;24(2):117-118
Abstract
EditorialSearching for the Holy Grail: where do we go with the current biomarkers for sepsis?
Rev Bras Ter Intensiva. 2012;24(2):117-118
DOI 10.1590/S0103-507X2012000200004
Views158EDITORIAL Searching for the Holy Grail: where do we go with the current biomarkers for sepsis? […]See more
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Original Articles
The Epimed Monitor ICU Database®: a cloud-based national registry for adult intensive care unit patients in Brazil
Rev Bras Ter Intensiva. 2017;29(4):418-426
Abstract
Original ArticlesThe Epimed Monitor ICU Database®: a cloud-based national registry for adult intensive care unit patients in Brazil
Rev Bras Ter Intensiva. 2017;29(4):418-426
DOI 10.5935/0103-507X.20170062
Views22See moreABSTRACT
Objective:
To describe the Epimed Monitor Database®, a Brazilian intensive care unit quality improvement database.
Methods:
We described the Epimed Monitor® Database, including its structure and core data. We presented aggregated informative data from intensive care unit admissions from 2010 to 2016 using descriptive statistics. We also described the expansion and growth of the database along with the geographical distribution of participating units in Brazil.
Results:
The core data from the database includes demographic, administrative and physiological parameters, as well as specific report forms used to gather detailed data regarding the use of intensive care unit resources, infectious episodes, adverse events and checklists for adherence to best clinical practices. As of the end of 2016, 598 adult intensive care units in 318 hospitals totaling 8,160 intensive care unit beds were participating in the database. Most units were located at private hospitals in the southeastern region of the country. The number of yearly admissions rose during this period and included a predominance of medical admissions. The proportion of admissions due to cardiovascular disease declined, while admissions due to sepsis or infections became more common. Illness severity (Simplified Acute Physiology Score – SAPS 3 – 62 points), patient age (mean = 62 years) and hospital mortality (approximately 17%) remained reasonably stable during this time period.
Conclusion:
A large private database of critically ill patients is feasible and may provide relevant nationwide epidemiological data for quality improvement and benchmarking purposes among the participating intensive care units. This database is useful not only for administrative reasons but also for the improvement of daily care by facilitating the adoption of best practices and use for clinical research.
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Original Articles – Clinical Research
Influence of early mobilization on respiratory and peripheral muscle strength in critically ill patients
Rev Bras Ter Intensiva. 2012;24(2):173-178
Abstract
Original Articles – Clinical ResearchInfluence of early mobilization on respiratory and peripheral muscle strength in critically ill patients
Rev Bras Ter Intensiva. 2012;24(2):173-178
DOI 10.1590/S0103-507X2012000200013
Views23See moreOBJECTIVE:To evaluate the effects of an early mobilization protocol on respiratory and peripheral muscles in critically ill patients. METHODS: A randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted with 59 male and female patients on mechanical ventilation. The patients were divided into a conventional physical therapy group (control group, n=14) that received the sector’s standard physical therapy program and an early mobilization group (n=14) that received a systematic early mobilization protocol. Peripheral muscle strength was assessed with the Medical Research Council score, and respiratory muscle strength (determined by the maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressures) was measured using a vacuum manometer with a unidirectional valve. Systematic early mobilization was performed on five levels. RESULTS: Significant increases were observed for values for maximal inspiratory pressure and the Medical Research Council score in the early mobilization group. However, no statistically significant improvement was observed for maximal expiratory pressure or MV duration (days), length of stay in the intensive care unit (days), and length of hospital stay (days). CONCLUSION: The early mobilization group showed gains in inspiratory and peripheral muscle strength.
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Special Articles
Physical therapy in critically ill adult patients: recommendations from the Brazilian Association of Intensive Care Medicine Department of Physical Therapy
Rev Bras Ter Intensiva. 2012;24(1):6-22
Abstract
Special ArticlesPhysical therapy in critically ill adult patients: recommendations from the Brazilian Association of Intensive Care Medicine Department of Physical Therapy
Rev Bras Ter Intensiva. 2012;24(1):6-22
DOI 10.1590/S0103-507X2012000100003
Views18See moreComplications from immobility in intensive care unit patients contribute to functional decline, increased healthcare costs, reduced quality of life and higher post-discharge mortality. Physical therapy focuses on promoting recovery and preserving function, and it may minimize the impact of these complications. A group of Brazilian Association of Intensive Care Medicine physical therapy experts developed this document that contains minimal physical therapy recommendations appropriate to the Brazilian real-world clinical situation. Prevention and treatment of atelectasis, procedures related to the removal of secretions and treatment of conditions related to physical deconditioning and functional decline are discussed. Equally important is the consideration that prescribing and executing activities, mobilizations and exercises are roles of the physical therapist, whose diagnosis should precede any intervention.
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Original Article
Analysis of COVID-19 under-reporting in Brazil
Rev Bras Ter Intensiva. 2020;32(2):224-228
Abstract
Original ArticleAnalysis of COVID-19 under-reporting in Brazil
Rev Bras Ter Intensiva. 2020;32(2):224-228
DOI 10.5935/0103-507X.20200030
Views21ABSTRACT
Objective:
To estimate the reporting rates of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases for Brazil as a whole and states.
Methods:
We estimated the actual number of COVID-19 cases using the reported number of deaths in Brazil and each state, and the expected case-fatality ratio from the World Health Organization. Brazil’s expected case-fatality ratio was also adjusted by the population’s age pyramid. Therefore, the notification rate can be defined as the number of confirmed cases (notified by the Ministry of Health) divided by the number of expected cases (estimated from the number of deaths).
Results:
The reporting rate for COVID-19 in Brazil was estimated at 9.2% (95%CI 8.8% – 9.5%), with all the states presenting rates below 30%. São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the most populated states in Brazil, showed small reporting rates (8.9% and 7.2%, respectively). The highest reporting rate occurred in Roraima (31.7%) and the lowest in Paraiba (3.4%).
Conclusion:
The results indicated that the reporting of confirmed cases in Brazil is much lower as compared to other countries we analyzed. Therefore, decision-makers, including the government, fail to know the actual dimension of the pandemic, which may interfere with the determination of control measures.
Keywords:BrazilCoronavirus infectionsCOVID-19MortalityPandemics/statistics & numerical dataReporting of healthcare dataSee more -
Original Articles
The reality of patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation: a multicenter study
Rev Bras Ter Intensiva. 2015;27(1):26-35
Abstract
Original ArticlesThe reality of patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation: a multicenter study
Rev Bras Ter Intensiva. 2015;27(1):26-35
DOI 10.5935/0103-507X.20150006
Views23See moreObjective:
The number of patients who require prolonged mechanical ventilation increased during the last decade, which generated a large population of chronically ill patients. This study established the incidence of prolonged mechanical ventilation in four intensive care units and reported different characteristics, hospital outcomes, and the impact of costs and services of prolonged mechanical ventilation patients (mechanical ventilation dependency ≥ 21 days) compared with non-prolonged mechanical ventilation patients (mechanical ventilation dependency < 21 days).
Methods:
This study was a multicenter cohort study of all patients who were admitted to four intensive care units. The main outcome measures were length of stay in the intensive care unit, hospital, complications during intensive care unit stay, and intensive care unit and hospital mortality.
Results:
There were 5,287 admissions to the intensive care units during study period. Some of these patients (41.5%) needed ventilatory support (n = 2,197), and 218 of the patients met criteria for prolonged mechanical ventilation (9.9%). Some complications developed during intensive care unit stay, such as muscle weakness, pressure ulcers, bacterial nosocomial sepsis, candidemia, pulmonary embolism, and hyperactive delirium, were associated with a significantly higher risk of prolonged mechanical ventilation. Prolonged mechanical ventilation patients had a significant increase in intensive care unit mortality (absolute difference = 14.2%, p < 0.001) and hospital mortality (absolute difference = 19.1%, p < 0.001). The prolonged mechanical ventilation group spent more days in the hospital after intensive care unit discharge (26.9 ± 29.3 versus 10.3 ± 20.4 days, p < 0.001) with higher costs.
Conclusion:
The classification of chronically critically ill patients according to the definition of prolonged mechanical ventilation adopted by our study (mechanical ventilation dependency ≥ 21 days) identified patients with a high risk for complications during intensive care unit stay, longer intensive care unit and hospital stays, high death rates, and higher costs.
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Special Article
Brazilian recommendations of mechanical ventilation 2013. Part I
Rev Bras Ter Intensiva. 2014;26(2):89-121
Abstract
Special ArticleBrazilian recommendations of mechanical ventilation 2013. Part I
Rev Bras Ter Intensiva. 2014;26(2):89-121
DOI 10.5935/0103-507X.20140017
Views43See morePerspectives on invasive and noninvasive ventilatory support for critically ill patients are evolving, as much evidence indicates that ventilation may have positive effects on patient survival and the quality of the care provided in intensive care units in Brazil. For those reasons, the Brazilian Association of Intensive Care Medicine (Associação de Medicina Intensiva Brasileira – AMIB) and the Brazilian Thoracic Society (Sociedade Brasileira de Pneumologia e Tisiologia – SBPT), represented by the Mechanical Ventilation Committee and the Commission of Intensive Therapy, respectively, decided to review the literature and draft recommendations for mechanical ventilation with the goal of creating a document for bedside guidance as to the best practices on mechanical ventilation available to their members. The document was based on the available evidence regarding 29 subtopics selected as the most relevant for the subject of interest. The project was developed in several stages, during which the selected topics were distributed among experts recommended by both societies with recent publications on the subject of interest and/or significant teaching and research activity in the field of mechanical ventilation in Brazil. The experts were divided into pairs that were charged with performing a thorough review of the international literature on each topic. All the experts met at the Forum on Mechanical Ventilation, which was held at the headquarters of AMIB in São Paulo on August 3 and 4, 2013, to collaboratively draft the final text corresponding to each sub-topic, which was presented to, appraised, discussed and approved in a plenary session that included all 58 participants and aimed to create the final document.
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Original Articles
Comparison of the RIFLE, AKIN and KDIGO criteria to predict mortality in critically ill patients
Rev Bras Ter Intensiva. 2013;25(4):290-296
Abstract
Original ArticlesComparison of the RIFLE, AKIN and KDIGO criteria to predict mortality in critically ill patients
Rev Bras Ter Intensiva. 2013;25(4):290-296
DOI 10.5935/0103-507X.20130050
Views24See moreObjective:
Acute kidney injury is a common complication in critically ill patients, and the RIFLE, AKIN and KDIGO criteria are used to classify these patients. The present study’s aim was to compare these criteria as predictors of mortality in critically ill patients.
Methods:
Prospective cohort study using medical records as the source of data. All patients admitted to the intensive care unit were included. The exclusion criteria were hospitalization for less than 24 hours and death. Patients were followed until discharge or death. Student’s t test, chi-squared analysis, a multivariate logistic regression and ROC curves were used for the data analysis.
Results:
The mean patient age was 64 years old, and the majority of patients were women of African descent. According to RIFLE, the mortality rates were 17.74%, 22.58%, 24.19% and 35.48% for patients without acute kidney injury (AKI) in stages of Risk, Injury and Failure, respectively. For AKIN, the mortality rates were 17.74%, 29.03%, 12.90% and 40.32% for patients without AKI and at stage I, stage II and stage III, respectively. For KDIGO 2012, the mortality rates were 17.74%, 29.03%, 11.29% and 41.94% for patients without AKI and at stage I, stage II and stage III, respectively. All three classification systems showed similar ROC curves for mortality.
Conclusion:
The RIFLE, AKIN and KDIGO criteria were good tools for predicting mortality in critically ill patients with no significant difference between them.
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Case reports Child Coronavirus infections COVID-19 Critical care Critical illness Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation Infant, newborn Intensive care Intensive care units Intensive care units, pediatric mechanical ventilation Mortality Physical therapy modalities Prognosis Respiration, artificial Respiratory insufficiency risk factors SARS-CoV-2 Sepsis
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