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Purpose: Contrast enhancement of the adrenal gland defined by computed tomography (CT) was previously analyzed as a prognostic factor for critically ill patients in various diseases. However, no study investigated this quantitative parameter in patients with acute mesenteric ischemia. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of the contrast enhancement of the adrenal glands in patients with clinically suspected AMI., Methods: All patients with clinically suspected AMI were retrospectively assessed between 2016 and 2020. All patients underwent surgical exploration after CT imaging. Overall, 134 patients (52 female patients, 38.8%) with a mean age of 69.2 ± 12.4 years were included into the present analysis. For all patients, the preoperative CT was used to calculate the contrast media enhancement of the adrenal glands and the spleen., Results: A total of 27 patients (18.5%) died within the first 24 h and over the following 30-day 94 patients (68.6%) died. There were statistically significant differences regarding the mean values for adrenal-to-spleen ratio for 24-h mortality (p = 0.001) and 30-day mortality (p = 0.004), whereas the radiodensity of the inferior vena cava and the radiodensity of the spleen was statistically significant between survivors and non-survivors after 30 days (p = 0.037 and p = 0.028, respectively). In Cox regression analysis, mean adrenal radiodensity was associated with 24-h mortality (HR 1.09, 95% CI 1.02-1.16, p = 0.01) but not with 30-day mortality (HR 1.03, 95% CI 0.99-1.07, p = 0.13)., Conclusion: The contrast media enhancement of the adrenal gland is associated with the 24-h and 30-day mortality in patients with AMI. However, the prognostic relevance for translation into clinical routine needs to be validated in other cohorts., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Considerable numbers of patients undergo central venous catheterization (CVC) under mechanical ventilation. We hypothesized that the return of spontaneous breathing and tracheal extubation could be associated with distal CVC tip migration towards intracardiac positions due to decreasing intrathoracic pressures and subsequent readjustment of mediastinal organs. Patients scheduled for cardiac surgery were randomized for right or left internal jugular vein (IJV) CVC placement under general anesthesia and mechanical ventilation. CVC tips were positioned at the cavoatrial junction and measured at the time of placement, postoperatively under mechanical ventilation, and after tracheal extubation until 48 h after surgery. Measurement methods included intravascular electrocardiography (ECG) P-wave amplitude, transesophageal echocardiography, and chest radiography (CXR). Out of 70 patients, 60 were eligible for final statistical analysis (31 right and 29 left IJV CVC). According to ECG interpretation, CVC tip positions remained below the pericardiac reflection point in the distal superior vena cava over the course of the three measurement intervals. The ECG revealed significant proximal migration of CVC tips from the time of placement to the time of tracheal extubation (1.19 ± 0.55 vs. 0.62 ± 0.31 mV; P < 0.001). A CXR using CVC tip to carina distances revealed no significant tip migrations in the time between postoperative assessment and following tracheal extubation (5.1 ± 1.7 vs. 5.3 ± 1.5 cm; P = 0.196). In patients with CVCs positioned at the cavoatrial junction, tracheal extubation was not associated with significant postoperative CVC tip malposition, but tended to undergo proximal migration. This trend should be considered particularly in left-sided thoracocervical puncture approaches to avoid unfavorable CVC tip positions.

While controlled ventilation is most frequently used during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), the application of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and passive ventilation of the lung synchronously with chest compressions and decompressions might represent a promising alternative approach. One benefit of CPAP during CPR is the reduction of peak airway pressures and therefore a potential enhancement in haemodynamics. We therefore evaluated the tidal volumes and airway pressures achieved during CPAP-CPR. During CPR with the LUCAS™ 2 compression device, a manikin model was passively ventilated at CPAP levels of 5, 10, 20 and 30 hPa with the Boussignac tracheal tube and the ventilators Evita ® V500, Medumat ® Transport, Oxylator ® EMX, Oxylog ® 2000, Oxylog ® 3000, Primus ® and Servo ® -i as well as the Wenoll ® diver rescue system. Tidal volumes and airway pressures during CPAP-CPR were recorded and analyzed. Tidal volumes during CPAP-CPR were higher than during compression-only CPR without positive airway pressure. The passively generated tidal volumes increased with increasing CPAP levels and were significantly influenced by the ventilators used. During ventilation at 20 hPa CPAP via a tracheal tube, the mean tidal volumes ranged from 125 ml (Medumat ® ) to 309 ml (Wenoll ® ) and the peak airway pressures from 23 hPa (Primus ® ) to 49 hPa (Oxylog ® 3000). Transport ventilators generated lower tidal volumes than intensive care ventilators or closed-circuit systems. Peak airway pressures during CPAP-CPR were lower than those during controlled ventilation CPR reported in literature. High peak airway pressures are known to limit the applicability of ventilation via facemask or via supraglottic airway devices and may adversely affect haemodynamics. Hence, the application of ventilators generating high tidal volumes with low peak airway pressures appears desirable during CPAP-CPR. The limited CPAP-CPR capabilities of transport ventilators in our study might be prerequisite for future developments of transport ventilators.