Abstract
Rev Bras Ter Intensiva. 2021;33(3):339-340
DOI 10.5935/0103-507X.20210052
Abstract
Rev Bras Ter Intensiva. 2021;33(3):341-345
Abstract
Rev Bras Ter Intensiva. 2021;33(3):346-352
DOI 10.5935/0103-507X.20210053
To assess pulmonary embolism incidence, its relationship with D-dimer levels and other possible associated factors in addition to anticoagulation and contrast medium adverse effects.
A retrospective observational cohort study at a Chilean public hospital was performed. Intensive care unit mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients older than 18 years old between March and June 2020 were included. All patients received heparin thromboprophylaxis, which was increased to the anticoagulation dose with D-dimer greater than 3µg/mL.
A total of 127 patients were followed up, of whom 73 underwent pulmonary computed tomography angiography (mean age, 54 ± 12 years; 49 men). Sixty-two of the 73 patients (84.9%) received full anticoagulation before computed tomography angiography. In addition, 18 of the 73 patients had pulmonary embolism (24.7%). When comparing patients with and without pulmonary embolism, no significant differences were observed in age, sex, obesity, smoking, Wells and revised Geneva scores, D-dimer or mortality. Anticoagulant use was similar in both groups. Days from the start of anticoagulation until computed tomography angiography were significantly lower in the pulmonary embolism group (p = 0.002). Three patients presented post contrast-acute kidney injury (4.1%), and one patient had major bleeding.
Despite anticoagulation, one in four COVID-19 patients connected to mechanical ventilation and evaluated with pulmonary computed tomography angiography had pulmonary embolism. With a longer the delay in performing computed tomography angiography once empirical anticoagulation was started, significantly less pulmonary embolism was identified.
Abstract
Rev Bras Ter Intensiva. 2021;33(3):353-361
DOI 10.5935/0103-507X.20210051
To translate and cross-culturally adapt the Early Rehabilitation Index to Brazilian Portuguese and validate the Early Rehabilitation Barthel Index for use in the intensive care unit to assess functional status.
The following steps were performed: preparation, translation, reconciliation, back-translation, revision, harmonization, pretesting, and psychometric evaluation. After this initial process, the Portuguese version was applied by two evaluators to patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit for at least 48 hours. The reliability of the scale was assessed by internal consistency, interrater reliability, and floor and ceiling effects. To measure construct validity, the Early Rehabilitation Barthel Index was correlated with instruments typically used to assess functional status in the intensive care unit.
A total of 122 patients with a median age of 56 (46.8 - 66) years participated in the study. The Early Rehabilitation Barthel Index had adequate reliability, with a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.65. The interrater reliability was excellent, with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.94 (95%CI 0.92 - 0.96), and agreement was moderate to excellent, with a kappa agreement index of 0.54 to 1.0. The floor and ceiling effects were minimal. The validity of the Early Rehabilitation Barthel Index was observed through its correlations with the total Perme score (rho = 0.72), the Functional Status Score for the ICU (rho = 0.77), the Physical Function in the Intensive Care Test score (rho = 0.69), and the Medical Research Council sum score (rho = 0.58), in addition to handgrip strength (rho = 0.58) and knee extensor strength measured by hand-held dynamometry (rho = 0.55), all with p < 0.001.
The adapted versions of the Early Rehabilitation Index for Brazilian Portuguese and, in its entirety, the Early Rehabilitation Barthel Index are reliable and valid for assessing the functional status of patients at discharge from the intensive care unit.
Abstract
Rev Bras Ter Intensiva. 2021;33(3):362-373
DOI 10.5935/0103-507X.20210059
To determine the effectiveness of noninvasive ventilation versus conventional oxygen therapy in patients with acute respiratory failure after extubation failure.
A pragmatic clinical trial was conducted in an intensive care unit from March 2009 to September 2016. Patients on mechanical ventilation > 24 hours who developed acute respiratory failure after scheduled extubation were included and were assigned to noninvasive ventilation or conventional oxygen therapy. The primary objective was to reduce the reintubation rate. The secondary objectives were to improve respiratory parameters and reduce complications, the duration of mechanical ventilation, the intensive care unit stay, the hospital stay, and mortality in the intensive care unit, in the hospital, and 90 days after discharge. Factors correlated with reintubation were also analyzed.
Of a total of 2,574 patients, 77 were analyzed (38 in the noninvasive ventilation group and 39 in the conventional oxygen therapy group). Noninvasive ventilation reduced the respiratory and cardiac rates more rapidly than conventional oxygen therapy. Reintubation was less common in the noninvasive ventilation group [12 (32%) versus 22 (56%) in the conventional oxygen therapy group, relative risk 0.58 (95%CI 0.34 - 0.97), p = 0.039]. The rest of the parameters did not show significant differences. In the multivariate analysis, noninvasive ventilation protected against reintubation [OR 0.17 (95%CI 0.05 - 0.56), p = 0.004], while liver failure before extubation and the inability to maintain airway patency predisposed patients to reintubation.
The use of noninvasive ventilation in patients who failed extubation could be beneficial compared to conventional oxygen therapy.
Abstract
Rev Bras Ter Intensiva. 2021;33(3):374-383
DOI 10.5935/0103-507X.20210056
To evaluate the ability of the 6-Minute Walk Test to predict long-term physical functional status improvement among intensive care unit survivors.
Thirty-two intensive care unit survivors were prospectively evaluated from February 2017 to August 2018 in a post-intensive care unit outpatient clinic in Brazil. Individuals with intensive care unit stays > 72 hours (emergency admissions) or > 120 hours (elective admissions) attending the post-intensive care unit clinic four months after intensive care unit discharge were consecutively enrolled. The association between the 6-Minute Walk Test distance at baseline and physical functional status was assessed over 8 months using the Barthel Index.
The mean 6-Minute Walk Test distance was significantly lower in intensive care unit survivors than in the general population (405m versus 557m; p < 0.001). Age (β = -4.0; p < 0.001) and muscle weakness (β = -99.7; p = 0.02) were associated with the 6-Minute Walk Test distance. A 6-Minute Walk Test distance was associated with improvement in physical functional status over the 8-month follow-up (odds ratio for each 10m of 1.07; 95%CI 1.01 - 1.16; p = 0.03). The area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve for the 6-Minute Walk Test prediction of physical functional status improvement was 0.72 (95%CI 0.53 - 0.88).
The 6-Minute Walk Test performed 4 months after intensive care unit discharge predicted long-term physical functional status among intensive care unit survivors with moderate accuracy.
Abstract
Rev Bras Ter Intensiva. 2021;33(3):384-393
DOI 10.5935/0103-507X.20210055
To describe current clinical practices related to the use of high-flow nasal cannula therapy by Brazilian pediatric intensivists and compare them with those in other countries.
A questionnaire was administered to pediatric intensivists in North and South America, Asia, Europe, and Australia/New Zealand for the main study. We compared the Brazilian cohort with cohorts in the United States of America, Canada, the United Kingdom, and India
Overall, 501 physicians responded, 127 of which were in Brazil. Only 63.8% of respondents in Brazil had a high-flow nasal cannula available, in contrast to 100% of respondents in the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. The attending physician was responsible for the decision to start a high-flow nasal cannula according to 61.2% respondents in Brazil, 95.5% in the United Kingdom, 96.6% in the United States, 96.8% in Canada, and 84.7% in India. A total of 62% of respondents in Brazil, 96.3% in the United Kingdom, 96.6% in the United States, 96.8% in Canada, and 84.7% in India reported that the attending physician was responsible for the decision to wean or modify the high-flow nasal cannula settings. When high-flow nasal cannula therapy failed due to respiratory distress/failure, 82% of respondents in Brazil would consider a trial of noninvasive ventilation before endotracheal intubation, compared to 93% in the United Kingdom, 88% in the United States, 91.5% in Canada, and 76.8% in India. More Brazilian intensivists (6.5%) than intensivists in the United Kingdom, United States, and India (1.6% for all) affirmed using sedatives frequently with high-flow nasal cannulas.
The availability of high-flow nasal cannulas in Brazil is still not widespread. There are some divergences in clinical practices between Brazilian intensivists and their colleagues abroad, mainly in processes and decision-making about starting and weaning high-flow nasal cannula therapy.
Abstract
Rev Bras Ter Intensiva. 2021;33(3):394-400
DOI 10.5935/0103-507X.20210064
To evaluate the substitution of Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) by Simplified Acute Physiology Score 3 (SAPS 3) as a severity marker in the modified version of the NUTrition RIsk in the Critically ill score (mNUTRIC); without interleukin 6) based on an analysis of its discriminative ability for in-hospital mortality prediction.
This retrospective cohort study evaluated 1,516 adult patients admitted to an intensive care unit of a private general hospital from April 2017 to January 2018. Performance evaluation included Fleiss’ Kappa and Pearson correlation analysis. The discriminative ability for estimating in-hospital mortality was assessed with the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve.
The sample was randomly divided into two-thirds for model development (n = 1,025; age 72 [57 - 83]; 52.4% male) and one-third for performance evaluation (n = 490; age 72 [57 - 83]; 50.8% male). The agreement with mNUTRIC was Kappa of 0.563 (p < 0.001), and the correlation between the instruments was Pearson correlation of 0.804 (p < 0.001). The tool showed good performance in predicting in-hospital mortality (area under the curve 0.825 [0.787 - 0.863] p < 0.001).
The substitution of APACHE II by SAPS 3 as a severity marker in the mNUTRIC score showed good performance in predicting in-hospital mortality. These data provide the first evidence regarding the validity of the substitution of APACHE II by SAPS 3 in the mNUTRIC as a marker of severity. Multicentric studies and additional analyses of nutritional adequacy parameters are required.