Program on high value cost-conscious education in intensive care: Educational program on prediction of outcome and cost awareness on Intensive Care admission

BACKGROUND

Intensive Care (ICU) involves extended and long lasting support of vital functions and organs. However, current training programs of ICU residents mainly focus on extended support of vital functions and barely involve training on cost-awareness and outcome. We incorporated an educational program on high-value cost-conscious care for residents and fellows on our ICU and measured the effect of education.

METHODS

A cohort study with factorial survey design, in which ICU residents and fellows were asked to evaluate clinical vignettes, was performed on the mixed surgical-medical ICU of the Amsterdam University Medical Centre. Residents were offered an educational program focusing on outcome and costs of ICU care. Before and after the program they filled out a questionnaire, which consisted of 23 vignettes, in which known predictors of outcome of community acquired pneumonia (CAP), pancreatitis, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and cardiac arrest were presented, together with varying patient factors (age, body mass index (BMI), acute kidney failure (AKI) and haemato-oncological malignancy). Participants were asked to either admit the patient or estimate mortality.

RESULTS

BMI, haemato-oncological malignancy and severity of pancreatitis were discriminative for admission to ICU in clinical vignettes on pancreatitis and CAP. After education, only severity of pancreatitis was judged as discriminative. Before the intervention only location of cardiac arrest (in- vs out of hospital) was distinctive for mortality, afterwards this changed to presence of haemato-oncological malignancy.

CONCLUSION

We incorporated an educational program on high-value cost-conscious care in the training of ICU physicians. Based on our vignette study, we conclude that the improvement of knowledge of costs and prognosis after this program was limited.

Predictors of short-term and long-term mortality in critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit following allogeneic stem cell transplantation

Historically, the mortality of patients admitted to the ICU after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT) is high. Advancements in transplantation procedures, infectious monitoring and supportive care may have improved the outcome. This study aimed to determine short-term and long-term mortality after ICU admission of patients after alloSCT and to identify prognostic clinical and transplantation-related determinants present at ICU admission for long-term outcome. A multicenter cohort study was performed to determine 30-day and 1-year mortality within 2 years following alloSCT. A total of 251 patients were included. The 30-day and 1-year mortality was 55% and 80%, respectively. Platelet count <25 × 10⁹/L (OR: 2.26, CI: 1.02-5.01) and serum bilirubin >19 μmol/L (OR: 2.47 CI: 1.08-5.65) at admission, other donor than a HLA-matched-related or HLA-matched-unrelated donor (OR: 4.59, CI: 1.49-14.1) and vasoactive medication within 24 h (OR: 2.35, CI: 1.28-4.31) were associated with increased 30-day mortality. Other donor than a HLA-matched-related or HLA-matched-unrelated donor (OR: 1.9, CI: 1.13-3.19), serum bilirubin >77 (OR: 2.05, CI: 1.28-3.30) and vasoactive medication within 24 h (OR: 1.65, CI: 1.12-2.43) were associated with increased 1-year mortality. Neutropenia was associated with decreased 30-day and 1-year mortality (OR: 0.29, CI: 0.14-0.59 and OR: 0.70, CI: 0.48-0.98). Myeloablative conditioning and T cell-depleted transplantation were not associated with increased mortality.

The management of critically ill patients with haematological malignancies

The management of critically ill patients with haematological malignancy (HM) still shows inter- and intra-regional differences. Our objective in this updated review was to address the evidence supporting the potential treatment options, based on multidisciplinary processes, of critically ill patients with HM. A stepwise approach to the critical care pathway of this patient population from the triage to ICU admission to ICU discharge was chosen to emphasise certain key findings. Our main focus relied on significant issues of decision-making in daily clinical routine. The plethora of studies shifted the pragmatic treatment policy into an evidence-based approach. The transfer of a patient with HM from the haematology ward to the ICU and vice versa should be based on a well-defined clinical care process in which the haematologists and intensivists are in close collaboration and direct communication. A protocolised clinical approach to treat a critically ill patient with HM seems helpful to optimise patient-oriented care and patient safety.

[Using thromboelastography to measure coagulation following massive blood loss]

Thromboelastography is becoming increasingly important for diagnosing coagulation disorders in patients with massive blood loss. This whole-blood measurement provides information about the speed of clot formation, clot strength, and degree of fibrinolysis. The result can be used as a basis for making a faster and better choice of a suitable blood product for the patient with severe blood loss. This technique can be carried out simply and quickly as a rapid test ('point-of-care test') or in a central laboratory. Use of thromboelastography in patients undergoing cardiac surgery results in reduced use of blood products and is proven to be cost effective. A reduction in the use of blood products was also seen in trauma patients and patients undergoing liver transplantation when this technique was used. Studies on other groups of patients with massive blood loss are being conducted at the moment.

Fresh frozen plasma transfusion fails to influence the hemostatic balance in critically ill patients with a coagulopathy

BACKGROUND

Coagulopathy has a high prevalence in critically ill patients. An increased International Normalized Ratio (INR) is a common trigger to transfuse fresh frozen plasma (FFP), even in the absence of bleeding. Therefore, FFP is frequently administered to these patients. However, the efficacy of FFP in correcting hemostatic disorders in non-bleeding recipients has been questioned.

OBJECTIVES

To assess whether INR prolongation parallels changes in the results of other tests investigating hemostasis, and to evaluate the coagulant effects of a fixed dose of FFP in non-bleeding critically ill patients with a coagulopathy.

METHODS

Markers of coagulation, individual factor levels and levels of natural anticoagulants were measured. Also, thrombin generation and thromboelastometry (ROTEM) assays were performed before and after FFP transfusion (12 mL kg(-1) ) to 38 non-bleeding critically ill patients with an increased INR (1.5-3.0).

RESULTS

At baseline, levels of factor II, FV, FVII, protein C, protein S and antithrombin were reduced, and thrombin generation was impaired. ROTEM variables were within reference ranges, except for a prolonged INTEM clot formation time. FFP transfusion increased the levels of coagulation factors (FII, 34% [interquartile range (IQR) 26-46] before vs. 44% [IQR 38-52] after; FV, 48% [IQR 28-76] before vs. 58% [IQR 44-90] after; and FVII, 25% [IQR 16-38] before vs. 37% [IQR 28-55] after), and the levels of anticoagulant proteins. Thrombin generation was unaffected by FFP transfusion (endogenous thrombin potential, 72% [IQR 51-88] before vs. 71% [IQR 42-89] after), whereas ROTEM EXTEM clotting time and maximum clot firmness slightly improved in response to FFP.

CONCLUSION

In non-bleeding critically ill patients with a coagulopathy, FFP transfusion failed to induce a more procoagulant state.

The effect of C1-inhibitor in a murine model of transfusion-related acute lung injury

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) is the leading cause of transfusion-related morbidity and mortality. Specific therapy is lacking. We assessed whether C1-inhibitor attenuates lung injury in a 'two-hit' TRALI model.

METHODS

Mice were primed with lipopolysaccharide, subsequently TRALI was induced by MHC-I antibodies. In the intervention group, C1-inhibitor was infused concomitantly. Mice were supported with mechanical ventilation. After 2 h, mice were killed, lungs were removed and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was obtained.

RESULTS

Injection of MHC-I antibodies induced TRALI, illustrated by an increase in wet-to-dry ratio of the lungs, in BALF protein levels and in lung injury scores. TRALI was further characterized by complement activation, demonstrated by increased BALF levels of C3a and C5a. Administration of C1-inhibitor resulted in increased pulmonary C1-inhibitor levels with high activity. C1-inhibitor reduced pulmonary levels of complement C3a associated with improved lung injury scores. However, levels of pro-inflammatory mediators were unaffected.

CONCLUSION

In a murine model of TRALI, C1-inhibitor attenuated pulmonary levels of C3a associated with improved lung injury scores, but with persistent high levels of inflammatory cytokines.

[A young woman from Cameroon with rectal blood loss, intestinal schistosomiasis and rectosigmoid carcinoma]

A 32-year-old woman from Cameroon presented with rectal blood loss due to a focally infiltrating adenocarcinoma of the rectosigmoid in the presence of an active intestinal schistosomiasis (Schistosoma intercalatum). A correlation between chronic intestinal schistosomiasis and the development of colorectal cancer has been suggested in the literature, but is not uniformly accepted. However, the case presented here reinforces this suggestion. In a patient with rectal blood loss who comes from an area where intestinal schistosomiasis is endemic, the possibility of a colorectal carcinoma should be considered in the diagnosis.