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Background: Unfractionated heparin is used as the most common anticoagulation for venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV ECMO) patients. However, it is accompanied by frequent bleeding and thrombotic complications. The aim of the study was to demonstrate the feasibility of Enoxaparin anticoagulation for VV ECMO patients., Methods: This study is a retrospective analysis of VV ECMO patients on continuous intravenous Enoxaparin anticoagulation. The primary outcome was the incidence of bleeding, thrombotic, and neurological complications during ECMO support. The secondary outcome was an analysis of secondary and primary hemostasis profiles., Results: Data from 38 patients were analyzed in this study. The incidence of bleeding complications was 5.3%, for thrombotic complications it was 2.6% and for neurological (bleeding/ischemic events) complications it was 10.5%. The targeted anti-Xa activity of 0.4-0.6 IU/mL was achieved and maintained during whole ECMO period in 28 patients (73.8%), not affecting the hemocoagulation profile represented by APTT-r 1.15 ± 0.2, TT 18.67 ± 3.35 s, PT/INR 1.21 ± 0.19, fibrinogen 5.39 ± 1.49 g/L, antithrombin, and platelet count. Primary hemostasis pathology was diagnosed in all patients by PFA 200 tests Col/EPI 279 ± 38 s and Col/ADP 249 ± 66 s. The running time of ECMO was 7.8 ± 3.4 days., Conclusions: Enoxaparin anticoagulation appears to be feasible for VV ECMO patients without an increase in adverse events. Further larger-sampled and comparative studies are needed in the future to support our findings., (© 2024 International Center for Artificial Organ and Transplantation (ICAOT) and Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is frequently used during lung transplantation. Unfractionated heparin (UFH) is mainly used as part of ECMO support for anticoagulation. One of the most common perioperative complications is bleeding, which high-dose UFH can aggravate. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed ( n = 141) patients who underwent lung transplantation between 2020 and 2022. All subjects ( n = 109) underwent central cannulated VA ECMO with successful intraoperative ECMO weaning. Patients on ECMO bridge, postoperative ECMO, heart-lung transplants and transplants without ECMO were excluded. The dose of UFH for the entire surgical procedure, blood loss and consumption of blood derivatives intraoperatively and 48 h after ICU admission were recorded. Surgical revision for postoperative bleeding were analyzed. Thrombotic complications, mortality and long-term survival were evaluated. Results: Lower doses of UFH administered for intraoperative ECMO anticoagulation contribute to a reduction in intraoperative blood derivates consumption and blood loss with no thrombotic complications related to the patient or the ECMO circuit. Lower doses of UFH may lead to a decreased incidence of surgical revision for hemothorax. Conclusion: Lower doses of UFH as part of intraoperative ECMO anticoagulation might reduce the incidence of complications and lead to better postoperative outcomes., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Vajter, Holubova, Novysedlak, Svorcova, Vachtenheim, Vymazal and Lischke.)

This paper deals with the effect of the character of the water used for the water storage of concrete test specimens on the results of tests for resistance to de-icing chemicals. Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of the content of free CO 2 in water and leaching of calcium hydroxide from concrete on the test results. In the first experiment, the resistance of mortars to water and de-icing chemicals was investigated. It was found that the character of the water storage, i.e., fresh water vs. previously used water, can significantly affect the test results. The second experiment focused on investigating the effect of the content of free CO 2 in water on the test results. It was found that the content of free CO 2 in the water can statistically significantly influence the test results. In conclusion, the paper shows that the character of the water used for water storage of concrete test specimens and the content of free CO 2 in water are essential factors that can significantly affect the results of concrete resistance tests to de-icing chemicals. Further research is needed to understand these influences and their potential use to improve the resistance of concrete.

Background: Unfractionated heparin is used worldwide as a standard anticoagulation therapy for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machines. However, its use brings about significant bleeding and thrombotic complications for critically ill patients. This case report shows that low molecular weight heparin together with ECMO-produced primary haemostasis pathology can be used as an alternative way of ECMO anticoagulation., Case Presentation: This paper presents the case of a patient with respiratory failure who subsequently suffered from cardiac failure and spent 94 days on combined V-V and V-A ECMO devices (two ECMO devices running simultaneously on one patient) with intravenous enoxaparin used instead of unfractionated heparin anticoagulation. No life-threatening bleeding/thrombotic events happened during this period, nor did any technical problems with ECMO occur., Conclusions: In this case report, continuous intravenous low molecular weight heparin anticoagulation was used as a safe alternative to ECMO anticoagulation., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Introduction: The aim of study was to assess the impact of an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol and minimally invasive approaches on short-term outcomes in rectal surgery., Patients and Methods: A consecutive series of patients that underwent open or minimally invasive rectal resections in a single institution between January 2015 and April 2020 were included in the study. An ERAS program was introduced in April 2016. The study cohort was divided into three groups: open surgery without ERAS, open surgery with ERAS, and minimally invasive surgery with ERAS. Outcome measures compared were recovery parameters, surgical stress parameters, 30-day morbidity and mortality, oncological radicality and length of hospital stay., Results: A total of 202 patients were included: 43 in the open non-ERAS group, 92 in the open ERAS group and 67 in the minimally invasive ERAS group. All recovery parameters apart from postoperative nausea and vomiting were significantly improved in both ERAS groups. Surgical stress parameters, prolonged postoperative ileus, and hospital stay were significantly reduced in the minimally invasive ERAS group. The overall 30-day morbidity and mortality and oncological radicality did not significantly differ among the three groups., Conclusions: Minimally invasive approaches and enhanced recovery care in rectal surgery improve short-term outcomes. Their combination leads to an improvement in recovery parameters and a reduction of prolonged postoperative ileus and hospital stay.

Background: Primary graft dysfunction (PGD) after lung transplantation (LuTx) contributes substantially to early postoperative morbidity. Both intraoperative transfusion of a large amount of blood products during the surgery and ischemia-reperfusion injury after allograft implantation play an important role in subsequent PGD development., Methods: We have previously reported a randomized clinical trial of 67 patients where point of care (POC) targeted coagulopathy management and intraoperative administration of 5% albumin led to significant reduction of blood loss and blood product consumption during the lung transplantation surgery. A secondary analysis of the randomized clinical trial evaluating the effect of targeted coagulopathy management and intraoperative administration of 5% albumin on early lung allograft function after LuTx and 1-year survival was performed., Results: Compared to the patients in the control (non-POC) group, those in study (POC) group showed significantly superior graft function, represented by the Horowitz index (at 72 h after transplantation 402.87 vs 308.03 with p < 0.001, difference between means: 94.84, 95% CI: 60.18-129.51). Furthermore, the maximum doses of norepinephrine administered during first 24 h were significantly lower in the POC group (0.193 vs 0.379 with p < 0.001, difference between the means: 0.186, 95% CI: 0.105-0.267). After dichotomization of PGD (0-1 vs 2-3), significant difference between the non-POC and POC group occurred only at time point 72, when PGD grade 2-3 developed in 25% (n = 9) and 3.2% (n = 1), respectively (p = 0.003). The difference in 1-year survival was not statistically significant (10 patients died in non-POC group vs. 4 patients died in POC group; p = 0.17)., Conclusions: Utilization of a POC targeted coagulopathy management combined with Albumin 5% as primary resuscitative fluid may improve early lung allograft function, provide better circulatory stability during the early post-operative period, and have potential to decrease the incidence of PGD without negative effect on 1-year survival., Trial Registration: This clinical trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03598907)., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with COVID-19 (PIMS-TS) is a new disease in children and adolescents that occurs after often asymptomatic or mild COVID-19. It can be manifested by different clinical symptomatology and varying severity of disease based on multisystemic inflammation. The aim of this retrospective cohort trial was to describe the initial clinical presentation, diagnostics, therapy and clinical outcome of paediatric patients with a diagnosis of PIMS-TS admitted to one of the 3 PICUs. All paediatric patients who were admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 (PIMS-TS) during the study period were enrolled in the study. A total of 180 patients were analysed. The most common symptoms upon admission were fever (81.6%, n = 147), rash (70.6%, n = 127), conjunctivitis (68.9%, n = 124) and abdominal pain (51.1%, n = 92). Acute respiratory failure occurred in 21.1% of patients ( n = 38). Vasopressor support was used in 20.6% ( n = 37) of cases. Overall, 96.7% of patients ( n = 174) initially tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies. Almost all patients received antibiotics during in-hospital stays. No patient died during the hospital stay or after 28 days of follow-up. Initial clinical presentation and organ system involvement of PIMS-TS including laboratory manifestations and treatment were identified in this trial. Early identification of PIMS-TS manifestation is essential for early treatment and proper management of patients.

Study Objective: Assess the relationship between the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS®) pathway and routine care and 30-day postoperative outcomes., Design: Prospective cohort study., Setting: European centers (185 hospitals) across 21 countries., Patients: A total of 2841 adult patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery. Each hospital had a 1-month recruitment period between October 2019 and September 2020., Interventions: Routine perioperative care., Measurements: Twenty-four components of the ERAS pathway were assessed in all patients regardless of whether they were treated in a formal ERAS pathway. A multivariable and multilevel logistic regression model was used to adjust for baseline risk factors, ERAS elements and country-based differences., Results: A total of 1835 patients (65%) received perioperative care at a self-declared ERAS center, 474 (16.7%) developed moderate-to-severe postoperative complications, and 63 patients died (2.2%). There was no difference in the primary outcome between patients who were or were not treated in self-declared ERAS centers (17.1% vs. 16%; OR 1.00; 95%CI, 0.79-1.27; P = 0.986). Hospital stay was shorter among patients treated in self-declared ERAS centers (6 [5-9] vs. 8 [6-10] days; OR 0.82; 95%CI, 0.78-0.87; P < 0.001). Median adherence to 24 ERAS elements was 57% [48%-65%]. Adherence to ERAS-pathway quartiles (≥65% vs. <48%) suggested that patients with the highest adherence rates experienced a lower risk of moderate-to-severe complications (15.9% vs. 17.8%; OR 0.71; 95%CI, 0.53-0.96; P = 0.027), lower risk of death (0.3% vs. 2.9%; OR 0.10; 95%CI, 0.02-0.42; P = 0.002) and shorter hospital stay (6 [4-8] vs. 7 [5-10] days; OR 0.74; 95%CI, 0.69-0.79; P < 0.001)., Conclusions: Treatment in a self-declared ERAS center does not improve outcome after colorectal surgery. Increased adherence to the ERAS pathway is associated with a significant reduction in overall postoperative complications, lower risk of moderate-to-severe complications, shorter length of hospital stay and lower 30-day mortality., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The objective of this prospective study was to examine the exposure to the main active metabolites of ciprofloxacin in critically ill patients and to examine the factors (demographic, laboratory and genetic) that could potentially affect the drug metabolic conversion of ciprofloxacin. The secondary aim was to develop a population pharmacokinetic model for the metabolite showing the most associations with the abovementioned factors. A total of 29 patients were treated with intravenous infusion of ciprofloxacin and enrolled on this trial. Blood samples for pharmacokinetic analysis were taken at 1, 4, and 11.5 h following the completion of the infusion. Sex, age, body weight, height, serum creatinine and bilirubin levels, and creatinine clearance (CL CR ) were recorded, and polymorphisms rs2032582 and rs1045642 in the ABCB1 gene, rs4148977 in the SLCO1A2 gene and rs762551 in the CYP1A2 gene were analyzed. A three-stage parent drug-metabolite population pharmacokinetic model was developed. Median (IQR) metabolite/parent ratios of the desethylene ciprofloxacin, formyl ciprofloxacin and oxociprofloxacin were 5.86 (4.09-9.87)%, 4.08 (3.38-6.92)% and 5.91 (3.42-13.65)%, respectively. The desethylene ciprofloxacin metabolic ratio was positively associated with height (r 2 = 0.2277, p = 0.0089) and CL CR (r 2 = 0.2023, p = 0.0144) and negatively associated with age (r 2 = 0.2227, p = 0.0112). Males had a significantly higher oxociprofloxacin metabolic ratio than females (9.14 vs 3.42%, p = 0.0043). In the desethylene ciprofloxacin population PK model, the volume of distribution decreased with age, the parent drug-metabolite transfer rate constant increased with CL CR , and the metabolite elimination rate constant decreased with age and is increased in CYP1A2 rs762551 variant allele carriers. We therefore hypothesized that the CYP1A2 inhibition by ciprofloxacin is mediated by its metabolite desethylene ciprofloxacin.