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The article discusses the optimal timing for discontinuing continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in children with severe acute kidney injury (AKI). The authors highlight the lack of guidance on this topic and the need for better criteria for stopping CRRT. They present data from a study that identified factors associated with successful liberation from CRRT in children, including higher vasoactive-inotropic scores, shorter CRRT duration, and higher urine output prior to CRRT initiation. The authors also discuss the challenges of managing CRRT in children and the potential implications of prolonged CRRT. Further research is needed to determine the best criteria for discontinuing CRRT in pediatric patients. [Extracted from the article]

Patients with serious thermal burn injuries require immediate and specialized care in order to minimize morbidity and mortality. Optimal fluid resuscitation, nutritional support, pulmonary care, burn wound care, and infection control practices represent key aspects of patient care in burn centers. When severely burned, the patient usually presents a systemic inflammatory response syndrome, soon balanced by a counter anti-inflammatory response syndrome. These may lead to immune dysregulation/exhaustion favoring infectious complications that dramatically impair the prognosis of burn patients. This narrative review provides an overview of the main concepts, current understanding, and potential applications of extracorporeal blood purification techniques for burn patient management. Current understanding of burn patients' immune responses is reported. Hypotheses and data on the potential value of immunoregulation are reviewed. Finally, how extracorporeal blood purification may be of interest in this specific population is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As highlighted by the last international consensus definition for sepsis and septic shock (sepsis-3), sepsis comes from a complex relationship between a pathogen and a dysregulated host response. To date, the treatment of sepsis is based on antimicrobial treatment, source control, and organ support. Extracorporeal blood purification therapies have been proposed as adjuvant therapies to modulate the dysregulated inflammatory response. These therapies aim mostly at removing inflammatory mediators (cytokines) and endotoxins from the blood. However, so far, they failed to clearly demonstrate an improvement in patient survival when evaluated in randomized trials. Recently, new devices directly targeting the primary determinants of sepsis, e.g., the pathogen itself and the host immune cells, have been developed. This short review aimed at presenting new blood purification devices that have recently been developed to target pathogens and immune cells. For each, we will present the mechanism of action of the therapy and discuss the related literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few patients with coronavirus disease 2019–associated severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) require veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO). Prolonged VV-ECMO support necessitates repeated oxygenator replacement, increasing the risk for complications. Transient hypoxemia, induced by VV-ECMO stop needed for this procedure, may induce transient myocardial ischemia and acutely declining cardiac output in critically ill patients without residual pulmonary function. This is amplified by additional activation of the sympathetic nervous system (tachycardia, pulmonary vasoconstriction, and increased systemic vascular resistance). Immediate reinjection of the priming solution of the new circuit and induced acute iatrogenic anemia are other potentially reinforcing factors. The case of a critically ill patient presented here provides an instructive illustration of the hemodynamic relationships occurring during VV-ECMO support membrane oxygenator exchange. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the other hand, the increasing utilization of electronic patient records and associated massive datasets, creates the opportunity to detect patterns associated with increased risk of AKI or AKI progression. Several machine-learning predictions for AKI, severe AKI and need for KRT in intensive care unit (ICU) and hospitalized patients have been developed. The syndrome of acute kidney injury (AKI) is defined by a reduced glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and manifests through an increased serum creatinine (sCr) relative to baseline and/or decreased urine output (UO) as proposed by the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcome (KDIGO) 2012 consensus criteria. [Extracted from the article]

Acute kidney injury (AKI) remains associated with short- and long-term mortality and morbidity. Doppler-based renal resistive index (RI) is a rapid and non-invasive tool that was proposed to assess renal perfusion, identify early risk of AKI, or predict renal recovery course. Central venous pressure and mean perfusion pressure have been associated with risk of AKI in observational studies but may reflect macrovascular perfusion and congestion rather than intra-renal hemodynamic dysregulation [[1]]. Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may assess renal perfusion and oxygenation changes, relevancy of this technique at bedside for critically ill patients is debatable [[3]]. [Extracted from the article]

Background: There is controversy regarding the optimal renal-replacement therapy (RRT) modality for critically ill patients with acute kidney injury (AKI). Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of the STandard versus Accelerated Renal Replacement Therapy in Acute Kidney Injury (STARRT-AKI) trial to compare outcomes among patients who initiated RRT with either continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) or intermittent hemodialysis (IHD). We generated a propensity score for the likelihood of receiving CRRT and used inverse probability of treatment with overlap-weighting to address baseline inter-group differences. The primary outcome was a composite of death or RRT dependence at 90-days after randomization. Results: We identified 1590 trial participants who initially received CRRT and 606 who initially received IHD. The composite outcome of death or RRT dependence at 90-days occurred in 823 (51.8%) patients who commenced CRRT and 329 (54.3%) patients who commenced IHD (unadjusted odds ratio (OR) 0.90; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.75–1.09). After balancing baseline characteristics with overlap weighting, initial receipt of CRRT was associated with a lower risk of death or RRT dependence at 90-days compared with initial receipt of IHD (OR 0.81; 95% CI 0.66–0.99). This association was predominantly driven by a lower risk of RRT dependence at 90-days (OR 0.61; 95% CI 0.39–0.94). Conclusions: In critically ill patients with severe AKI, initiation of CRRT, as compared to IHD, was associated with a significant reduction in the composite outcome of death or RRT dependence at 90-days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regional citrate anticoagulation (RCA) enables prolonged continuous kidney replacement therapy (CKRT) filter lifespan. However, membrane diffusive performance might progressively decrease and remain unnoticed. We prospectively evaluated the kinetics of solute clearance and factors associated with decreased membrane performance in 135 consecutive CKRT-RCA circuits (35 patients). We recorded baseline patients' characteristics and clinical signs of decreased membrane performance. We calculated effluent/serum ratios (ESR) as well as respective clearances for urea, creatinine and β2-microglobuline at 12, 24, 48 and 72 h after circuit initiation. Using mixed-effects logistic regression model analyses, we assessed the effect of time on those values and determined independent predictors of decreased membrane performance as defined by an ESR for urea < 0.81. We observed a minor but statistically significant decrease in both ESR and solute clearance across the duration of therapy for all three solutes. We observed decreased membrane performance in 31 (23%) circuits while clinical signs were present in 19 (14.1%). The risk of decreased membrane performance significantly increased over time: 1.8% at T1 (p = 0.16); 7.3% at T2 (p = 0.01); 15.7% at T3 (p = 0.001) and 16.4% at T4 (p < 0.003). Four factors present within 24 h of circuit initiation were independently associated with decreased membrane performance: arterial blood bicarbonate level (OR 1.50; p < 0.001), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT; OR = 0.93; p = 0.02), fibrinogen level (OR 6.40; p = 0.03) and Charlson score (OR 0.10; p < 0.01). COVID-19 infection was not associated with increased risk of decreased membrane performance. Regular monitoring of ESR might be appropriate in selected patients undergoing CKRT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

References 1 Schmitt J, Aries P, Desert M, Le Roux A, Giacardi C. Before AKI, renal microcirculation stress may be detected by urine biochemistry. Before AKI, renal microcirculation stress may be detected by urine biochemistry. Altogether, we agree that the evaluation of urine biochemistry is attractive on a physiological point of view and that it is easy to perform especially when integrated in a continuous urine output measurement tool. [Extracted from the article]

Introduction: The measurement of renal functional reserve (RFR) can unmask glomerular hyperfiltration in residual nephrons, but its determination is time-consuming. In this study, we assessed whether contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is a valuable alternative to the gold standard inulin clearance and whether L-arginine or protein shakes lead to similar changes in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) as animal proteins in men and women. Methods: Changes in GFR and renal microperfusion were studied in 25 healthy subjects (8 men, 17 women) by simultaneously performing inulin clearance and CEUS (perfusion index, PI) before and 1 and 2 h after different protein loads (L-arginine, protein shake or meat). The Doppler parameters – renal resistive index (RRI) and pulsatility index (PuI) – were also measured. Results: None of the oral protein loads induced significant changes in CEUS-assessed PI. Only meat increased inulin clearance (from 111.2 ± 16.0 to 149.8 ± 27.2 mL/min, p < 0.05) and mobilized RFR, while L-arginine decreased GFR (106.7 ± 45.3 to 86.3 ± 42.6 mL/min, p < 0.05). Protein shakes had a neutral effect. There were no correlations between changes in inulin clearance and PI. At Doppler, RRI and PuI increased after meat intake (from 0.647 ± 0.029 to 0.694 ± 0.050 a.u., p < 0.05 and from 1.130 ± 0.087 to 1.318 ± 0.163 a.u., p < 0.05, respectively), but their changes also did not correlate with changes in inulin clearance. Results were similar in both sexes. Conclusions: CEUS is not a valuable alternative for inulin clearance to measure RFR. Meat ingestion leads to modest changes in renal Doppler parameters and to glomerular hyperfiltration in both women and men, while protein shakes and L-arginine do not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Omni® (B Braun, Melsungen, Germany) is able to run continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in continuous veno-venous hemofiltration (CVVH), hemodialysis (CVVHD), and hemodiafiltration (CVVHDF) modes. However, to date, there is no validated protocol to guide the use of Omni® in CVVHDF mode with regional citrate anticoagulation (RCA). Methods: We designed a protocol for CVVHDF-RCA tailored for Omni®. This protocol was tested in patients included in an observational study conducted in our center between January and March 2021. For all study patients, we collected baseline characteristics, laboratory results, CRRT circuit lifespan as well as plasma and effluent samples at 12, 24, 48, and 72 h of CRRT circuit initiation. At each study time point, we computed urea, creatinine, and β2-microglobulin clearance as well as effluent/blood ratios. Data from circuits in CVVHDF-RCA mode are compared with those in standard therapy (CVVHD-RCA) with the same device. Results: We analyzed ten circuits (5 patients) in CVVHDF-RCA mode and 32 (13 patients) in CVVHD-RCA mode. No adverse events related to the therapy were observed. In CVVHDF-RCA mode, median circuit running time was 68 (IQR 8.1) hours versus 46 (IQR 9.0) in CVVHD mode, p = 0.053. Therapy adaptations (dialysate rate and/or blood flow) were required in one (10%) circuit (15.6% in CVVHD mode, p = 0.56). Compared to CVVHD, CVVHDF was able to achieve similar clearance and effluent/blood ratio for urea, creatinine, and β2-microglobulin across the entire duration of circuit lifetime. Conclusion: The proposed protocol for CVVHDF-RCA for Omni® was associated with similar circuit lifetime, number of required adaptations and clearances to standard CVVHD-RCA. It appears to be safe and feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: COVID-19 related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has specific characteristics compared to ARDS in other populations. Proning is recommended by analogy with other forms of ARDS, but few data are available regarding its physiological effects in this population. This study aimed to assess the effects of proning on oxygenation parameters (PaO2/FiO2 and alveolo-arterial gradient (Aa-gradient)), blood gas analysis, ventilatory ratio (VR), respiratory system compliance (CRS) and estimated dead space fraction (VD/VT HB). We also looked for variables associated with treatment failure.Methods: Retrospective monocentric study of intubated COVID-19 ARDS patients managed with an early intubation, low to moderate positive end-expiratory pressure and early proning strategy hospitalized from March 6 to April 30 2020. Blood gas analysis, PaO2/FiO2, Aa-gradient, VR, CRS and VD/VT HB were compared before and at the end of each proning session with paired t-tests or Wilcoxon tests (p < 0.05 considered as significant). Proportions were assessed using Fischer exact test or Chi square test.Results: Forty-two patients were included for a total of 191 proning sessions, median duration of 16 (5-36) hours. Considering all sessions, PaO2/FiO2 increased (180 [148-210] vs 107 [90-129] mmHg, p < 0.001) and Aa-gradient decreased (127 [92-176] vs 275 [211-334] mmHg, p < 0.001) with proning. CRS (36.2 [30.0-41.8] vs 32.2 [27.5-40.9] ml/cmH2O, p = 0.003), VR (2.4 [2.0-2.9] vs 2.3 [1.9-2.8], p = 0.028) and VD/VT HB (0.72 [0.67-0.76] vs 0.71 [0.65-0.76], p = 0.022) slightly increased. Considering the first proning session, PaO2/FiO2 increased (186 [165-215] vs 104 [94-126] mmHg, p < 0.001) and Aa-gradient decreased (121 [89-160] vs 276 [238-321] mmHg, p < 0.001), while CRS, VR and VD/VT HB were unchanged. Similar variations were observed during the subsequent proning sessions. Among the patients who experienced treatment failure (defined as ICU death or need for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation), fewer expressed a positive response in terms of oxygenation (defined as increase of more than 20% in PaO2/FiO2) to the first proning (67 vs 97%, p = 0.020).Conclusion: Proning in COVID-19 ARDS intubated patients led to an increase in PaO2/FiO2 and a decrease in Aa-gradient if we consider all the sessions together, the first one or the 4 subsequent sessions independently. When considering all sessions, CRS increased and VR and VD/VT HB only slightly increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Situation‐Background‐Assessment‐Recommendation (SBAR) is a tool for structuring communication between healthcare professionals. SBAR reduces medical errors, however few studies have evaluated its quality in real practice. Aims: To describe the quality of SBAR utilization by intensive care unit (ICU) nurses during phone conversations with physicians. To assess the influence of nurses' training, professional experience, and call circumstances on this quality. Study Design: This observational study was conducted in the adult ICU of a university hospital in French speaking Switzerland. All consecutive telephone calls from nurses to physicians during a calendar month, were recorded. Those related to a change in patients' clinical status were selected and analysed. The quality of SBAR utilization was assessed using a pre‐defined analysis grid. Scores ranged from 0 (worst quality) to 100% (best quality). Nurses' sociodemographics and training record were collected. Multiple regression was used to assess determinants of SBAR quality including nurses characteristics and level of training. Results: We analysed 290 phone calls, made by 99 nurses. The median SBAR quality score was 41% (interquartile range [IQR] 33–48). Quality scores varied across the four items of SBAR: Situation 88% (81–94), Background 17% (6–27), Assessment 17% (0–33), and Recommendation 33% (17–40). Factors independently associated with higher SBAR quality were age (−0.66%, p =.002, 95% CI [−1.07; −0.25]), primary language other than French (−8.40%, p =.017, 95% CI [−15.29; −1.51]), lack of ICU expertise (−9.25%, p =.013, 95% CI [−16.5;1–1.99]), and SBAR training in pre‐graduate nursing education (+11.53%, p =.028, 95% CI [1.27; 22.79]). Conclusions: The quality of SBAR utilization remains low in ICU clinical practice. Pre‐ and post‐graduate training seem to improve its quality. Relevance to Clinical Practice: Pre‐graduate mandatory training associated with multiple repetitions could improve nurses' SBAR utilization. Training using the SBAR tool should be combined with the development of nursing skills in assessment and clinical judgment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Disturbances in renal microcirculation play an important role in the pathophysiology of chronic kidney disease (CKD), but the lack of easy accessible techniques hampers our understanding of the regulation of the renal microcirculation in humans. We assessed whether contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) can identify differences in cortical perfusion and alterations induced by different dietary salt intakes in CKD patients and controls. Methods Participants underwent CEUS twice: once after 5 days of high-salt (HS) intake, and again after 5 days of low salt (LS) diet. Sonovue® (0.015 mL/kg/min) was perfused as contrast agent and four consecutive destruction–reperfusion sequences were analysed per visit. The primary outcome measure was the (change in) mean perfusion index (PI) of the renal cortex. Results Forty healthy volunteers (mean age ± standard deviation 50 ± 8 years) and 18 CKD Stages 2–4 patients [aged 55 ± 11 years, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 54 ± 28 mL/min/1.73 m2] were included and underwent CEUS without side effects. Under HS conditions, cortical PI was significantly lower in CKD patients [1618 ± 1352 versus 3176 ± 2278 arbitrary units (a.u) in controls, P = 0.034]. Under LS, renal PI increased in CKD patients (with +1098 to 2716 ± 1540 a.u. P = 0.048), whereas PI remained stable in controls. In the continuous analysis, PI correlated with eGFR (Spearman's r  = 0.54, P = 0.005) but not with age, sex, blood pressure or aldosterone levels. Conclusions CEUS identified important reductions in cortical micro-perfusion in patients with moderate CKD. Lowering salt intake increased perfusion in CKD patients, but not in controls, underlining the benefits of an LS diet in CKD patients. Whether a low PI is an early sign of kidney damage and predicts renal function decline needs further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients under extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) are at high risk of developing acute kidney injury and renal replacement therapy (RRT) is frequently needed. The aim of this study was to explore RRT use in ECMO patients, as no recommendations exist in this setting. An online questionnaire about RRT management in ECMO patients was sent to the members of the ARCOTHOVA (Anesthésie-Réanimation Coeur-Thorax-Vaisseaux) association and to the GFRUP (Groupe Francophone de Réanimation et Urgences Pédiatriques). Ninety intensivists from adult ICU and twenty from paediatric ICU responded to the questionnaire. RRT use was common as 67% respondents reported that more than 25% of their ECMO patients needed RRT. RRT indications were similar between centres, with persistent anuria (83%), metabolic acidosis (80%), fluid overload (78%) and hyperkalaemia (80%) being the more prevalent. Continuous renal replacement therapy was the preferred technique (97%). Continuous veno-venous haemofiltration was predominant (64%) over continuous veno-venous haemodiafiltration (21%). Unfractionated heparin was employed as first line choice anticoagulation in 61% and regional citrate anticoagulation in 16%. Integration of RRT device directly into the ECMO circuit was the preferred configuration (40%) while parallel systems with separate catheter were used in 30%. When the integrated approach was chosen, RRT device was most frequently connected with inlet and outlet lines after the ECMO pump (58%) and pressure alarms were encountered for 60% of participants. Our results highlight the high variability of practice between centres. They suggest the need to compare the integrated and parallel configurations of combining RRT and ECMO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It was recently proposed to distinguish early from late sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI). We aimed to determine the relative frequency of these entities in critically ill patients and to describe their characteristics and outcomes. We included in this retrospective cohort study all adult patients admitted for sepsis in a tertiary ICU between 2010 and 2020. We excluded those on chronic dialysis or without consent. We extracted serum creatinine, hourly urinary output, and clinical and socio-demographic data from medical records until day 7 or ICU discharge. AKI presence and characteristics were assessed daily using KDIGO criteria. We compared patients with early (occurring within 2 days of admission) or late (occurring between day 2 and day 7) SA-AKI. We conducted sensitivity analyses using different definitions for early/late SA-AKI. Among 1835 patients, 1660 (90%) fulfilled SA-AKI criteria. Of those, 1610 (97%) had early SA-AKI, and 50 (3%) had late SA-AKI. Similar proportions were observed when only considering AKI with elevated sCr (71% vs. 3%), severe AKI (67% vs. 6%), or different time windows for early SA-AKI. Compared with early SA-AKI patients, those with late SA-AKI were younger (median age [IQR] 59 [49–70] vs. 69 [58–76] years, p < 0.001), had lower Charlson comorbidity index (3 [1–5] vs. 5 [3–7], p < 0.001) and lower SAPSII scores (41 [34–50] vs. 53 [43–64], p < 0.001). They had similar (24% vs. 26%, p = 0.75) in-hospital mortality. AKI is almost ubiquitous in septic critically ill patients and present within two days of admission. The timing from ICU admission might not be relevant to distinguish different phenotypes of SA-AKI. Ethics Committee Vaud, Lausanne, Switzerland (n°2017-00008). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is now recognized as a heterogeneous syndrome that not only affects acute morbidity and mortality, but also a patient's long-term prognosis. In this narrative review, an update on various aspects of AKI in critically ill patients will be provided. Focus will be on prediction and early detection of AKI (e.g., the role of biomarkers to identify high-risk patients and the use of machine learning to predict AKI), aspects of pathophysiology and progress in the recognition of different phenotypes of AKI, as well as an update on nephrotoxicity and organ cross-talk. In addition, prevention of AKI (focusing on fluid management, kidney perfusion pressure, and the choice of vasopressor) and supportive treatment of AKI is discussed. Finally, post-AKI risk of long-term sequelae including incident or progression of chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular events and mortality, will be addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Peri-operative coagulation management of patients receiving apixaban, a new oral anticoagulant, is difficult. The CytoSorb® hemoadsorption device might represent a therapeutic option to reduce apixaban's pharmacological and inflammatory effects during high-risk surgery. Case presentation: An 83-year-old woman treated with Apixaban underwent emergent redo mitral valve replacement for prosthetic valve endocarditis. A CytoSorb® cartridge was added to the cardio-pulmonary bypass (CPB) circuit. Apixaban-specific anti-factor Xa activity (AFXaA) were measured peri-operatively. After 100 minutes of CPB, a 50% AFXaA rate decrease was observed as compared to pre-CPB values. Furthermore, we noticed 39% and 44% reductions of AFXaA levels in comparison to the expected levels in patients with normal or altered renal function, respectively. Conclusion: Insertion of a CytoSorb® cartridge in the CPB was safe and associated with rapid correction of Apixaban-associated anticoagulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]