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Nagant et al. recently reported combining the levels of cytokines detected in the early phase of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to provide a score that predicts the severity of the disease and the probability of transfer to the intensive care unit (Nagant et al., 2020). [...]

DEAR EDITOR, This retrospective case series includes adults with severe COVID-19 respiratory infection (Ruan et al., 2020, Lucchini et al., 2020) consecutively admitted in the intensive care unit (ICU) between March 14 and April 30, 2020, at a regional hospital in Hainaut Province, one pandemic epicentre in Belgium. [...]

Multiple neurological complications including Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) have been associated with COVID-19. We describe a case of GBS related to SARS-CoV-2 infection with an unusual presentation beginning with mobilization problems at home without previous classic respiratory or general manifestations. Asymptomatic infection with COVID-19 can lead to critical situations with respiratory insufficiency because of neurological complications such as GBS. Asymptomatic infection with COVID-19 can result in critical situations with respiratory insufficiency and need for mechanical ventilation because of neurological complications such as Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS).All patients presenting with GBS should be tested for SARS-CoV-2.Neurological complications including neuromuscular impairment can be part of respiratory failure secondary to COVID-19 infection.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led highly developed healthcare systems to the brink of collapse due to the large numbers of patients being admitted into hospitals. One of the potential prognostic indicators in patients with COVID-19 is frailty. The degree of frailty could be used to assist both the triage into intensive care, and decisions regarding treatment limitations. Our study sought to determine the interaction of frailty and age in elderly COVID-19 ICU patients. A prospective multicentre study of COVID-19 patients ≥ 70 years admitted to intensive care in 138 ICUs from 28 countries was conducted. The primary endpoint was 30-day mortality. Frailty was assessed using the clinical frailty scale. Additionally, comorbidities, management strategies and treatment limitations were recorded. The study included 1346 patients (28% female) with a median age of 75 years (IQR 72-78, range 70-96), 16.3% were older than 80 years, and 21% of the patients were frail. The overall survival at 30 days was 59% (95% CI 56-62), with 66% (63-69) in fit, 53% (47-61) in vulnerable and 41% (35-47) in frail patients (p < 0.001). In frail patients, there was no difference in 30-day survival between different age categories. Frailty was linked to an increased use of treatment limitations and less use of mechanical ventilation. In a model controlling for age, disease severity, sex, treatment limitations and comorbidities, frailty was independently associated with lower survival. Frailty provides relevant prognostic information in elderly COVID-19 patients in addition to age and comorbidities. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04321265 , registered 19 March 2020.

Thrombus in the aortic trunk is a rare complication. We report the case of a 63-year-old patient with a factor V Leiden mutation in whom an aortic arch thrombus was discovered accidentally. Conservative treatment was initiated with therapeutic anticoagulation with low-molecular-weight heparin leading to complete thrombus lysis after 3 months but associated shortly after anticoagulation initiation with a large splenic and limited renal infarctions. Intra-aortic thrombus is rarely diagnosed on routine CT examination.Even a complicated aortic arch thrombus can be successfully treated with conservative anticoagulation.Vascular systemic embolisms are possible after therapeutic anticoagulation is started.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on nursing practice in intensive care unit and consequently, on workload., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

In order to decrease the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in Belgium, a national campaign for implementing a VAP bundle involving assessment of sedation, cuff pressure control, oral care with chlorhexidine and semirecumbent position, was launched in 2011-2012. This report will document the impact of this campaign. On 1 day, once a year from 2010 till 2016, except in 2012, Belgian ICUs were questioned about their ventilated patients. For each of these, data about the application of the bundle and the possible treatment for VAP were recorded. Between 36.6 and 54.8% of the 120 Belgian ICUs participated in the successive surveys. While the characteristics of ventilated patients remained similar throughout the years, the percentage of ventilated patients and especially the duration of ventilation significantly decreased before and after the national VAP bundle campaign. Ventilator care also profoundly changed: Controlling cuff pressure, head positioning above 30° were obtained in more than 90% of cases. Oral care was more frequently performed within a day, using more concentrated solutions of chlorhexidine. Subglottic suctioning also was used but in only 24.7% of the cases in the last years. Regarding the prevalence of VAP, it significantly decreased from 28% of ventilated patients in 2010 to 10.1% in 2016 (p ≤ 0.0001). Although a causal relationship cannot be inferred from these data, the successive surveys revealed a potential impact of the VAP bundle campaign on both the respiratory care of ventilated patients and the prevalence of VAP in Belgian ICUs encouraging them to follow the guidelines.

The Belgian Public Health Organization is concerned with rates of hospital-acquired infections like ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Implementing best practice guidelines for these nosocomial infections has variable success in the literature. This retrospective study was undertaken to see whether implementation of the evidence-based practices as a bundle was feasible, would influence compliance, and could reduce the rates of VAP. We utilized easily collectable data about regular care to rapidly assess whether interventions already in place were effectively successfully applied. This avoided cumbersome data collection and review. Retrospective compliance rates and VAP ratios were compared using z tests with P-values < 0.05 considered statistically significant. This data review attempted to examine the impact of education campaigns, staff meetings, in-services, physician checklist, nurse checklist, charge nurse checklist implementation, systematic VAP bundle application, and systematic protocols for oral care and sedation protocols. Additionally, VAP ratio could be registered by the participating centers. A total of 10,211 intensive care unit (ICU) patients were included in the study which represents 66,817 ICU days under artificial ventilation with an endotracheal tube. The general compliance for VAP bundle raised from VAP was 61% in February 2012 and 74.16% in December 2012 (P < 0.001). The incidence rate of VAP went from 8.34 occurrences/1000 vent days in 2009 to 4.78 occurrences/1000 vent days in 2012 (P < 0.001-Pearson test). Efforts to improve physician and staff education, and checklist implementation resulted in an increase in compliance for VAP bundle and a decrease in VAP ratio. This study confirms the applicability of best practice guidelines about regular care but results on VAP incidence have to be confirmed.

Objectives The Belgian Public Health Organization is concerned with rates of hospital-acquired infections like ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Implementing best practice guidelines for these nosocomial infections has variable success in the literature. This retrospective study was undertaken to see whether implementation of the evidence-based practices as a bundle was feasible, would influence compliance, and could reduce the rates of VAP. Study design We utilized easily collectable data about regular care to rapidly assess whether interventions already in place were effectively successfully applied. This avoided cumbersome data collection and review. Methods Retrospective compliance rates and VAP ratios were compared using z tests with P-values < 0.05 considered statistically significant. This data review attempted to examine the impact of education campaigns, staff meetings, in-services, physician checklist, nurse checklist, charge nurse checklist implementation, systematic VAP bundle application, and systematic protocols for oral care and sedation protocols. Additionally, VAP ratio could be registered by the participating centers. Results A total of 10,211 intensive care unit (ICU) patients were included in the study which represents 66,817 ICU days under artificial ventilation with an endotracheal tube. The general compliance for VAP bundle raised from VAP was 61% in February 2012 and 74.16% in December 2012 (P < 0.001). The incidence rate of VAP went from 8.34 occurrences/1000 vent days in 2009 to 4.78 occurrences/1000 vent days in 2012 (P < 0.001—Pearson test). Conclusions Efforts to improve physician and staff education, and checklist implementation resulted in an increase in compliance for VAP bundle and a decrease in VAP ratio. This study confirms the applicability of best practice guidelines about regular care but results on VAP incidence have to be confirmed., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Carditis can complicate Lyme disease in an estimated <5% of cases, and cardiogenic shock and severe cardiac arrhythmias are described with electrocardiographic abnormalities that could be suggestive of coronary manifestations. We report a case of severe persistent biventricular heart failure complicated by cardiac arrhythmias as initial manifestation of a Lyme disease developing peroperatively electrocardiographic abnormalities suggesting acute transmural myocardial infarction.

Platypnea-orthodeoxia is a rare syndrome characterized by dyspnea induced by the upright position and relieved by supine position and an arterial deoxygenation increased by the upright position which improves during recumbency. Several anatomical factors that can alter the atrial anatomy and facilitate shunting through an interatrial defect have been related to this syndrome. In many cases, this syndrome has been associated with patent foramen ovale (PFO) and right-to-left shunt. Rarely platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome has been described associated with an aortic and with an interauricular septal aneurysm too. We present a case of platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome in a 85-year-old woman with patent foramen ovale, interauricular septal aneurysm and ascending aortic aneurysms who was admitted for an acute coronary syndrome which could be of embolic origin and was responsible for ventricular fibrillation during the transfer to the hospital. PFO closure was performed by percutaneous device and right coronary artery obstruction was treated by transluminal angioplasty and stenting.

Congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation, also named congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM), is a congenital lung abnormality which is uncommon in adults. The usual radiological appearance of CPAM is a cystic space-occupying lesion. We present one case of CPAM with unusual clinical and radiological findings, a complicated spontaneous pneumothorax with intracystic haemorrhage with successful conservative initial treatment, despite acute haemodynamic instability.

Carditis can complicate Lyme disease in an estimated <5% of cases, and cardiogenic shock and severe cardiac arrhythmias are described with electrocardiographic abnormalities that could be suggestive of coronary manifestations. We report a case of severe persistent biventricular heart failure complicated by cardiac arrhythmias as initial manifestation of a Lyme disease developing peroperatively electrocardiographic abnormalities suggesting acute transmural myocardial infarction., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

SCOPUS: le.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

OBJECTIVE: Platypnea-orthodeoxia is a rare syndrome characterized by dyspnea induced by the upright position and relieved by supine position and an arterial deoxygenation increased by the upright position which improves during recumbency. Several anatomical factors that can alter the atrial anatomy and facilitate shunting through an interatrial defect have been related to this syndrome. In many cases, this syndrome has been associated with patent foramen ovale (PFO) and right-to-left shunt. Rarely platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome has been described associated with an aortic and with an interauricular septal aneurysm too., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation, also named congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM), is a congenital lung abnormality which is uncommon in adults. The usual radiological appearance of CPAM is a cystic space-occupying lesion. We present one case of CPAM with unusual clinical and radiological findings, a complicated spontaneous pneumothorax with intracystic haemorrhage with successful conservative initial treatment, despite acute haemodynamic instability., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Background Several biological markers of lung injury are predictors of morbidity and mortality in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Some lung-protective ventilation strategies, such as low tidal volume, are associated with a significant decrease in plasma biomarker levels compared to the high tidal volume ventilation strategy. The primary objective of this study was to test whether the institution of high-frequency percussive ventilation (HFPV) to patients with respiratory distress after smoke inhalation injury influenced initial biomarker levels of lung injury (just before and after using percussive ventilation). Materials and methods A prospective observational cohort study was conducted in the intensive care unit of the Brussels Burn Center. Fifteen intubated, mechanically ventilated patients with minor burns and ARDS following smoke inhalation were enrolled in our study. Physiologic data and serum samples were collected before intubation and at four different time points within the first 48 h after intubation to measure the concentration of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF alpha). The differences in biomarker levels before and after starting HFPV were analyzed using repeated measure analysis of variance and a paired t test with correction for multiple comparisons. Results Before starting HFPV under endotracheal intubation, all biological markers (IL-6, IL-8, and TNF alpha) were elevated in the spontaneously breathing patients with acute lung injury (ALI). After intubation and institution of a positive pressure ventilation with HFPV (tidal volume 5.6-6.6 ml/kg per ideal body weight), none of the biological markers were increased significantly at either an early (3 ± 2 h) or a later point in time. However, the levels of IL-8 had decreased significantly after intubation at a later point in time. During the post-intubation period, the PaO2/FiO2 (partial pressure of arterial oxygen/fraction of the inspired oxygen) rat, SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

In Intensive Care Units, the amount of data to be processed for patients care, the turn over of the patients, the necessity for reliability and for review processes indicate the use of Patient Data Management Systems (PDMS) and electronic health records (EHR). To respond to the needs of an Intensive Care Unit and not to be locked with proprietary software, we developed an EHR based on usual software and components. The software was designed as a client-server architecture running on the Windows operating system and powered by the access data base system. The client software was developed using Visual Basic interface library. The application offers to the users the following functions: medical notes captures, observations and treatments, nursing charts with administration of medications, scoring systems for classification, and possibilities to encode medical activities for billing processes. Since his deployment in September 2004, the EHR was used to care more than five thousands patients with the expected software reliability and facilitated data management and review processes. Communications with other medical software were not developed from the start, and are realized by the use of basic functionalities communication engine. Further upgrade of the system will include multi-platform support, use of typed language with static analysis, and configurable interface. The developed system based on usual software components was able to respond to the medical needs of the local ICU environment. The use of Windows for development allowed us to customize the software to the preexisting organization and contributed to the acceptability of the whole system.

SCOPUS: no.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Background and objectives: In Intensive Care Units, the amount of data to be processed for patients care, the turn over of the patients, the necessity for reliability and for review processes indicate the use of Patient Data Management Systems (PDMS) and electronic health records (EHR). To respond to the needs of an Intensive Care Unit and not to be locked with proprietary software, we developed an EHR based on usual software and components. Methods: The software was designed as a client-server architecture running on the Windows operating system and powered by the access data base system. The client software was developed using Visual Basic interface library. The application offers to the users the following functions: medical notes captures, observations and treatments, nursing charts with administration of medications, scoring systems for classification, and possibilities to encode medical activities for billing processes. Results: Since his deployment in September 2004, the EHR was used to care more than five thousands patients with the expected software reliability and facilitated data management and review processes. Communications with other medical software were not developed from the start, and are realized by the use of basic functionalities communication engine. Further upgrade of the system will include multi-platform support, use of typed language with static analysis, and configurable interface. Conclusion: The developed system based on usual software components was able to respond to the medical needs of the local ICU environment. The use of Windows for development allowed us to customize the software to the preexisting organization and contributed to the acceptability of the whole system., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

We report a rare case of fulminant congestive heart failure with fatal outcome in a 21-year-old girl with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). A young woman was admitted in the intensive care unit for pericardial tamponade associated with disseminated coagulopathy and refractory shock secondary to multiple coronary aneurysms. Post-mortem examination revealed significant multiple coronary lesions with aneurysms of the interventricular and right coronary arteries, responsible of muscular necrosis, thrombosis of the coronary sinus, and significant pericardial infiltration with hemorrhagic fluid. We describe a refractory cardiac failure with extensive coronary artery involvements, which is very uncommon in young patients with SLE: few cases have been previously described in the literature. We report a rare case of fulminant congestive heart failure with fatal outcome in a young woman with SLE related to extensive coronary involvements., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

SCOPUS: le.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

We report a rare case of fulminant congestive heart failure with fatal outcome in a 21-year-old girl with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). A young woman was admitted in the intensive care unit for pericardial tamponade associated with disseminated coagulopathy and refractory shock secondary to multiple coronary aneurysms. Post-mortem examination revealed significant multiple coronary lesions with aneurysms of the interventricular and right coronary arteries, responsible of muscular necrosis, thrombosis of the coronary sinus, and significant pericardial infiltration with hemorrhagic fluid. We describe a refractory cardiac failure with extensive coronary artery involvements, which is very uncommon in young patients with SLE: few cases have been previously described in the literature. We report a rare case of fulminant congestive heart failure with fatal outcome in a young woman with SLE related to extensive coronary involvements.

SCOPUS: no.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

SCOPUS: le.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

In Intensive Care Units, the amount of data to be processed for patients care, the turn over of the patients, the necessity for reliability and for review processes indicate the use of Patient Data Management Systems (PDMS) and electronic health records (EHR). To respond to the needs of an Intensive Care Unit and not to be locked with proprietary software, we developed a PDMS and EHR based on open source software and components. The software was designed as a client-server architecture running on the Linux operating system and powered by the PostgreSQL data base system. The client software was developed in C using GTK interface library. The application offers to the users the following functions: medical notes captures, observations and treatments, nursing charts with administration of medications, scoring systems for classification, and possibilities to encode medical activities for billing processes. Since his deployment in February 2004, the PDMS was used to care more than three thousands patients with the expected software reliability and facilitated data management and review processes. Communications with other medical software were not developed from the start, and are realized by the use of the Mirth HL7 communication engine. Further upgrade of the system will include multi-platform support, use of typed language with static analysis, and configurable interface. The developed system based on open source software components was able to respond to the medical needs of the local ICU environment. The use of OSS for development allowed us to customize the software to the preexisting organization and contributed to the acceptability of the whole system.

SCOPUS: cp.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

In Intensive Care Units, the amount of data to be processed for patients care, the turn over of the patients, the necessity for reliability and for review processes indicate the use of Patient Data Management System (PDMS). To respond to the needs of a Surgical Intensive Care Unit, we developed a PDMS based on open source software and components. The software was designed as a client-server architecture running on the Linux operating system and powered by the PostgreSQl data base system. The client software was developed in C. The application offers the following functions: medical notes captures, observations and treatments, nursing charts with administration of medications and scoring systems functionalities. The PDMS was used to care more than two thousands patients with the expected reliability and functionalities. © 2007 The authors. All rights reserved., SCOPUS: cp.p, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

High frequency percussive ventilation (HFPV) is a recent ventilatory mode, which combines conventional cycles with high frequency percussions. HFPV was initially instituted as salvage therapy after acute respiratory failure following smoke inhalation injury achieving in each case a dramatic improvement of blood oxygenation, PaCO(2) and ventilatory pressures. This study investigates the influence of HFPV on hesmodynamics, blood oxygenation and ventilatory parameters in eight stable ICU burn patients requiring artificial ventilatory support during a postoperative period following traumatic injury. Periods of 2h were analysed receiving conventional ventilation and HFPV with a high frequency of 400 and 800 cycles/min. Hemodynamic data were not significantly modified; peak inspiratory pressure was significantly lower under HFPV but mean airway pressure was unchanged. Blood oxygenation and CO(2) elimination were significantly improved under HFPV. No side effects were noted. These observations suggest that HFPV could improve pulmonary gas exchanges under lower peak pressures and without hemodynamic compromise. HFPV could represent an interesting alternative open lung strategy method to improve alveolar recruitment.

Inhalation injury and bacterial pneumonia represent some of the most important causes of mortality in burn patients. Thirty-five severely burned patients were randomised on admission for conventional ventilation (CV; control group) versus high frequency percussive ventilation (HFPV; study group). HFPV is a ventilatory mode, introduced 10 years ago which combines the advantages of CV with some of those of high frequency ventilation. Arterial blood gases, ventilatory and hemodynamic variables were recorded for 5 days at 2h intervals. Incident complications were classically managed. A statistical analysis (Student's t-test and Wilcoxon signed rank test) demonstrated a significant higher PaO(2)/FiO(2) from days 0 to 3 in the HFPV group. No significant differences were observed for the other parameters. Our findings suggest that HFPV can improve blood oxygenation during the acute phase following inhalation injury allowing reduction of FiO(2). No significant differences were observed between groups for mortality nor incidence of infectious complications in this study.

A 2-year-old girl admitted with third degree burns (35% TBSA) received 7 weeks poly-antibiotic therapy combined with heparin for a severe Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus sepsis with multiple metastatic abscesses (lung, skin, brain), from a suppurative thrombophlebitis of the right jugularis interna, extended to the axillary and cava superior veins. Surgical treatment was contraindicated by the local extension. The child was discharged without major neurological sequelae 3 months after admission.