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Background: Hypernatremia is a common electrolyte disturbance in hospitalised patients associated with adverse outcomes. The aetiology is diverse but often related to fluid therapy and sodium-containing medicaments. We aim to outline the evidence base on hypernatremia in adult hospitalised patients., Methods: We will conduct a scoping review and adhere to the preferred reporting items for systematic and meta-analysis extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR). We will systematically search the Cochrane Library, Medline, Pubmed, and Embase from inception with no limitations to language, and include all study designs. We will use the population, exposure, comparator, and outcome-based approach to define eligibility criteria. The population: adult hospitalised patients; exposure: hypernatremia; comparator: no hypernatremia or all types of treatments of hypernatremia; and outcomes: all reported outcomes. Two authors will independently screen and select studies followed by full-text assessment and data extraction in duplicate. All outcome measures will be reported, and descriptive analyses will be performed. The certainty of evidence will be assessed according to an adapted grading of recommendations assessment, development, and evaluation (GRADE) approach., Discussion: This scoping review will provide an overview of the current evidence regarding the incidence of hypernatremia, treatment modalities, and outcomes reported for hospitalised adult patients with hypernatremia., (© 2024 The Author(s). Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation.)

Introduction: Use of albumin is suggested for some patients with shock, but preferences for its use may vary among intensive care unit (ICU) physicians., Methods: We conducted an international online survey of ICU physicians with 20 questions about their use of albumin and their opinion towards a randomised trial among adults with shock comparing the use versus no use of albumin., Results: A total of 1248 respondents participated, with a mean response rate of 37%, ranging from 18% to 75% across 21 countries. Respondents mainly worked in mixed ICUs and 92% were specialists in intensive care medicine. The reported use of albumin in general shock varied as 18% reported 'almost never', 22% 'rarely', 34% 'occasionally', 22% 'frequently' and 4% 'almost always' using albumin. In septic shock, 19% reported 'almost never', 22% 'rarely', 29% 'occasionally', 22% 'frequently' and 7% 'almost always' using albumin. Physicians' preferences were more consistent for haemorrhagic- and cardiogenic shock, with more than 45% reporting 'almost never' using albumin. While the reported use of albumin for other purposes than resuscitation was infrequent (40%-85% reported 'almost never' for five other indications), the most frequent other indications were low serum albumin levels and improvement of the efficacy of diuretics. Most respondents (93%) would randomise adult ICU patients with shock to a trial of albumin versus no albumin., Conclusions: In this international survey, the reported preferences for the use of albumin in adult ICU patients with shock varied considerably among surveyed ICU physicians. The support for a future randomised trial was high., (© 2024 The Author(s). Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation.)

Background: Randomised clinical trials in critical care are prone to inconclusiveness due, in part, to undue optimism about effect sizes and suboptimal accounting for heterogeneous treatment effects. Although causal evidence from rich real-world critical care can help overcome these challenges by informing predictive enrichment, no overview exists., Methods: We conducted a scoping review, systematically searching 10 general and speciality journals for reports published on or after 1 January 2018, of randomised clinical trials enrolling adult critically ill patients. We collected trial metadata on 22 variables including recruitment period, intervention type and early stopping (including reasons) as well as data on the use of causal evidence from secondary data for planned predictive enrichment., Results: We screened 9020 records and included 316 unique RCTs with a total of 268,563 randomised participants. One hundred seventy-three (55%) trials tested drug interventions, 101 (32%) management strategies and 42 (13%) devices. The median duration of enrolment was 2.2 (IQR: 1.3-3.4) years, and 83% of trials randomised less than 1000 participants. Thirty-six trials (11%) were restricted to COVID-19 patients. Of the 55 (17%) trials that stopped early, 23 (42%) used predefined rules; futility, slow enrolment and safety concerns were the commonest stopping reasons. None of the included RCTs had used causal evidence from secondary data for planned predictive enrichment., Conclusion: Work is needed to harness the rich multiverse of critical care data and establish its utility in critical care RCTs. Such work will likely need to leverage methodology from interventional and analytical epidemiology as well as data science., (© 2023 The Authors. Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation.)

Background: IV fluids are recommended for adults with sepsis. However, the optimal strategy for IV fluid management in sepsis is unknown, and clinical equipoise exists., Research Question: Do lower vs higher fluid volumes improve patient-important outcomes in adult patients with sepsis?, Study Design and Methods: We updated a systematic review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis of randomized clinical trials assessing lower vs higher IV fluid volumes in adult patients with sepsis. The coprimary outcomes were all-cause mortality, serious adverse events, and health-related quality of life. We followed the recommendations from the Cochrane Handbook and used the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. Primary conclusions were based on trials with low risk of bias if available., Results: We included 13 trials (N = 4,006) with four trials (n = 3,385) added to this update. The meta-analysis of all-cause mortality in eight trials with low risk of bias showed a relative risk of 0.99 (97% CI, 0.89-1.10; moderate certainty evidence). Six trials with predefined definitions of serious adverse events showed a relative risk of 0.95 (97% CI, 0.83-1.07; low certainty evidence). Health-related quality of life was not reported., Interpretation: Among adult patients with sepsis, lower IV fluid volumes probably result in little to no difference in all-cause mortality compared with higher IV fluid volumes, but the interpretation is limited by imprecision in the estimate, which does not exclude potential benefit or harm. Similarly, the evidence suggests lower IV fluid volumes result in little to no difference in serious adverse events. No trials reported on health-related quality of life., Trial Registration: PROSPERO; No.: CRD42022312572; URL: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Low-serum levels of magnesium, phosphate, and zinc are observed in many intensive care unit (ICU) patients, but clinical equipoise exists regarding supplementation strategies. We aimed to assess the desirable and undesirable effects of supplementation with magnesium, phosphate, or zinc in adult ICU patients., Methods: We conducted a systematic review with meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials assessing the effects of supplementation with magnesium, phosphate, or zinc in adult ICU patients. Primary outcomes were mortality and duration of mechanical ventilation. We registered the protocol, followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis statement, used the Cochrane risk of bias 2 tool, and the grading of recommendations, assessment, development and evaluation (GRADE) approach for assessing the certainty of the evidence., Results: We identified no low risk of bias trials. For magnesium supplementation, we included three trials (n = 235); the relative risk (RR) for mortality was 0.54, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.30-0.96 compared to no supplementation (very low certainty of evidence). For zinc supplementation, two trials were included (n = 168); the RR for mortality was 0.73, 95% CI 0.41-1.28 compared to control. No trials assessed the effects of phosphate supplementation on mortality. For outcomes other than mortality, only zero or one trial was available., Conclusions: In adult ICU patients, the certainty of evidence for the effects of supplementation with magnesium, phosphate, or zinc was very low. High-quality trials are needed to assess the value of supplementation strategies in these patients., (© 2022 The Authors. Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation.)

Background: Intravenous (IV) fluid therapy is a ubiquitous intervention in daily clinical practice. However, nationwide detailed hospital- and departmental-level information on IV fluid use is limited. Hence, we aimed to describe the current issuing of isotonic crystalloid solutions across Danish public hospitals., Methods: We conducted a nationwide, retrospective observational study describing the issuing of isotonic crystalloid solutions for IV administration, including 0.9% saline, acetate- and lactate-buffered crystalloid solutions. We assessed fluid issuing at national-, regional-, hospital- and departmental-level from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021. We obtained sales figures from the Danish Regional Hospital Pharmacies. Regional characteristics were acquired from the Danish Health Data Authorities online resources. Results are presented graphically and descriptively, including frequencies (%)., Results: The total amount of isotonic crystalloid solutions issued across Danish public hospitals in 2021 was 1,487,144 L (67.4% saline, 25.9% acetate- and 6.7% lactate-buffered solutions) equivalent to 2.1 L per hospitalised patient within the study period. Both the issuing of saline versus. buffered crystalloid solutions and the issuing of acetate- versus lactate-buffered solutions varied across geographical regions. Medical departments used saline more frequently (85.3%) than emergency departments (71.5%), surgical departments (70.6%) and anaesthesiological departments including intensive care units (43.0%)., Conclusions: In this nationwide observational study, we found that the issuing of different isotonic crystalloid solutions varied based on geographical location. Furthermore, the issuing of different crystalloid solutions differed across departmental settings with medical departments using the highest proportion of saline and anaesthesiological departments using the highest proportion of buffered crystalloid solutions., Editorial Comment: IV fluid administration practices can be assessed across specialties by examining hospital purchasing. This study analysed the use of IV isotonic crystalloid solutions across all major departments of Danish public hospitals for 1 year. Isotonic sodium chloride was the most commonly used fluid in emergency medicine (71%), internal medicine (85%) and surgical departments (71%). Only anaesthesia and intensive care medicine departments used more buffered crystalloid solutions (57%) than isotonic natrium chloride., (© 2022 The Authors. Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation.)

Background: Randomised clinical trials in critical care are prone to inconclusiveness owing, in part, to undue optimism about effect sizes and suboptimal accounting for heterogeneous treatment effects. Planned predictive enrichment based on secondary critical care data (often very rich with respect to both data types and temporal granularity) and causal inference methods may help overcome these challenges, but no overview exists about their use to this end., Methods: We will conduct a scoping review to assess the extent and nature of the use of causal inference from secondary data for planned predictive enrichment of randomised clinical trials in critical care. We will systematically search 10 general and specialty journals for reports published on or after 1 January 2018, of randomised clinical trials enrolling adult critically ill patients. We will collect trial metadata (e.g., recruitment period and phase) and, when available, information pertaining to the focus of the review (predictive enrichment based on causal inference estimates from secondary data): causal inference methods, estimation techniques and software used; types of patient populations; data provenance, types and models; and the availability of the data (public or not). The results will be reported in a descriptive manner., Discussion: The outlined scoping review aims to assess the use of causal inference methods and secondary data for planned predictive enrichment in randomised critical care trials. This will help guide methodological improvements to increase the utility, and facilitate the use, of causal inference estimates when planning such trials in the future., (© 2022 The Authors. Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation.)

Objective: There is a widespread use of buffered crystalloid solutions in clinical practice. However, guidelines do not distinguish between specific types of buffered solutions and clinical equipoise exists. We aimed to assess the desirable and undesirable effects of acetate- versus lactate-buffered solutions in hospitalised patients., Methods: We conducted a systematic review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis of randomised clinical trials assessing the use of acetate- versus lactate-buffered solutions for intravenous administration in hospitalised adults and children. The primary outcome was all-cause short-term mortality. We adhered to our published protocol, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement, the Cochrane Handbook and the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology., Results: We included five RCTs enrolling 390 patients. We found no statistically significant difference in short-term mortality (random effects, risk ratio [RR] 0.29; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.06-1.51, p = .14, I 2  = 0%) or hospital length of stay (LOS) (random effects, mean difference [MD]-1.31, 95% CI -3.66 to 1.05, p = .28, I 2  = 0%) between acetate- versus lactate-buffered solutions. The quality of evidence was very low. Data regarding intensive care unit LOS were reported by three trials and duration of vasopressor treatment by one trial; none of these data allowed for pooling in meta-analyses. No trials reported data on long-term mortality, health-related quality of life, adverse events, duration of mechanical ventilation or renal replacement therapy., Conclusion: In this systematic review, we found very low quantity and quality of evidence on the use of acetate- versus lactate-buffered solutions in hospitalised patients., (© 2022 The Authors. Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation.)

Introduction: Intravenous (IV) fluids are widely used in everyday clinical practice. In the last two decades, several trials and clinical practice guidelines have been published on the use of different types and dosages of IV fluid. This may have led to a change in clinical practice. Thus, we aim to describe the use of IV crystalloids and colloids in Europe over a 10-year period., Methods and Analysis: We will collect national or regional data on the use of IV crystalloids and colloids in European hospitals through companies and/or federal medical agencies that provide pharmaceutical data concerning the type and amount of fluids used from January 1st, 2010 to December 31st, 2019. We will use run charts to describe time trends in the use of fluids., Conclusion: This study will provide insight into the use of IV fluids in Europe between 2010 and 2019. It will enable the observation of changes over time and among the different European countries and regions. This will provide information on the extent to which landmark trials and clinical practice guidelines on fluids have affected clinical practice in Europe regarding the use of IV fluids., (© 2021 The Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Buffered crystalloid solutions are increasingly recommended as first-line resuscitation fluids. However, guidelines do not distinguish between different types of buffered solutions. The aim of the outlined systematic review is to summarize and assess the effects of acetate- vs lactate-buffered crystalloid solutions on patient-important outcomes., Methods: We will conduct a systematic review of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis comparing the use of acetate- vs lactate-buffered crystalloid solutions in hospitalized patients. We will systematically search the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Epistemonikos for relevant literature. We will follow the recommendations set by the Cochrane Collaboration and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement. The risk of systematic errors (bias) and random errors will be assessed, and the overall quality of evidence will be evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach., Discussion: The outlined systematic review will provide important data on how patient-important outcomes are affected by intravenous administration of acetate- vs lactate-buffered crystalloid solutions in hospitalized patients., (© 2020 Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Buffered crystalloid solutions are increasingly recommended as first-line intravenous resuscitation fluids. However, guidelines do not distinguish between the different types of buffered solutions. The aim of this scoping review was to assess the evidence on the use of lactate- vs acetate-buffered crystalloid solutions and their potential benefits and harms., Methods: We conducted this scoping review in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews. We searched PubMed, Embase, Epistemonikos, and the Cochrane Library for studies assessing the effect of lactate- vs acetate-buffered crystalloid solutions on any outcome in adult hospitalised patients. The quality of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach., Results: We included a total of 29 studies, 25 of which were clinical trials and four were observational studies. Most studies were conducted in surgical settings and indications for use were poorly described. The most commonly administered solutions were Ringer's lactate vs Ringer's acetate or Plasma-Lyte™. Outcomes included acid/base and electrolyte status; haemodynamic variables; and markers of renal and liver function, metabolism, and coagulation. Only a few studies reported patient-centred outcomes. Overall, the data provided no firm evidence for benefit or harm of either solution, and the quantity and quality of evidence were low., Conclusions: The quantity and quality of evidence on the use of different buffered crystalloid intravenous solutions were low, data were derived primarily from surgical settings, and patient-important outcomes were rarely reported; thus, the balance between benefits and harms between these solutions is largely unknown., (Copyright © 2020 British Journal of Anaesthesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Intravenous (IV) fluid therapy has become a ubiquitous intervention in everyday clinical practice. Several types of fluid are available including isotonic crystalloid fluids. Among crystalloid fluids, buffered solutions (derivatives of the original Hartmann's and Ringer's solutions) are increasingly recommended as first-line resuscitation fluids. However, the choice between different buffered solutions appears to be difficult with limited data to support the use of lactate vs. acetate buffered solutions. Accordingly, we aim at systematically describing the body of evidence on the use of the different types of buffered crystalloid solutions in hospitalised patients., Methods: We will conduct a scoping review of all study designs (i.e. no study design will per se be excluded from the proposed review) in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA) statement., Results: We will provide descriptive analysis of the included studies/trials, i.e. no meta-analyses will be conducted. We will include studies on adult hospitalised patients receiving IV fluid for any reason. Studies must compare any crystalloid solution primarily buffered with lactate versus any primarily acetate buffered solution. All outcome measures will be reported. The quality of evidence will be assessed according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach., Conclusion: This outlined scoping review will provide a summary of the current body of evidence on the use, effects and side-effects of buffered crystalloid solutions. This will provide an important update of the current evidence on the use, of "buffered" crystalloid solutions including evidence of potential benefits and harms., (© 2019 The Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: It is a common prejudice that anaesthetic doctors are believed to have high coffee consumption. In this study, we aimed to assess the association between coffee drinking and work satisfaction among Scandinavian anaesthesiologists. We hypothesised that coffee consumption was positively correlated with work satisfaction., Methods: We invited anaesthesiologists attending the 34th congress of The Scandinavian Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine in Malmö, Sweden, September 2017 to participate in a paper-based survey. We collected data on characteristics of the respondents, coffee drinking and work satisfaction, and compared coffee vs non-coffee drinkers with regard to work satisfaction scored on a modified Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale (Visual Analogue Scale from 0 to 10)., Results: A total of 271 anaesthesiologists participated in the survey, of which 265 (97.7%) of the questionnaires contained valid data. Some 143 (54.0%) of the respondents were women, the median (interquartile range, IQR) age was 41.0 (35.0-49.5) years, and 242 (91.3%) were coffee drinkers. Coffee drinkers consumed median 4.0 (IQR: 2.5-5.0) cups of coffee daily. Overall work satisfaction was median 8 (IQR: 8-9), with no difference between respondents drinking coffee and those who did not (median 8 (IQR: 8-9) vs 8 (IQR: 8-9), Wilcoxon rank sum test, P = 0.62). Also, we found no association between work satisfaction and the number of cups of coffee consumed daily (r 2  = 0.005, P = 0.24)., Conclusion: In this survey, we found high work satisfaction among Scandinavian anaesthesiologists, with no difference between coffee and non-coffee drinkers., (© 2018 The Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: We aimed to assess patient-important benefits and harms of therapeutic bronchoscopy vs. standard of care (no bronchoscopy) in critically ill patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF)., Methods: We conducted a systematic review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis (TSA) according to the Cochrane Handbook and GRADE methodology, including a predefined protocol (PROSPERO no. CRD42016046235). We included randomized clinical trials (RCTs) comparing therapeutic bronchoscopy to standard of care in critically ill patients with ARF. Two reviewers independently assessed trials for inclusion, extracted data and assessed risk of bias. Risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated by conventional meta-analysis. The risk of random errors was assessed by TSA. Exclusively patient-important outcomes were evaluated., Results: We included five trials (n = 212); all were judged as having high risk of bias. There was no difference in all-cause mortality between therapeutic bronchoscopy and standard of care (TSA adjusted RR 0.39; 95% CI 0.14 to 1.07; I 2 0%), and only 3% of the required information size had been accrued. There was no difference in ICU length of stay. A shorter duration of mechanical ventilation was suggested by conventional meta-analysis, however TSA highlighted that only 42% of the required information size had been accrued, indicating high risk of random errors. No trials reported data on adverse events, hospital length of stay, quality of life or performance status., Conclusions: The quantity and quality of evidence supporting therapeutic bronchoscopy in critically ill patients with ARF is very low with no firm evidence for benefit or harm., (© 2017 The Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Obesity is increasing among primipara women. We aimed to describe the association between body mass index (BMI) during early-pregnancy and duration of labour in nulliparous women., Methods: Retrospective observational cohort study of 1885 nulliparous women with a single cephalic presentation from 37 0/7 to 42 6/7 weeks of completed gestation and spontaneous or induced labour at Nordsjællands Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2011 and 2012. Total duration of labour and the first and second stages of labour were compared between early-pregnancy normal-weight (BMI <25 kg/m 2 ), overweight (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m 2 ), and obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m 2 ) women. Proportional hazards and multiple logistic regression models were applied., Results: Early pregnancy BMI classified 1246 (66.1%) women as normal weight, 350 (18.6%) as overweight and 203 (10.8%) as obese. No difference in the duration of total or first stage of active labour was found for overweight (adjusted HR = 1.01, 95% CI 0.88-1.16) or obese (adjusted HR = 1.07, 95% CI 0.90-1.28) compared to normal weight women. Median active labour duration was 5.83 h for normal weight, 6.08 h for overweight and 5.90 h for obese women. The risk of caesarean delivery increased significantly for overweight and obese compared to normal weight women (odds ratios (OR) 1.62; 95%CI 1.18-2.22 and 1.76; 95%CI 1.20-2.58, respectively). Caesarean deliveries were performed earlier in labour in obese than normal-weight women (HR = 1.80, 95%CI 1.28-2.54)., Conclusion: BMI had no significant effect on total duration of active labour. Risk of caesarean delivery increased with increasing BMI. Caesarean deliveries are undertaken earlier in obese women compared to normal weight women following the onset of active labour, shortening the total duration of active labour.