Search

Septic shock (SS) is associated with high morbidity and mortality rate. Early antibiotic therapy administration in septic patients was shown to reduce mortality but its impact on mortality in a prehospital setting is still under debate. To clarify this point, we performed a retrospective analysis on patients with septic shock who received antibiotics in a prehospital setting. Methods: From April 15th, 2017 to March 1st, 2020, patients with septic shock requiring Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU) intervention were retrospectively analyzed to assess the impact of prehospital antibiotic therapy administration on a 30-day mortality. Results: Three-hundred-eight patients with septic shock requiring MICU intervention in the prehospital setting were analyzed. The mean age of the study population was 70 ± 15 years. Presumed origin of SS was mainly pulmonary (44%), digestive (21%) or urinary (19%) infection. Overall 30-day mortality was 29%. Ninety-eight (32%) patients received antibiotic therapy. Using Cox regression analysis, we showed that prehospital antibiotic therapy significantly reduces 30-day mortality for patients with septic shock (hazard ratio = 0.56, 95%CI [0.35-0.89], p = 0.016). Conclusion: In this retrospective study, prehospital antibiotic therapy reduces 30-day mortality of septic shock patients cared for by MICU. Further studies will be needed to confirm the beneficial effect of prehospital antibiotic therapy in association or not with prehospital hemodynamic optimization to improve the survival of septic shock patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The outcome of sepsis relies on the early diagnosis and implementation of appropriate treatments. For management of out-of-hospital patients with sepsis, prehospital emergency services, named Service d'Aide Médicale d'Urgence (SAMU) in France, dispatch to the scene an emergency mobile team (EMT) or a mobile intensive care unit (MICU) based on the patient's severity. Therefore, patients are admitted to the emergency department (ED) or to the intensive care unit (ICU). The impact of MICU intervention on patient's prognosis remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to describe the impact of MICU intervention on mortality on day 28 (D28) of patients with sepsis. Methods: We performed a retrospective study on patients with sepsis managed by prehospital teams, MICU or EMT, before admission to the ED or ICU. The primary outcome was mortality on D28. Results: The SAMU received 30,642 calls during the study period with 140 patients with suspected sepsis. The suspected origin of sepsis was mainly pulmonary for 78 (55%) patients. Thirteen (9%) patients died on D28, 12 in the ED and 1 in the ICU. Two patients were admitted to the hospital by a MICU. After adjusting for confounding factors, the relative risk of mortality on D28 for patients admitted to the hospital by a MICU was 0.40. Conclusion: We describe an association between MICU intervention and mortality on D28. MICU intervention for out-of-hospital patients with sepsis is associated with 60% reduced mortality on D28. Larger studies are needed to confirm the impact of the intervention of MICU on mortality of patients with sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (ECPR) is now considered for the treatment of refractory cardiac arrest. Case report: In an urban city like Paris, extraction times of in-hospital ECPR can be long for patients presenting with refractory cardiac arrest. Using the medicalized prehospital system, we developed a possible early prehospital ECPR implementation. This case report is an example of ECPR prehospital implementation in the Louvre Museum. Conclusion: Patients eligible for ECPR must be selected according to strict criteria. Further research is necessary to compare prehospital and in-hospital implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Although commonly used inside hospitals, no previous case report has been published on high-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) therapy in an adult in the prehospital setting. Case Report A 46-year-old nonsmoking man presented with a cough and fever. He deteriorated suddenly 5 days later. When the basic life support team arrived, his peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) in ambient air was 56% and respiratory rate was 46 breaths/min. The man was weak with thoracoabdominal asynchrony. An emergency medical team with a physician was dispatched. As France was still under lockdown for the SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) pandemic, COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) was suspected. In spite of 15 L/min of oxygen delivered with a nonrebreathing mask, the patient's SpO2 tended to drop below 90% at the slightest effort and during transport from home to the ambulance. It was therefore decided to start HFNO therapy. The patient was transferred to an intensive care unit, where HFNO was continued. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? As the trend in emergency medical services may move toward prehospital HFNO, this case report is an opportunity to question the feasibility of HFNO therapy in the prehospital setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To reduce the delay in defibrillation of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients, recent publications have shown that drones equipped with an automatic external defibrillator (AED) appear to be effective in sparsely populated areas. To study the effectiveness of AED-drones in high-density urban areas, we developed an algorithm based on emergency dispatch parameters for the rate and detection speed of cardiac arrests and technical and meteorological parameters.Methods: We ran a numerical simulation to compare the actual time required by the Basic Life Support team (BLSt) for OHCA patients in Greater Paris in 2017 to the time required by an AED-drone. Endpoints were the proportion of patients with "AED-drone first" and the defibrillation time gained. We built an open-source website (https://airborne-aed.org/) to allow modelling by modifying one or more parameters and to help other teams model their own OHCA data.Results: Of 3014 OHCA patients, 72.2 ± 0.7% were in the "no drone flight" group, 25.8 ± 0.2% in the "AED-drone first" group, and 2.1 ± 0.2% in the "BLSt-drone first" group. When a drone flight was authorized, it arrived an average 190 s before BLSt in 93% of cases. The possibility of flying the drone during the aeronautical night improved the results of the "AED-drone first" group the most (+60%).Conclusions: In our very high-density urban model, at most 26% of OHCA patients received an AED from an AED-drone before BLSt. The flexible parameters of our website model allows evaluation of the impact of each choice and concrete implementation of the AED-drone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), external electric shock (EES) is recommended for treating ventricular fibrillation (VF). Refibrillation commonly occurs within one minute post-shock. We aimed to investigate refibrillation times and identifyclinical and electrical factors associated with them.Materials and Methods: This retrospective observational study, based on the Paris Fire Brigade database, included non-traumatic OHCA over 18 years of age who received at least one shock with an AED from Basic Life Support (BLS) rescuers and from which we randomly selected a sample to measure the refibrillation-times. Without prior reference to it in the literature, we classified the refibrillation-time into two modalities according to whether it was above or below the median-time. We performed multiple regression analysis to assess associations between refibrillation-time and potential explanatory factors.Results: Among 13,181 patients who experienced OHCA from January 2010 to January 2014, we analysed AED data from 215 patients (590 shocks), 82.1% males, median age 61[IQR: 52-75] years. Most of them occurred at home (57%), were witnessed (87%), and were shockable (88.8%). A median of 5[4-7] EES/patients were delivered. The median-time from shock to refibrillation was 25[13-44] s. Multivariate analysis showed that a shorter post-shock hands-off time favoured earlier refibrillation (p = 0.034), as well as older age (p = 0.002) (Fig. 2, Supplementary table).Conclusion: In non-traumatic OHCA, most refibrillations occurred within 45-s post-shock. Age and post-shock hands-off time were the two contributing factors to time to refibrillation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) mortality rates remain very high with poor neurological outcome in survivors. Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) is one of the treatments of refractory OHCA. This study used data from the mobile intensive care unit (MOICU) as part of the emergency medical system of Paris, and included all consecutive patients treated with ECPR (including pre-hospital ECPR) from 2011 to 2015 for the treatment of refractory OHCA, comparing two historical ECPR management strategies.Methods: We consecutively included refractory OHCA patients. In Period 1, ECPR was indicated in selected patients after 30min of advanced life support; in- or pre-hospital implementation depended on estimated transportation time and ECPR team availability. In Period 2, patient care relied on early ECPR initiation after 20min of resuscitation, stringent patient selection, epinephrine dose limitation and deployment of ECPR team with initial response team. Primary outcome was survival with good neurological function Cerebral Performance Category score (CPC score) 1 and 2 at ICU discharge or day 28.Findings: A total of 156 patients were included. (114 in Period 1 and 42 in Period 2). Baseline characteristics were similar. Mean low-flow duration was shorter by 20min (p<0.001) in Period 2. Survival was significantly higher in Period 2: 29% vs 8% (P<0.001), as confirmed by the multivariate analysis and propensity score. When combining stringent patient selection with an aggressive strategy, the survival rate increased to 38%. Pre-hospital ECPR implementation in itself was not an independent predictor of improved survival, but it was part of the strategy in Period 2.Interpretation: Our data suggest that ECPR in specific settings in the management of refractory OHCA is feasible and can lead to a significant increase in neurological intact survivors. These data, however, need to be confirmed by a large RCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: On 15th April 2019, the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, resulted in the melting of 410 tons of lead. Four hundred fourteen Paris firefighters were involved. For the purpose of preventive medicine, the level of lead contamination among the firefighters was assessed. This study objectives' were to describe the blood lead levels (BLLs) in the firefighters, to study the influence of some parameters such as the function of firefighters and the decrease in BLLs during the follow-up investigations.Methods: The emission of 138 kg of melted lead from the roof and spire of the Notre Dame Cathedral during the fire was estimated by the National Institute for Industrial Environment and Risks. Three categories were defined according to the estimated levels of external lead exposure and fire proximity: high (category 1, n = 170), medium (category 2, n = 151), and low (category 3, n = 93). Two to three weeks after the fire, blood samples to assess the BLLs were taken from firefighters in category 1 (N = 164) and from every female firefighter in category 1 and 2 (N = 4). When the BLL was above 50 μg/L (95th percentile of reference range concentrations for a sample of the French population), it was checked again at one month later (N = 31) and then, if still above 50 μg/L, at six months later (N = 10).Results: The geometric mean of initial blood lead level was 31.5 μg/L (CI 95% [27.7-35.9]; Min-Max: 7.0-307.6 μg/L). Twenty-five percent (n = 42) of initial BLLs were above 50 μg/L, versus 10% (n = 16) at 1 month, and 2% (n = 3) at 6 months. The French binding biological BLL limit value (400 μg/L for men and 300 μg/L for women was never exceeded and all BLLs decreased over time. BLLs varied according to the function occupied during the extinguishing of the fire: operators', officers' and those of unknown function. BLLs were significantly higher compared to drivers reflecting their lower distance to fire and fume.Conclusions: The fire at Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, resulted in moderate lead contamination among firefighters. Individual and collective protection measures probably helped to limit the contamination. Nevertheless, an effort could be made to improve the working conditions by rethinking the respiratory protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) technique controls abdominal, pelvic, junctional, and postpartum hemorrhage via aortic endoclamping. There are no protocols or clear indications guiding REBOA use in a two-tiered prehospital emergency medical system, as found in France. We conducted a Delphi study to clarify the indications and contraindications for REBOA application in such a system., Methods: We performed a Delphi study in three rounds with an international group of doctors with REBOA expertise and clinical experience (members of the EndoVascular and Trauma Management Society). Based on the consensus answers, complemented by existing data in the literature, we developed a protocol for REBOA use in a medicalized prehospital setting., Results: We identified 10 questions that were not answered in the literature and submitted them to 21 experts. Over three rounds, consensus was reached on these 10 questions. The most important ones were "In your opinion, in a hemorrhagic patient, vascularly well-filled and whose hemodynamics remain unstable with 3mg/h of norepinephrine, should we inflate a REBOA to prevent the patients death and get them to the operating room alive?" and "In the case of REBOA placement (zone I) in the prehospital setting, would you agree that the maximum occlusion duration is approximately 30 minutes, with a partial or intermittent occlusion when possible?", Conclusion: We propose a protocol for REBOA use in a medicalized prehospital setting. This protocol clarifies that hemorrhagic shock, despite a noradrenaline (also known as norepinephrine) dose of 0.6µg/kg/min, is considered too serious for the patient to be transported to the trauma center without REBOA. Moreover, it clarifies that a zone 1 REBOA should be inflated for maximum 30 minutes and with a partial occlusion strategy, if possible. This protocol should be updated based on feedback following the establishment of prehospital REBOA and large randomized studies., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflict of interests to disclose., (2024.)

Acute kidneys injuries (AKIs) have been described in marathon and trail running. The currently available data allows assessment of before/after comparisons but does not allow an analysis of what happens during the race. A multidisciplinary assessment protocol was performed during the first trail of Clécy (Normandy France) in November 2021. This allowed an initial assay to be carried out, then at the end of each of the 6 loops of 26 km, and finally after 24 h of recovery. The race extends over 156 km in hilly terrain and 6000 m of elevation gain (D+). The level of impairment according to the RIFLE classification was defined for each runner at each assay. Fifty-five runners were at the start, and the per protocol analysis involved 36 runners (27 men and 9 women, 26 finishers). Fifteen (41.7%) of the riders presented at least one result corresponding to a "RIFLE risk" level. After 24 h of rest, only one runner still had a "RIFLE Risk". The distance around the marathon seems to be the moment of greatest risk. For the first time, we find an association between this renal risk and the probability of abandonment. Many runners are vulnerable to kidney damage during long-duration exercise, which is why it's important to limit risk situations, such as the use of potentially toxic drugs or hydration disorders. The consumption of NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) before or during an ultra-distance race should therefore be prohibited. Attention should be paid to hydration disorders., (© 2024 The Authors. Physiological Reports published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Physiological Society and the American Physiological Society.)

Background: Assessment of disease severity in patients with septic shock (SS) is crucial in determining optimal level of care. In both pre- and in-hospital settings, blood lactate measurement is broadly used in combination with the clinical evaluation of patients as the clinical picture alone is not sufficient for assessing disease severity and outcomes., Methods: From 15th April 2017 to 15th April 2019, patients with SS requiring prehospital mobile Intensive Care Unit intervention (mICU) were prospectively included in this observational study. Prehospital blood lactate clearance was estimated by the difference between prehospital (time of first contact between the patients and the mICU prior to any treatment) and in-hospital (at hospital admission) blood lactate levels divided by prehospital blood lactate., Results: Among the 185 patients included in this study, lactate measurement was missing for six (3%) in the prehospital setting and for four (2%) at hospital admission, thus 175 (95%) were analysed for prehospital blood lactate clearance (mean age 70 ± 14 years). Pulmonary, digestive and urinary infections were probably the cause of the SS in respectively 56%, 22% and 10% of the cases. The 30-day overall mortality was 32%. Mean prehospital blood lactate clearance was significantly different between patients who died and those who survived (respectively 0.41 ± 2.50 mmol.l -1 vs 1.65 ± 2.88 mmol.l -1 , p = 0.007). Cox regression analysis showed that 30-day mortality was associated with prehospital blood lactate clearance > 10% (HRa [CI95] = 0.49 [0.26-0.92], p = 0.028) and prehospital blood lactate clearance < 10% (HRa [CI95] = 2.04 [1.08-3.84], p = 0.028)., Conclusion: A prehospital blood lactate clearance < 10% is associated with 30-day mortality increase in patients with SS handled by the prehospital mICU. Further studies will be needed to evaluate if prehospital blood lactate clearance alone or combined with clinical scores could affected the triage decision-making process for those patients., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: In the pre-hospital setting the early identification of septic shock (SS) patients presenting with a high risk of poor outcome remains a daily challenge. The development of a simple score to quickly identify these patients is essential to optimize triage towards the appropriate unit: emergency department (ED) or intensive care unit (ICU). We report the association between the new SIGARC score and in-hospital, 30 and 90-day mortality of SS patients cared for in the pre-hospital setting by a mobile ICU (MICU)., Methods: SS patients cared for by a MICU between 2017, April 15th, and 2019, December 1st were included in this retrospective study. The SIGARC score consists of the addition of 5 following items (1 point for each one): shock index≥1, Glasgow coma scale<13, age > 65, respiratory rate > 22 and comorbidity defined by the presence of at least 2 underlying conditions among: hypertension, coronaropathy, chronic cardiac failure, chronic renal failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus, history of cancer and human immunodeficiency virus infection. A threshold of SIGARC score ≥ 2 was arbitrarily chosen to define severity for its usefulness in clinical practice., Results: Data from 406 SS patients requiring MICU intervention in the pre-hospital setting were analysed. The mean age was 71 ± 15 years and 268 of the patients (66%) were male. The presumed origin of SS was pulmonary (42%), digestive (25%) or urinary (17%) infection. Overall in-hospital mortality was 31% with, 30 and 90-day mortality was respectively 28% and 33%. A prehospital SIGARC score ≥ 2 is associated with an increase in 30 and 90-day mortality with HR = 1.57 [1.02-2.42] and 1.82 [1.21-2.72], respectively., Conclusion: A SIGARC score ≥ 2 is associated with an increase in in-hospital, 30 and 90-day mortality of SS patients cared for by a MICU in the prehospital setting. These observational results need to be confirmed by prospective studies., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Septic shock (SS) is characterized by low blood pressure resulting in organ failure and poor prognosis. Among SS treatments, in hospital studies reported a beneficial effect of early hemodynamic resuscitation on mortality rate. This study aims to investigate the relationship between prehospital hemodynamic optimisation and 30-day mortality in patients with SS., Methods: From April 6th, 2016 to December 31th, 2019, patients with SS requiring prehospital Mobile Intensive Care Unit intervention (mICU) were included. Prehospital hemodynamic optimisation was defined as a arterial blood pressure of >65 mmHg, or >75 mmHg if previous hypertension history, at the end of the prehospital stage., Results: Three hundred thirty-seven patients were retrospectively analysed. The mean age was 69 ± 15 years, and 226 patients (67%) were male. One hundred and thirty-six patients (40%) had previous hypertension history. Pulmonary, digestive and urinary infections were the suspected cause of the SS in respectively 46%, 23% and 15% of the cases. 30-day overall mortality was 30%. Prehospital hemodynamic optimisation was complete for 204 patients (61%). Cox regression analysis reports a significant association between prehospital hemodynamic optimisation and 30-day mortality (HRa = 0.52 95%CI [0.31-0.86], p = 0.01)., Conclusion: In this study, we report that prehospital hemodynamic optimisation is associated with a decrease in 30-day mortality in patients with SS cared for by a mICU in the prehospital setting. An individualized mean arterial pressure target, based on previous hypertension history, may be considered from the prehospital stage of SS resuscitation., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: In December 2019, coronavirus disease (COVID-19) emerged in China and became a world-wide pandemic in March 2020. Emergency services and intensive care units (ICUs) were faced with a novel disease with unknown clinical characteristics and presentations. Acute respiratory distress (ARD) was often the chief complaint for an EMS call. This retrospective study evaluated prehospital ARD management and identified factors associated with the need of prehospital mechanical ventilation (PMV) for suspected COVID-19 patients., Methods: We included 256 consecutive patients with suspected COVID-19-related ARD that received prehospital care from a Paris Fire Brigade BLS or ALS team, from March 08 to April 18, 2020. We performed multivariate regression to identify factors predisposing to PMV., Results: Of 256 patients (mean age 60 ± 18 years; 82 (32%) males), 77 (30%) had previous hypertension, 31 (12%) were obese, and 49 (19%) had diabetes mellitus. Nineteen patients (7%) required PMV. Logistic regression observed that a low initial pulse oximetry was associated with prehospital PMV (ORa = 0.86, 95%CI: 0.73-0.92; p = 0.004)., Conclusions: This study showed that pulse oximetry might be a valuable marker for rapidly determining suspected COVID-19-patients requiring prehospital mechanical ventilation. Nevertheless, the impact of prehospital mechanical ventilation on COVID-19 patients outcome require further investigations., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Context: In the prehospital setting, early identification of septic shock (SS) with high risk of poor outcome is a daily issue. There is a need for a simple tool aiming to early assess outcome in order to decide delivery unit (emergency department (ED) or intensive care unit (ICU)). In France, prehospital emergencies are managed by the Service d'Aide Médicale d'Urgence (SAMU). The SAMU physician decides the destination ward either to the ICU or to the ED after on scene severity assessment. We report the association between The Prehospital Shock Precautions on Triage (PSPoT) score, and in-hospital mortality of SS patients initially cared for in the prehospital setting by a mobile ICU (MICU)., Methods: SS patients cared for by MICU were prospectively included between February 2017 and July 2019. The PSPoT score was established by adding shock index>1 and criterion based on past medical history: age >65 years and at least 1 previous comorbidity (chronic cardiac failure, chronic renal failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, previous or actual history of cancer, institutionalization, hospitalisation within previous 3 months. A threshold of ≥2, was arbitrarily chosen for clinical relevance and usefulness in clinical practice., Results: One-hundred and sixty-nine with a median age of 72 [20-93] years were analysed. SS origin was mainly pulmonary (54%), abdominal (19%) and urinary (15%). The median PSPoT score was 2 [1-2]. PSPoT score and PSPoT score ≥ 2 were associated with in-hospital mortality: OR = 1.24 [0.77-2.05] and OR = 2.19 [1.09-4.59] respectively., Conclusion: We report an association between PSPoT score, and in-hospital mortality of SS patients cared for by a MICU. A PSPoT score ≥ 2 early identifies poorer outcome., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Context: In the prehospital setting, early identification of septic shock (SS) with high risk of mortality aims to initiate early treatments and to decide delivery unit (emergency department (ED) or intensive care unit (ICU)). In this context, there is a need for a prognostic measure of severity and death in order to early detect patients with a higher risk of pejorative evolution. In this study, we describe the association between prehospital shock index (SI) and mortality at day 28 of patients with SS initially cared for in the prehospital setting by a mobile intensive care unit (MICU)., Methods: Patients with SS cared for by a MICU between January 2016 and May 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Using propensity score, the association between SI and mortality was assessed by Odd Ratio (OR) with 95 percent confidence interval [95 CI]., Results: One-hundred and fourteen patients among which 78 males (68%) were analysed. The mean age was 71 ± 14 years old. SS was mainly associated with pulmonary (55%), digestive (20%) or urinary (11%) infection. Overall mortality reached 33% (n = 38) at day 28. Median SI [interquartile range] differed between alive and deceased patients: 0.73 [0.61-1.00] vs 0.80 [0.66-1.10], p < 0.001*). After adjusting for confounding factors, the OR of SI > 0.9 was 1.17 [1.03-1.32]., Conclusion: In this study, we report an association between prehospital SI and mortality of patients with prehospital SS. A SI > 0.9 is a readily available tool correlated with increased mortality of patients with SS initially cared for in the prehospital setting., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declared that there is no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Mechanical ventilation can cause deleterious effects on the lung and thus alter patient's prognosis. The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics of prehospital mechanical ventilation in patients with septic shock requiring mechanical ventilation in the prehospital setting., Methods: Patients with septic shock subjected to pre-hospital intubation and mechanical ventilation by a mobile intensive care unit were consecutively included and retrospectively analysed. Septic shock was defined according to the international sepsis-3 consensus conference. Patient's characteristics, interventions, prehospital ventilatory parameters and outcome were retrieved from medical records. The association between the tidal volume indexed on ideal body weight (VTIBW) and mortality at day 28 was evaluated., Results: Fifty-nine patients were included. Septic shock was mainly associated with pulmonary (64%) infection. Mean pre-hospital VTIBW was 7 ± 1 ml.kg -1 in the overall population. Mortality reached 42%. The AUC of VTIBW was 0.83 [0.72-0.94]. Using logistic regression model including: age, prehospital mean blood pressure, volume infused in the prehospital setting, FiO 2 and length of stay in the intensive care unit, the association with mortality remained significant for VTIBW (OR adjusted [CI95] = 4.11 [1.89-10.98]), VTIBW >8 ml·kg -1 (OR adjusted [CI95] = 8.29 [2.35-34.98]) and VTIBW <8 ml·kg -1 (OR adjusted [CI95] = 0.12 [0.03-0.43])., Conclusion: In this retrospective study, we observed an association between mortality at day 28 and prehospital VTIBW in pre-hospital mechanically ventilated patients with septic shock. A VTIBW <8 ml·kg -1 was associated with a decrease and a VTIBW >8 ml·kg -1 with an increase in mortality., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The early identification of septic shock patients at high risk of poor outcome is essential to early initiate optimal treatments and to decide on hospital admission. Biomarkers are often used to evaluate the severity. In prehospital settings, the availability of biomarkers, such as lactate, is restricted. In this context, clinical tools such as skin mottling score (SMS) and capillary refill time (CRT) are more suitable. In this study, we describe prehospital SMS and CRT's ability to predict mortality of patients with septic shock initially cared in the prehospital setting by a mobile intensive care unit., Methods: Patients with septic shock who received prehospital medical care admitted to the intensive care unit were retrospectively analyzed., Results: Sixty-three patients were included. The origin of sepsis was mainly pulmonary (67%). Overall mortality reached 36%. No significant difference was observed in the duration of prehospital medical care between alive and deceased patients. Mean prehospital value of SMS was 3 ± 2 and mean prehospital value of CRT was 5 ± 1 s. A significant association was found between mortality and prehospital SMS (p = 0.02, OR[CI95] = 1.50 [1.08-2.15]) and prehospital CRT (p = 0.04, OR[CI95] = 1.53 [1.04-2.37]). After adjusting for confounding factors using propensity score, the relative risk of death was 6.58 for SMS > 2 and 2.03 for CRT > 4 s., Conclusion: In this study, we report an association between prehospital SMS and CRT, and mortality of patients with septic shock. SMS and CRT are simple tools that could be used to optimize the triage and to decide early intensive care admission., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Extra corporeal life support (ECLS) has been recently introduced in the treatment of refractory cardiac arrest (CA). Several studies have assessed the use of ECLS in refractory CA once the patients reach hospital. The time between CA and the implementation of ECLS is a major prognostic factor for survival. The main predictive factor for survival is ECLS access time. Pre hospital ECLS implementation could reduce access time. We therefore decided to assess the feasibility and safety of prehospital ECLS implementation (PH-ECLS) in a pilot study., Methods and Results: From January 2011 to January 2012, PH-ECLS implementation for refractory CA was performed in 7 patients by a PH-ECLS team including emergency and/or intensivist physicians and paramedics. Patients were included prospectively and consecutively if the following criteria were met: they had a witnessed CA; CPR was initiated within the first 5 min of CA and/or there were signs of life during CPR; an PH-ECLS team was available and absence of severe comorbidities. ECLS flow was established in all patients. ECLS was started 22 min (±6) after the incision, and 57 min (±21) after the onset of advanced cardiovascular life support (ACLS). In one patient, ECLS was stopped for 10 min due to an accidental decannulation. One patient survived without sequelae. Three patients developed brain death., Conclusions: This pilot study suggests that PH-ECLS performed by non-surgeons is safe and feasible. Further studies are needed to confirm the time saved by this strategy and its potential effect on survival., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: There are so far no existing consensus guidelines regarding red blood cell transfusion during pediatric surgery, and there is a little information regarding red blood cell transfusion policy among pediatric anesthesiologists., Objectives: To determine the transfusion threshold and the volumes of packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusion among French-speaking pediatric anesthesiologists., Materials and Methods: A questionnaire of case scenarios was sent to active members of the French Language Society of Pediatrics Anesthesiologists (ADARPEF)., Results: Of the 324 active members of the ADARPEF, 175 (54%) completed the questionnaire. The threshold for blood transfusion varied from 6 to 12 g·dl(-1) depending on the scenario. The hemoglobin threshold for blood transfusion and the volume of blood transfused vary among ADARPEF physicians, for the same class of patients. The median [95% CI] hemoglobin threshold for starting blood transfusion was 7.9 [6.9-8.9], 7.3 [6.4-8.2], and 8.1 [7.0-9.2] g·dl(-1) in the pre-, intra-, and postoperative phase, respectively. The median [95% CI] PRBC volume transfused was 11.7 [6.6-16.8] ml·kg(-1), and the median hemoglobin target was 11.3 [9.8-12.8] g·dl(-1). Physicians ranked age (79%), clinical tolerance of anemia (99%), underlying medical conditions (95%), hemodynamic instability (89%), hemostasis disorder (86%), and sepsis (79%) as the most significant factors affecting their transfusion decisions. Most pediatric anesthesiologists (89%) measure the hemoglobin level before PRBC transfusion., Conclusions: This survey identifies significant differences in transfusion practice patterns among pediatric anesthesiologists with a median transfusion threshold of 7.6 [6.6-8.6] g·dl(-1) and a median PRBC volume transfusion of 11.7 [16.8-6.6] ml·kg(-1)., (© 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)