Search

Aims Few studies have evaluated the contribution of QuantiFERON test for the diagnosis of tubercular uveitis in non-endemic countries for tuberculosis (TB). The objective of the present study was to evaluate the value of the QuantiFERON test in a large cohort of patients with uveitis for both the diagnosis of tubercular uveitis and antituberculosis treatment (ATT) response prediction. Methods A single-centre retrospective study including consecutive adult patients with uveitis who were prescribed a QuantiFERON test between January 2003 and December 2019 was performed. Adjusted ORs (aORs) were calculated between patients with uveitis responding and not responding to ATT according to the Collaborative Ocular Tuberculosis Study (COTS) group diagnostic criteria. Sensitivity (SE), specificity (Sp), and positive and negative predictive values of the QuantiFERON test were calculated. Results A total of 1075 patients were included in the study; 178 (16.5%) were found positive using the QuantiFERON test. Among the 178 positive patients, 62 (35%) had a diagnosis of tubercular uveitis according to the updated COTS classification; all received ATT for 6 months; and 44/62 (71%) responded to ATT. A QuantiFERON test value of >2 IU/mL was associated with a greater chance of responding to ATT (aOR=36.7, 95% CI 7.2 to 185.9, p<0.001). The optimal threshold to maximise both Sp and SE for diagnosis of TB uveitis was 4 IU/mL. Conclusion One-sixth of the patients diagnosed with uveitis had a positive QuantiFERON test. The QuantiFERON threshold with the optimal SE and Sp for the diagnosis of tubercular uveitis was 4 IU/mL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key Points: Questions: In patients with respiratory failure due to COVID-19, does the use of high-flow nasal cannula oxygen reduce the risk of mortality compared with standard oxygen therapy? Findings: In this randomized clinical trial that included 711 patients, mortality at day 28 was 10% in the high-flow oxygen group and 11% in the standard oxygen therapy group, a difference that was not statistically significant. Meaning: In patients with respiratory failure due to COVID-19, high-flow nasal cannula oxygen did not significantly reduce mortality at day 28 compared with standard oxygen therapy. Importance: The benefit of high-flow nasal cannula oxygen (high-flow oxygen) in terms of intubation and mortality in patients with respiratory failure due to COVID-19 is controversial. Objective: To determine whether the use of high-flow oxygen, compared with standard oxygen, could reduce the rate of mortality at day 28 in patients with respiratory failure due to COVID-19 admitted in intensive care units (ICUs). Design, Setting, and Participants: The SOHO-COVID randomized clinical trial was conducted in 34 ICUs in France and included 711 patients with respiratory failure due to COVID-19 and a ratio of partial pressure of arterial oxygen to fraction of inspired oxygen equal to or below 200 mm Hg. It was an ancillary trial of the ongoing original SOHO randomized clinical trial, which was designed to include patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure from all causes. Patients were enrolled from January to December 2021; final follow-up occurred on March 5, 2022. Interventions: Patients were randomly assigned to receive high-flow oxygen (n = 357) or standard oxygen delivered through a nonrebreathing mask initially set at a 10-L/min minimum (n = 354). Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was mortality at day 28. There were 13 secondary outcomes, including the proportion of patients requiring intubation, number of ventilator-free days at day 28, mortality at day 90, mortality and length of stay in the ICU, and adverse events. Results: Among the 782 randomized patients, 711 patients with respiratory failure due to COVID-19 were included in the analysis (mean [SD] age, 61 [12] years; 214 women [30%]). The mortality rate at day 28 was 10% (36/357) with high-flow oxygen and 11% (40/354) with standard oxygen (absolute difference, –1.2% [95% CI, –5.8% to 3.4%]; P =.60). Of 13 prespecified secondary outcomes, 12 showed no significant difference including in length of stay and mortality in the ICU and in mortality up until day 90. The intubation rate was significantly lower with high-flow oxygen than with standard oxygen (45% [160/357] vs 53% [186/354]; absolute difference, –7.7% [95% CI, –14.9% to –0.4%]; P =.04). The number of ventilator-free days at day 28 was not significantly different between groups (median, 28 [IQR, 11-28] vs 23 [IQR, 10-28] days; absolute difference, 0.5 days [95% CI, –7.7 to 9.1]; P =.07). The most common adverse events were ventilator-associated pneumonia, occurring in 58% (93/160) in the high-flow oxygen group and 53% (99/186) in the standard oxygen group. Conclusions and Relevance: Among patients with respiratory failure due to COVID-19, high-flow nasal cannula oxygen, compared with standard oxygen therapy, did not significantly reduce 28-day mortality. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04468126 This randomized clinical trial compares the efficacy of high-flow nasal cannula oxygen vs standard oxygen therapy in reducing the rate of mortality at day 28 in patients with respiratory failure due to COVID-19 admitted in intensive care units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Necrotizing external otitis (NEO) is a severe infection of the skull base that occurs generally in the elderly and/or in diabetic recipients. There are few data in the literature about the therapeutic management of this complex bone infection.Objectives: To analyse relapses after NEO treatment completion, and to describe the clinical features of NEO.Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study in the Lyon regional reference centre for the management of complex bone and joint infections. Consecutive cases of NEO from 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2018 were included. The primary outcome was the relapse of NEO. Variables were analysed using Cox regression survival analysis with adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) and Kaplan-Meier curve.Results: Sixty-six patients were included. Median age was 75 (IQR 69-81) years and 46 (70%) patients were diabetic. Eleven patients (17%) had temporomandibular arthritis, 10 (15%) cranial nerve paralysis, 2 (3%) cerebral thrombophlebitis, and 2 (3%) contiguous abscess. Microbiological documentation was obtained in 56 patients and revealed Pseudomonas aeruginosa in 44/56 patients (79%). Nine (14%) cases had no microbiological documentation. Antibiotic therapy was dual for 63 (95%) patients. During a median follow-up of 27 (IQR 12-40) months, 16 out of 63 (25%) patients experienced a relapse. Fungal infection was significantly associated with relapse [aHR 4.1 (95% CI 1.1-15); P = 0.03].Conclusions: NEO is a severe bone infection, mainly (but not exclusively) caused by P. aeruginosa, which occurs in elderly and diabetic recipients. Fungal infections at baseline significantly impact the outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Pregnancy is a risk factor for acute respiratory failure (ARF) following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. We hypothesised that SARS-CoV-2 viral load in the respiratory tract might be higher in pregnant intensive care unit (ICU) patients with ARF than in non-pregnant ICU patients with ARF as a consequence of immunological adaptation during pregnancy. Design: Single-centre, retrospective observational case-control study. Setting: Adult level 3 ICU in a French university hospital. Participants: Eligible participants were adults with ARF associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. Main outcome measure: The primary endpoint of the study was viral load in pregnant and non-pregnant patients. Results: 251 patients were included in the study, including 17 pregnant patients. Median gestational age at ICU admission amounted to 28 + 3/7 weeks (interquartile range [IQR], 26 + 1/7 to 31 + 5/7 weeks). Twelve patients (71%) had an emergency caesarean delivery due to maternal respiratory failure. Pregnancy was independently associated with higher viral load (-4.6 ± 1.9 cycle threshold; P < 0.05). No clustering or over-represented mutations were noted regarding SARS-CoV-2 sequences of pregnant women. Emergency caesarean delivery was independently associated with a modest but significant improvement in arterial oxygenation, amounting to 32 ± 12 mmHg in patients needing invasive mechanical ventilation. ICU mortality was significantly lower in pregnant patients (0 v 35%; P < 0.05). Age, Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II score, and acute respiratory distress syndrome were independent risk factors for ICU mortality, while pregnancy status and virological variables were not. Conclusions: Viral load was substantially higher in pregnant ICU patients with COVID-19 and ARF compared with non-pregnant ICU patients with COVID-19 and ARF. Pregnancy was not independently associated with ICU mortality after adjustment for age and disease severity., Competing Interests: All authors declare that they do not have any potential conflict of interest in relation to this manuscript., (© 2022 College of Intensive Care Medicine of Australia and New Zealand.)