Paralytics, Sedation, and Steroids in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Correlation Analysis between Mechanical Power and Lung Ultrasound Score and Their Evaluation of Severity and Prognosis in ARDS Patients

Methods

A total of 121 patients with moderate to severe ARDS admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) from June 2017 to April 2020 and treated with invasive mechanical ventilation were sequentially included in this study. Their general information was collected, and MP was recorded at 0 h, 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h after admission to the ICU. Professionally trained researchers performed the LUS assessments. Patients were divided into the death and survival groups according to their 28-day prognosis. The trend of MP and LUS at the four time points was analyzed. A receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to analyze the predictive value of MP and LUS scores at 0 h and 72 h for the prognosis (28-day mortality rate) of patients with moderate to severe ARDS.

Results

121 patients were included in the analysis, of which 73 were male and 48 were female. When patients entered the ICU, their oxygenation index (t: 30885, P < 0.01), APACHE II score (t: 2.105, P < 0.05), and SOFA score (t: 4.134, P < 0.001) were higher in the death group than the survival group. The death group had significantly higher MP and LUS at each time point (0 h, 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h) compared to the survival group (all P < 0.05). There was a significant upward trend over time in the MP and LUS of the death group, contrasting to a significant downward trend in the survival group (all P < 0.05). The Pearson correlation analysis showed that MP and LUS were significantly positively correlated at each time point (r values: 0 h: 0.3027; 24 h: 0.3705; 48 h: 0.3902; 72 h: 0.5916; all P < 0.01). The ROC curves showed that MP and LUS at 72 h were of significant value in predicting the prognosis of ARDS patients, with areas under the curve of 0.866 ± 0.032 and 0.839 ± 0.037, respectively.

Conclusion

There was a significant correlation between the MP and LUS of ARDS patients at four time points from 0 to 72 h, which has a clinical value in evaluating severity and prognosis.

Management of critically ill patients with COVID-19 in ICU: statement from front-line intensive care experts in Wuhan, China

BACKGROUND

The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019) pandemic has swept all over the world, posing a great pressure on critical care resources due to large number of patients needing critical care. Statements from front-line experts in the field of intensive care are urgently needed.

METHODS

Sixteen front-line experts in China fighting against the COVID-19 epidemic in Wuhan were organized to develop an expert statement after 5 rounds of expert seminars and discussions to provide trustworthy recommendation on the management of critically ill COVID-19 patients. Each expert was assigned tasks within their field of expertise to provide draft statements and rationale. Parts of the expert statement are based on epidemiological and clinical evidence, without available scientific evidences.

RESULTS

A comprehensive document with 46 statements are presented, including protection of medical personnel, etiological treatment, diagnosis and treatment of tissue and organ functional impairment, psychological interventions, immunity therapy, nutritional support, and transportation of critically ill COVID-19 patients. Among them, 5 recommendations were strong (Grade 1), 21 were weak (Grade 2), and 20 were experts' opinions. A strong agreement from voting participants was obtained for all recommendations.

CONCLUSION

There are still no targeted therapies for COVID-19 patients. Dynamic monitoring and supportive treatment for the restoration of tissue vascularization and organ function are particularly important.

Effect of Deep Sedation on Mechanical Power in Moderate to Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: A Prospective Self-Control Study

Mechanical power (MP) is a parameter for assessing ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Deep sedation inhibits the respiratory center and reduces the excessive spontaneous breathing in ARDS patients, thereby reducing transpulmonary pressure (Ptp) and lung injury. However, the effect of sedation on MP in ARDS patients is not yet clear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of deep sedation on MP in ARDS patients. Patients with moderate to severe ARDS who required mechanical ventilation were considered. Different degrees of sedation were performed on patients in three stages after 24 hours of mechanical ventilation. The three stages are as follows: stage 1 (H+3): 0 to 3 hours of sedation; patients' Ramsay score was 2-3 to obtain mild sedation; stage 2 (H+6): 4 to 6 hours of sedation; the sedation depth was adjusted to 5-6 points; and stage 3 (H+9): 7 to 9 hours of sedation; the sedation depth was adjusted to 2-3 points. Under deep sedation (H+6), MP, respiratory rate (RR), and Ptp were significantly lower than the ones in the patients under mild sedation (H+3) (all P < 0.01) although PaO₂/FiO₂ (P/F) and static lung compliance (Cst) were significantly higher (both P < 0.01). However, no significant difference in the above parameters was observed between H+3 and H+9. Correlation analysis showed that ΔMP was significantly and positively correlated with ΔRR and ΔPtp (both P < 0.001), while no correlation was observed neither between ΔMP and ΔCst nor between ΔMP and ΔP/F. The 28-day Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed the occurrence of 19 deaths, and the overall survival rate was 63.46%. The survival rate was 53.12% in the high-MP (HMP) group and 80.95 in the low-MP (LMP) group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, deep sedation significantly reduced MP in patients with moderate to severe ARDS, thereby reducing the occurrence of VILI. In addition, MP monitoring in deep sedation predicted the 28-day survival of patients with moderate to severe ARDS.