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The review presents the methodological recommendations of the Federation of Anesthesiologists and Resuscitators for the management of patients receiving long-term antithrombotic therapy, revised in 2021. The classification of complications and the degree of hemorrhagic risk, stratification of perioperative thromboembolic risk are presented. Taking into account modern concepts, the principles of interruption and resumption of antithrombotic, anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy are described. Approaches to the emergency interruption of antithrombotic therapy during urgent surgical interventions, including emergency reversion of the effects of drugs received by the patient, are presented. The features of the appointment and changes in the tactics of antithrombotic therapy depending on the thromboembolic and hemorrhagic risk in such concomitant diseases and conditions as the presence of artificial heart valves, atrial fibrillation, ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction, coronary stenting are described. A separate section is devoted to thrombohemorrhagic safety when performing regional anesthesia against the background of antithrombotic therapy. Indications, contraindications and limitations for regional anesthesia in the context of antithrombotic therapy are given. Criteria for the quality of the provided medical care are given.

Chronic disorders of consciousness (DOC) develop after severe traumatic and non-traumatic brain damage and are characterized by the restoration of wakefulness in a patient after a coma without the recovery of consciousness. To optimize the diagnosis and treatment of patients with chronic DOC, a Russian working group on the problems of chronic DOC was organized, which included specialists in various areas, primarily anesthesiologists, critical care physicians and neurologists. While discussing the terminology of chronic DOC, the group identified that currently there is no definition for the state that falls into the period from the recovery of wakefulness and until 28 days after the brain damage when vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (VS/UWS) or minimally conscious state (MCS) may be diagnosed. In the intensive care unit (ICU) setting, there is often no consultant to provide critical care physicians with the correct diagnosis of the latter clinical syndromes, and neurophysiological tests are not feasible either. Therefore, there is a need to create a set of simple, understandable and easily reproducible strategies for managing this category of patients in the ICU. Thus, the working group proposed the term “prolonged disorders of consciousness” to be used for the patients with the signs of VS/UWS or MCS syndromes during their stay in the ICU until 28 days after initial brain damage and/or until the correct differential diagnosis of a type of chronic DOC is made. With the introduction of prolonged disorders of consciousness definition, the regular ICU staff will better understand how to provide an optimal set of supportive therapy and early rehabilitation activities in the lack of specific diagnostics techniques and dedicated specialists. Allocation of this category of patients allows us to create an algorithm for their better diagnosis and management and ensures consistent and effective interdisciplinary care at various levels. On the one hand, this approach will help us allow to free up ICU beds that are in high demand, while on the other, it will maximize the opportunity to realize the rehabilitation potential of DOC patients due to timely transfer to specialized centers. Conclusion. If the term “prolonged disorder of consciousness” is accepted by professional communities of specialists (critical care physicians, neurologists, neurosurgeons, etc.), it will be used in guidelines for the management of DOC patients.

COVID-19 patients are at an increased risk of thrombosis and various anticoagulants are being used in patient management without an established standard-of-care. Here, we analyze hospitalized and ICU patient outcomes from the Viral Infection and Respiratory illness Universal Study (VIRUS) registry. We find that severe COVID patients administered unfractionated heparin but not enoxaparin have a higher mortality-rate (311 deceased patients out of 760 total patients = 41%) compared to patients administered enoxaparin but not unfractionated heparin (214 deceased patients out of 1,432 total patients = 15%), presenting a risk ratio of 2.74 (95% C.I.: [2.35, 3.18]; p-value: 1.4e-41). This difference persists even after balancing on a number of covariates including: demographics, comorbidities, admission diagnoses, and method of oxygenation, with an amplified mortality rate of 39% (215 of 555) for unfractionated heparin vs. 23% (119 of 522) for enoxaparin, presenting a risk ratio of 1.70 (95% C.I.: [1.40, 2.05]; p-value: 2.5e-7). In these balanced cohorts, a number of complications occurred at an elevated rate for patients administered unfractionated heparin compared to those administered enoxaparin, including acute kidney injury (227 of 642 [35%] vs. 156 of 608 [26%] respectively, adjusted p-value 0.0019), acute cardiac injury (40 of 642 [6.2%] vs. 15 of 608 [2.5%] respectively, adjusted p-value 0.01), septic shock (118 of 642 [18%] vs. 73 of 608 [12%] respectively, adjusted p-value 0.01), and anemia (81 of 642 [13%] vs. 46 of 608 [7.6%] respectively, adjusted p-value 0.02). Furthermore, a higher percentage of Black/African American COVID patients (375 of 1,203 [31%]) were noted to receive unfractionated heparin compared to White/Caucasian COVID patients (595 of 2,488 [24%]), for a risk ratio of 1.3 (95% C.I.: [1.17, 1.45], adjusted p-value: 1.6e-5). After balancing upon available clinical covariates, this difference in anticoagulant use remained statistically significant (272 of 959 [28%] for Black/African American vs. 213 of 959 [22%] for White/Caucasian, adjusted p-value: 0.01, relative risk: 1.28, 95% C.I.: [1.09, 1.49]). While retrospective studies cannot suggest any causality, these findings motivate the need for follow-up prospective research in order to elucidate potential socioeconomic, racial, or other disparities underlying the use of anticoagulants to treat severe COVID patients.

Anaphylactic shock is a severe life-threatening condition caused by medicines, food, hymenoptera, animal poisons, etc. Therefore, anaphylactic shock (anaphylaxis) can develop both in medical institution and outside it, and physicians of any specialties should be ready to treat this condition. In this regard, clinical guidelines for anaphylactic shock have been developed. These recommendations were approved by the Russian Association of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (Protocol No. 743/12 dated December 30, 2020) and the Federation of Anesthesiologists and Resuscitators (Protocol No. 1 dated January 13, 2021), approved at a meeting of the Scientific and Practical Council of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (Protocol No. 743/12 dated December 10, 2020). Guidelines covered a number of nosologies corresponding to codes of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems: T 78.0; T 78.2; T 80.5; T 88.6. The clinical guidelines systematize modern data on etiology, epidemiology, classification, clinical picture, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of anaphylactic shock. In addition, an algorithm for managing a patient with anaphylactic shock has been developed. Clinical guidelines for anaphylactic shock are intended for practitioners of all specialties, students, and teachers of medical universities, residents, and graduate students.

Mental disorders in persons over 18 years of age are quite common and are represented by a fairly extensive list of diseases. In patients with a similar pathology, there is also a need for interventions and manipulations under conditions of anesthesia. The article presents the principles of perioperative management in patients with the most common mental illnesses — affective disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, behavioral syndromes associated with physiological disorders (bulimia, anorexia). Prevention of recurrence of mental illness and withdrawal synchroma, prevention of incidents associated with the intake of drugs used to treat psychopathology are reflected.

According to the latest estimates of the World Health Organization, more than 1 billion people in the world are overweight. In economically developed countries, the proportion of the population with overweight reaches almost 50 %, of which 30 % are obese. In Russia, on average, 30 % of people of working age are obese and 25 % are overweight. Despite the significant economic costs for the prevention and treatment of obesity, mortality at the age of 20–35 with morbid obesity exceeds the average statistical 12 times, mainly from cardiovascular complications. The guidelines provides principles of perioperative management of patients with obesity.

Introduction. To perform research aimed at solving problems, checking existing and formulating new hypotheses, making decisions or judging on any problem, the Delphi method and its modifications are often used. In recent years, the use of this method in research in various fields of medicine is gaining popularity; nevertheless, the technique is rarely used in domestic practice. Objectives. To describe the features of the application of the Delphi method in the expert assessment of recommendations and to evaluate its application in anesthesia and intensive care. Materials and methods. The publications were searched in the electronic databases PubMed and RSCI. Date of last search query is January 15, 2021. The search was carried out using the keywords “clinical practice”, “anesthesia intensive care guidelines”, “clinical practice guidelines”, “anesthesia intensive care guidelines”, “Delphi method”. Results. This review describes the principles of the Delphi method, its advantages and limitations, provides examples of its use in clinical trials and in the analysis and development of recommendations in relation to anesthesiology and intensive care. The example of the analysis of recommendations shows the implementation of the quality assessment of the provisions being developed. Conclusions. The Delphi method can be used to assess the adequacy and effectiveness of the diagnostic and treatment methods proposed in the framework of the recommendations.

The article provides the main statements of the guidelines for the anesthesia and intensive care of patients with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), developed by the Federation of Anesthesiologists and Reanimatologists of Russia. In the process of developing the recommendations, the publications of the official websites of the Russian Federation, the electronic databases of the RSCI, PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) were analyzed by the developers independently of each other. The date of the last search query was February 01, 2021. To develop the recommendations for the Guidelines, were used documents directly describing the features of the management of patients with NCI COVID-19 (guidelines — 34; randomized clinical trials and Cochrane Reviews — 13; observational and comparative studies — 107; other documents, notes and comments — 64), and documents describing anesthesia and intensive care in the general population of patients. Compared to the previous 4th version of the guidelines, the recommendations in 8 sections have been corrected; new subsections “Chronic kidney disease”, “Rehabilitation treatment of patients with COVID-19 in the intensive care unit”, “Routing of patients with COVID-19 to the stages of rehabilitation” were created; revised 1 Appendix, additionally developed 7 Appendices; the section “Quality criteria” has been supplemented. The provisions of the current version of the guidelines highlight the specifics of anesthesia, intensive care, rehabilitation, resuscitation measures, manipulation, transportation, prevention of the spread of COVID-19 in the implementation of these activities. Methods of protecting personnel from infection with COVID-19 during manipulations, anesthesia and intensive care are considered. The features of respiratory support, extracorporeal detoxification, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, thromboprophylaxis, drug interactions are described. The features of management of pregnant women, children of different age groups, patients with concomitant diseases, the principles of the formation of stocks of drugs and consumables are considered.

Consensus technologies in the analysis of guidelines

Introduction. Despite the advances in modern anesthesiology, it is impossible to guarantee a safe course of anesthesia, and even with planned surgical interventions, there is a risk of death. At present, there is no unanimity in approaches to assessing perioperative risk, and many systems for determining this risk have not been validated in Russia. The question of the contribution of pre-operative factors to the likelihood of an unfavorable outcome also remains open, which requires large multicenter national studies. Objectives. To assessment the predictive value of preoperative factors in determining the risk of death and complications based on the analysis of data obtained during the first year of the STOPRISK study. Materials and methods. An analysis of data on perioperative indices of 3002 patients operated on the abdominal and pelvic organs from 30 centers in 21 cities of Russia participating in the STOPRISK study is presented. Results. The mortality rate in the study was 0.47 %, the rate of postoperative complications was 3.9 %. Most often, an unfavorable outcome developed after upper abdominal and colorectal surgery. Despite the fact that the severity of surgery and the ASA class are independent predictors of an unfavorable outcome, the use of these parameters allows to predict postoperative mortality (AUROC = 0.85) and (with age) postoperative complications (AUROC = 0.77) with limited accuracy. Conclusions. Thus, the probability of an unfavorable outcome can be estimated using factors such as the severity of surgery and the initial physical status, but their predictive value for determining the risk of mortality is clearly insufficient, and even less is their ability to assess the risk of postoperative complications. As shown by literature data, inclusion in model additional risk factors allows to increase the accuracy of the forecast, however, given the peculiarities of the structure of comorbidities and their impact on outcome in the studied population, we need further evaluation of their contribution to perioperative risk. Also, taking into account the peculiarities of the occurrence of some concomitant diseases, further research is required to identify a significant impact on mortality and postoperative complications.

Introduction. Stroke has a high prevalence and mortality rate. Examining the impact of patient treatment on disease outcomes is particularly important for decision making in clinical practice. Objectives. To analyze the treatment of patients with severe stroke requiring respiratory support, and identify predictors of death. Materials and methods. A multicenter observational clinical study “REspiratory Therapy for Acute Stroke” (RETAS) was conducted under the aegis of the “Federation of Anaesthesiologists and Reanimatologists” (FAR). The study involved 14 clinical centers and included 1289 stroke patients with respiratory support. Results. We found that initial hypoxemia in the 28-day period was associated with high mortality (in patients with 20 or more NIH scores) (p = 0.004). Risk factors for lethal outcome: hyperventilation used to relieve intracranial hypertension (in patients with 20 or more NIH scores) (p = 0.0336); volume-controlled ventilation (VC) versus pressure-controlled ventilation (PC) (in patients with 20 or more NIH scores) (p < 0.001); use of clinical methods for monitoring ICP in comparison with instrumental ones (p < 0.001). We found that the use of standard respiratory status monitoring scales (CPIS, LIS, etc.) was associated with a decrease in mortality (p < 0.001). Conclusions. We identified risk factors that increase mortality in patients with acute stroke with respiratory support: initial hypoxemia, lack of instrumental monitoring of ICP and monitoring of respiratory status according to standard scales, the use of hyperventilation, as well as volume-controlled ventilation.

Background. Analysis of distribution of Full Outline of UnResponsiveness (FOUR) Scale provided by F. M. Wijdicks at the Mayo Clinic in 2005 served as the basis for the initiation of the Federation of anesthesiologists of Russia study “FOUR-Rus” (NCT04018989 ClinicalTrails.gov). Objectives. To assess reproducibility and consistency when using the Russian-language version of the FOUR scale. Materials and methods. 260 patients were selected, aged 37 to 90 years with acute head injury, including: I60 — 39 (15 %), I61 — 86 (33 %), I63 — 130 (51 %), I67 — 4 (0,15 %) patients. Center № 1/2 — 159/101 patients. Age — sex composition, level of sedation and pain in the groups did not differ. For examinations in the centers, 2 ICU physicians and 1 neurologist were selected. Reproducibility and interdisciplinary consistency were assessed in pairs with Cronbach’s alpha (α) internal consistency. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics Subscription. Conclusions. There are no differences in consistency and reproducibility between FOUR and GSC in stroke patients when used by resuscitators and neurologists in non-specialized ICU. The FOUR scale has maximum reproducibility and wider possibilities for assessing the level of consciousness.

The increase in the frequency and unfavorable outcomes of anaphylactic shock in recent decades determines the need for the development of clear and clear definitions, diagnosis and treatment of both shock and prevention of possible complications associated with it. The article provides options for the course of anaphylactic shock, algorithms for diagnosis and treatment.

The medical scientific community is constantly looking for possible ways to successfully treat the new coronavirus infection COVID-19. With the accumulation of experience and knowledge on this issue, the Russian Federation of Anesthesiologists and Reanimatologists regularly updates recommendations on anesthesia and intensive care for patients with COVID-19. The current, 4th edition, like the previous ones, has undergone significant changes and clarifications. Important updates have been made in the sections on respiratory therapy, drug therapy, thromboprophylaxis, and the managing patients with concomitant diseases. Optimization vectors for the next edition of the recommendations on anesthesia and intensive care for patients with COVID-19 have been formulated and substantiated.

The article provides the main statements of the guidelines for the anesthesia and intensive care of patients with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), developed by the Federation of Anesthesiologists and Reanimatologists of Russia. In the process of developing the recommendations, the publications of the official websites of the Russian Federation, the electronic databases of the RSCI, PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) were analyzed by the developers independently of each other. The date of the last search query was June 29, 2020. To develop the Guidelines for the recommendations, were used documents that directly describing the features of the management of patients with coronavirus disease COVID-19 (guidelines and guidelines — 16; randomized clinical trials and Cochrane Reviews — 8; observational and comparative studies — 77; other documents, notes and comments — 54) and describing anesthetic and resuscitation support in the general population of patients. The provisions of the recommendations highlight the specifics of anesthesia, intensive care, resuscitation, manipulation, and prevention of the spread of COVID-19 in the implementation of these activities. Methods of protecting personnel from infection with COVID-19 during manipulations, anesthesia and intensive care are considered. The features of respiratory support, extracorporeal detoxification, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, thromboprophylaxis are described. The features of the management of pregnant women, children of different age, patients with concomitant diseases, issues of transportation of patients are considered.

Violation of baroreflex sensitivity often accompanies the progression of chronic diseases. Given the fact that baroreflex dysfunction has long been known as a long-term prognostic marker of adverse cardiovascular disease outcomes, interest in the role of baroreflex sensitivity assessment in determining perioperative risk has increased significantly over the past decades. An analysis of the literature showed that for the query “baroreflex” + “anesthesia”, an automatic search in the PubMed database allows you to select 592 research papers, of which only 28 are randomized controlled trials. A significant amount of experimental and clinical data has been accumulated, indicating an important role of baroreflex during the perioperative period. The conducted research allows us to state with confidence the fact that the sensitivity of the baroreflex, equal to 3 ms/mm Hg regardless of the method of its assessment, it is a critical value below which the baroreflex function is associated with an increase in the probability of an adverse outcome, including the development of perioperative complications. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the increase in risk with a decrease in baroreflex sensitivity include an increase in the frequency of hemodynamic critical incidents, a greater susceptibility to the negative effects of mechanical ventilation, an increase in the need for infusion-transfusion therapy, a more pronounced pain syndrome and a violation of the immune system. The negative effect of general anesthetics and neuroaxial anesthesia on baroreflex leads to a further increase in risk. Given the role of baroreflex in the pathogenesis of perioperative disorders, the assessment of baroreflex can be a key point of an individual approach to the management of the perioperative period.

This article described the main theses of clinical guidelines of the Russian Federation of Anesthesiologists and Reanimatologists on the perioperative management of patients with arterial hypertension. The classification of hypertension, the principles of stratification of the risk of perioperative complications associated with the patient’s hypertension in the perioperative period are presented. The principles of clinical, instrumental and laboratory diagnosis of the condition of such patients are described. The principles and approaches to the treatment of emergency and critical conditions associated with hypertension are given. An algorithm for the preoperative assessment of the patient and recommendations for planning surgical interventions in patients with arterial hypertension are given. The principles and algorithms of preoperative preparation are described in detail, including antihypertensive therapy, premedication, especially the choice and management of anesthesia, and management of the early postoperative period. All information presented in the article is based on evidence-based medicine data obtained by domestic and foreign researchers.

This article described the main theses of clinical guidelines of the Russian Federation of Anesthesiologists and Reanimatologists on postoperative pain management. The classification, etiology and pathogenesis of postoperative pain, the basic principles and algorithms for diagnosing pain, and the regional and systemic pharmacotherapy of pain in various fields of surgery are consistently presented. Multimodal analgesia is described in detail as a key concept of a current approach to the treatment of postoperative pain. All presented information is based on evidence-based medical data obtained by Russian and foreign researchers.

The article observes the main provisions of the clinical recommendations for prevention, anesthesia and intensive care for postpartum hemorrhage. The main risk factors, possible complications, principles of clinical and laboratory diagnosis in this pathology are consistently presented. Particular attention is paid to issues of infusion, transfusion therapy and correction of coagulopathic disorders. The problems of estimating the amount of blood loss, diagnosing disorders of the hemostatic system, regulation of hemodynamics in hemorrhagic shock are discussed. The use of recombinant coagulation factors in coagulopathy on the background of massive blood loss has been substantiated.

In 2017 a new criteria for sepsis-induced coagulopathy (SIC) were issued following the revised sepsis definition in 2016. They aimed to the earliest detection of the sepsis-specific thrombotic phenotype of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in order to improve outcomes with early anticoagulant treatment in critically ill patients with sepsis. The following validation of SIC score demonstrated higher forecast value of that and revealed higher correlation with mortality compared to DIC score by the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH). In the future the ISTH plans to offer a simplified two-step scoring system for early DIC syndrome revealing in which SIC scale is as the first step, and the next step is the assessing of overt-DIC in patients who meet the criteria of SIC. The main goal of that should become the opportunity of timely therapeutic effects to the hemocoagulation in order to improve the treatment effectiveness of a sepsis.

Assessing the level of consciousness is one of the key competencies of medical workers involved in the provision of emergency care. For 45 years, the Glasgow Coma Scale has been used for this, which has the highest level of interdisciplinary consistency and reproducibility, for which it was recognized as the gold standard for assessing consciousness when patients are admitted to the intensive care unit. But along with the advantage of simplicity and extensive experience in application, it has a number of significant drawbacks. In particular, the impossibility of verbal contact in intubated patients, the presence of motor aphasia and delirium deliberately reduces the score in the speech section, which is fraught with an underestimation of the overall assessment of the level of consciousness. It is also significant that GCS does not evaluate brain stem reflexes, eye movements, or complex motor reactions, which excludes the possibility of a reliable assessment of the condition of a patient with subtentorial damage and in a state of chronic impaired consciousness. As our own experience and preliminary analysis of the literature showed, these shortcomings are absent in the Full Outline of UnResponsiveness (FOUR) scale developed by FM Wijdicks at the Mayo Clinic in 2005. The spread of the FOUR scale in many countries and the growing need for effective monitoring of patients with acute cerebral injury motivated Federation of anesthesiologists of Russia (FAR) to initiate a multicenter study. The purpose of the study: validation, assessment of reproducibility and consistency of the results of using the Russian-language version of the FOUR scale for multidisciplinary use in patients with impaired consciousness. Prospective cohort nonrandomized study is completed at three centers that routinely use this scale in their practice for several years (“FOUR-Rus” NCT04018989 ClinicalTrials.gov).

The aim of this study was to assess the dynamics of baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) during laparoscopic colorectal surgery in patients with different chemoreflex sensitivity assessed with breath-holding test.The study included 80 patients (mean age, 68 ± 7 years) who underwent routine laparoscopic colorectal surgery under general/epidural anaesthesia. Patients were retrospectively divided into two groups: with normal (breath-holding duration ≥38 s, group N [n = 42]) or high (breath-holding duration38 s, group H [n = 38]) chemoreflex sensitivity. BRS was initially evaluated after arterial catheter placement before induction, after induction, after pneumoperitoneum, after extubation, and 6 h and 24 h after extubation.Average BRS was significantly lower in the group with high peripheral chemoreflex sensitivity at all time points. The use of pneumoperitoneum did not significantly influence BRS in either group. After the surgery and 6 h after extubation, no significant changes were observed. After 6 h of the surgery, 11.9% of patients in group N and 57.8% of those in group H (p 0.05) had severe baroreflex dysfunction (BRS 3 ms/mmHg). After 24 h, only two patients in group N (vs 13 [34.2%] in group H, p 0.05) had this dysfunction.Patients with high chemoreflex sensitivity have lower BRS, and it decreases further after anaesthesia induction. The recovery process can take up to 24 h, with an increased risk of perioperative complications in patients with high preoperative chemoreflex sensitivity. The use of pneumoperitoneum does not significantly affect BRS.

The review presents the clinical guidelines of the Federation of Anaesthesiology and Resuscitation specialists of Russia, revised in 2018. The recommendations are based on a review of publications and modern international guidelines of the British Hematology Standards Committee (BSH, 2016), the European Society of Cardiology in partnership with the European Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons (ESC and EACTS, 2018), the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain (ASRA, 2018), The European Society of Anesthesiologists (ESA, 2010), as well as a consensus document of an interdisciplinary group of experts of the Russian Federation. Perioperative management of patients receiving long-term antithrombotic (antiplatelet and / or anticoagulant) therapy may be problematic, as they often need to interrupt antithrombotic therapy before surgery. In this, it is necessary to maintain a balance between the effectiveness of antithrombotic therapy and its safety by minimizing the frequency of both hemorrhagic and thrombotic complications. The recommendations presented in the review are aimed at achieving the strategic goal of perioperative antithrombotic therapy — minimizing the risk of bleeding subject to the minimum necessary antithrombotic potential.

ObjectivesTo compare the clinical characteristics and outcomes of critically ill coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients requiring mechanical ventilation (MV), receiving interleukin-6 receptor (IL-6R) antagonists, steroids, or a combination of both.DesignAn international, multicenter, observational study derived from the COVID-2019 Viral Infection and Respiratory Illness University Study (VIRUS) registry and conducted through the Discovery Network, the Society of Critical Care Medicine. Marginal structural modeling was used to adjust for time-dependent confounders, and observations were weighted using the inverse probability of treatment weight. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to emulate a target trial design.Setting168 hospitals in 16 countries.Patientsadult ICU patients (≥ 18 years) requiring MV for COVID-19 between March 01, 2020, and January 10, 2021.InterventionNone.Measurements and Main ResultsA total of 860 patients met eligibility criteria: 589 received steroids, 170 IL-6R antagonists, and 101 combination therapy, and the groups were balanced after adjustment. The median daily steroid dose was 7.5 mg dexamethasone or equivalent (IQR: 6–14 mg); 80.8% received low-dose and 19.2% high-dose steroids (> 15 mg/day of dexamethasone or equivalent). The median C-reactive protein level was > 75 mg/L in majority of our cohort. The use of IL-6R antagonists alone or in combination was not associated with a significant difference in ventilator-free days (VFD) compared to steroids alone (adjusted incidence rate ratio [95% CI]): IL-6R antagonists (1.12 [0.88,1.4]), combination (0.83 [0.6,1.14]). Patients treated with low or high-dose steroids had non-significant differences in VFD compared to IL-6R antagonists (ß= 0.62, 95% CI −1.54, 2.78 for low-dose steroid; ß= −1.19, 95% CI −3.85, 1.47 for high-dose steroid). The use of IL-6R antagonists alone or in combination was not associated with a significant difference in 28-day mortality compared to steroids alone (adjusted odds ratio [95% CI]): IL-6R antagonists alone (0.68 [0.44,1.07]), combination (1.07 [0.67,1.7]). There was no difference in hospital mortality compared to steroids alone (aOR 0.68, 95% CI 0.43,1.09 for IL6-R antagonist, aOR 1.23, 95 % CI 0.72,2.11 for combination). The findings of sensitivity analysis were consistent with the primary analysis. The rate of liver dysfunction was higher in the IL-6R antagonist (p=0.038), while the rate of bacteremia did not differ among the three groups.ConclusionsWe observed no difference in outcomes between mechanically ventilated adult ICU patients who received IL-6R antagonists, steroids, or combination therapy and those who received IL-6R antagonists or low- or high-dose steroids. Further trials are needed to evaluate high-dose steroids as substitutes for IL-6R antagonists in resource-limited settings.

Malnutrition among surgical patients is rather common problem. The degree and severity of malnutrition after surgery significantly correlates with the length of stay in the intensive care unit and surgical hospital, rate of infectious complications development, unsatisfactory results of treatment and increased costs. The presented clinical recommendations clarifies key methods for the prevention of development, diagnosis and treatment of the protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) syndrome in the pre and postoperative period. The choice of methods for diagnosis and PEM correction during the perioperative period is based on studies evaluated from the endpoints of evidence-based medicine. In applications, key quality criteria for treatment, as well as algorithms of actions in the preoperative and postoperative period are presented.

Objective The present study aimed to explore the peripheral chemoreflex sensitivity in healthy subjects with high body mass index (BMI). Methods We studied 26 healthy men with obesity and 23 healthy men without obesity. All participants performed the breath-holding test in the morning, and the single-breath carbon dioxide (SB-CO2) test on the next day. Results The sensitivity of peripheral chemoreceptors to CO2 did not differ between two groups (P = .47). In contrast, the duration of breath-holding was significantly lower in participants with elevated BMI (40.6 ± 10.5 s versus 47.2 ± 8.7 s; P Conclusions The sensitivity of peripheral chemoreflex to CO2 was preserved in healthy men with obesity. The higher sensitivity of peripheral chemoreflex to CO2 and higher WHR were associated with a decrease in the duration of voluntary apnea in subjects with obesity.

Background: The sensitivity of peripheral chemoreflex is a marker of the severity of heart failure and the prognosis of the outcome in these patients. The assessment of chemosensitivity in these patients remains an actual problem. Objective: The aim of the study was to explore the relationship between a Breath-Holding Test (BHT) and single-breath carbon dioxide test and to evaluate the reliability of both tests in patients with Heart Failure (HF). Method: The study was performed in 43 patients with chronic heart failure. All subjects underwent BHT and single-breath carbon dioxide (CB-CO2), the evaluation of both tests was repeated a month later. Relationship of two test was evaluated by correlation analysis. Reliability was assessed with calculation of Standard Error of Measurement (SEM), Coefficient of Variation (CV) and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). Results: The duration of the breath-holding was inversely correlated to the result of CB-CO2 test (r = -0.86 at first measurement and r = -0.79 after a month) The ICC was 0.87 (95%CI: 0.78–0.93) for SB-CO2 test and 0,93 (95%CI: 0.88–0.96) for BHT, the CV was 24% for SB-CO2 and 13% for BHT. SEM for SB-CO2 test was 0.04 L / min / mmHg and limits of variation was 0.11 L / min / mmHg; SEM for BHT was 3.6 sec and limits of variation was10 sec. Conclusion: Breath-holding test is a reliable and safe method for assessing the sensitivity of peripheral chemoreflex to carbon dioxide in patients with heart failure.

In November-December 2020, the Federation of Anesthesiologists and Reanimatologists has conducted a survey of intensive care units (ICU) in 100 hospitals re-profiled for the treatment of COVID-19. There were regional (n=44), city (n=31), district (n=13), inter-district (n=8) and federal (n=4) hospitals from 27 constituent entities of the Russian Federation. Capacity of 59 hospitals was less than 300 beds, 23 hospitals — over 500 beds, 18 hospitals — 300—500 beds. The number of ICU beds exceeded 10% of repurposed beds in 35 hospitals, 5—10% of ICU beds — in 51 hospitals, less than 5% — in 14 hospitals. There were 6—12 patients per one physician in 68 ICUs, less than 6 patients — in 12 ICUs, over 12 patients — in 20 ICUs. Also, there were 3-6 patients per a nurse in 69 ICUs, less than 3 patients — in 2 ICUs, over 6 patients — in 29 ICUs. Over 70% of the repurposed beds were provided with a networked oxygen supply in 61 hospitals, 50—70% — in 25 hospitals, less than 50% — in 14 hospitals. Oxygen flow rate over 10 l/min was provided in 70 hospitals, 5—10 l/min — in 28 hospitals, less than 5 l/min — in 2 hospitals. Over 80% of ICU beds are equipped with ventilators in 78 hospitals, 50—80% — in 15 hospitals, less than 50% — in 7 hospitals. Less than 5% of ventilators have been out of order throughout the pandemic in 62 ICUs, 5—10% — in 20 departments, over 10% — in 18 ICUs. High-flow oxygen therapy was not available in 48 ICUs, ultrasound — in 10 ICUs. ECMO was available only in 17 ICUs. If we consider the pandemic as a model of health system response to non-standard global challenges, these data are essential for critical analysis despite small sample size. © 2021, Media Sphera Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

Modern postoperative analgesia - is an individual selection of optimal doses of analgesics in order to obtain high efficiency of analgesia with minimal side effects. The quality and safety of postoperative pain is largely dependent on the severity of pain immediately after the operation. The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy of visual analogue scale (VAS) and the new scale of efficiency and safety (ESS) of postoperative analgesia in predicting of the severity of pain and postoperative complications. The study was conducted in 209 patients (mean age (66-77) years), in which a major surgery on the abdominal organs were routinely performed. Patients were randomized into two groups, depending on the method of evaluating of the quality of analgesia: in group 1 is controlled via ESS (n = 102), the 2nd group - by VAS (n = 105). Postoperative complications were recorded: nausea and vomiting, respiratory failure (need for noninvasive or invasive ventilation), delirium, cardiac arrhythmias, ileus. ESS and VAS demonstrated good prediction of the effectiveness of pain relief (AUROC 0,973, [0,913-0,996] and 0.976 [0,913-0,997], respectively). ESS showed a good prediction of the complicated postoperative period (AUROC = 0,924, [0,856-0,967]), as opposed to the VAS (AUROC = 0,649, [0,548-0,741]). Baseline ESS and VAS score equally effective in predicting the intensity of pain in the early postoperative period. ESS advantage, compared to VAS, is the ability to predict complicated postoperative period and postoperative complications. ESS score for more than 17 is a risk factor for postoperative complications associated with inadequate analgesia.