Non-invasive ventilation in do-not-intubate patients: five-year follow-up on a two-year prospective, consecutive cohort study

[Non-invasive Mechanical Ventilation in Acute Respiratory Failure. Clinical Practice Guidelines - on behalf of the German Society of Pneumology and Ventilatory Medicine]

The guideline update outlines the advantages as well as the limitations of NIV in the treatment of acute respiratory failure in daily clinical practice and in different indications.Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) has a high value in therapy of hypercapnic acute respiratory failure, as it significantly reduces the length of ICU stay and hospitalization as well as mortality.Patients with cardiopulmonary edema and acute respiratory failure should be treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and oxygen in addition to necessary cardiological interventions. This should be done already prehospital and in the emergency department.In case of other forms of acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure with only mild or moderately disturbed gas exchange (PaO2/FiO2 > 150 mmHg) there is no significant advantage or disadvantage compared to high flow nasal oxygen (HFNO). In severe forms of ARDS NIV is associated with high rates of treatment failure and mortality, especially in cases with NIV-failure and delayed intubation.NIV should be used for preoxygenation before intubation. In patients at risk, NIV is recommended to reduce extubation failure. In the weaning process from invasive ventilation NIV essentially reduces the risk of reintubation in hypercapnic patients. NIV is regarded useful within palliative care for reduction of dyspnea and improving quality of life, but here in concurrence to HFNO, which is regarded as more comfortable. Meanwhile NIV is also recommended in prehospital setting, especially in hypercapnic respiratory failure and pulmonary edema.With appropriate monitoring in an intensive care unit NIV can also be successfully applied in pediatric patients with acute respiratory insufficiency.

Hospital re-admission after critical care survival: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Survivors of critical illness frequently require increased healthcare resources after hospital discharge. We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess hospital re-admission rates following critical care admission and to explore potential re-admission risk factors. We searched the MEDLINE, Embase and CINAHL databases on 05 March 2020. Our search strategy incorporated controlled vocabulary and text words for hospital re-admission and critical illness, limited to the English language. Two reviewers independently applied eligibility criteria and assessed quality using the Newcastle Ottawa Score checklist and extracted data. The primary outcome was acute hospital re-admission in the year after critical care discharge. Of the 8851 studies screened, 87 met inclusion criteria and 41 were used within the meta-analysis. The analysis incorporated data from 3,897,597 patients and 741,664 re-admission episodes. Pooled estimates for hospital re-admission after critical illness were 16.9% (95%CI: 13.3-21.2%) at 30 days; 31.0% (95%CI: 24.3-38.6%) at 90 days; 29.6% (95%CI: 24.5-35.2%) at six months; and 53.3% (95%CI: 44.4-62.0%) at 12 months. Significant heterogeneity was observed across included studies. Three risk factors were associated with excess acute care rehospitalisation one year after discharge: the presence of comorbidities; events during initial hospitalisation (e.g. the presence of delirium and duration of mechanical ventilation); and subsequent infection after hospital discharge. Hospital re-admission is common in survivors of critical illness. Careful attention to the management of pre-existing comorbidities during transitions of care may help reduce healthcare utilisation after critical care discharge. Future research should determine if targeted interventions for at-risk critical care survivors can reduce the risk of subsequent rehospitalisation.

Comparison of high-flow nasal oxygen therapy and non-invasive ventilation in ICU patients with acute respiratory failure and a do-not-intubate orders: a multicentre prospective study OXYPAL

INTRODUCTION

A palliative approach to intensive care unit (ICU) patients with acute respiratory failure and a do-not-intubate order corresponds to a poorly evaluated target for non-invasive oxygenation treatments. Survival alone should not be the only target; it also matters to avoid discomfort and to restore the patient's quality of life. We aim to conduct a prospective multicentre observational study to analyse clinical practices and their impact on outcomes of palliative high-flow nasal oxygen therapy (HFOT) and non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in ICU patients with do-not-intubate orders.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This is an investigator-initiated, multicentre prospective observational cohort study comparing the three following strategies of oxygenation: HFOT alone, NIV alternating with HFOT and NIV alternating with standard oxygen in patients admitted in the ICU for acute respiratory failure with a do-not-intubate order. The primary outcome is the hospital survival within 14 days after ICU admission in patients weaned from NIV and HFOT. The sample size was estimated at a minimum of 330 patients divided into three groups according to the oxygenation strategy applied. The analysis takes into account confounding factors by modelling a propensity score.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The study has been approved by the ethics committee and patients will be included after informed consent. The results will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT03673631.

Do-not-intubate orders in patients with acute respiratory failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE

To assess the rates and variability of do-not-intubate orders in patients with acute respiratory failure.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review of observational studies that enrolled adult patients with acute respiratory failure requiring noninvasive ventilation or high-flow nasal cannula oxygen from inception to 2019.

RESULTS

Twenty-six studies evaluating 10,755 patients were included. The overall pooled rate of do-not-intubate orders was 27%. The pooled rate of do-not-intubate orders in studies from North America was 14% (range 9-22%), from Europe was 28% (range 13-58%), and from Asia was 38% (range 9-83%), p = 0.001. Do-not-intubate rates were higher in studies with higher patient age and in studies where do-not-intubate decisions were made without reported patient/family input. There were no significant differences in do-not-intubate orders according to illness severity, observed mortality, malignancy comorbidity, or methodological quality. Rates of do-not-intubate orders increased over time from 9% in 2000-2004 to 32% in 2015-2019. Only 12 studies (46%) reported information about do-not-intubate decision-making processes. Only 4 studies (15%) also reported rates of do-not-resuscitate.

CONCLUSIONS

One in four patients with acute respiratory failure (who receive noninvasive ventilation or high-flow nasal cannula oxygen) has a do-not-intubate order. The rate of do-not-intubate orders has increased over time. There is high inter-study variability in do-not-intubate rates-even when accounting for age and illness severity. There is high variability in patient/family involvement in do-not-intubate decision making processes. Few studies reported differences in rates of do-not-resuscitate and do-not-intubate-even though recovery is very different for acute respiratory failure and cardiac arrest.

Noninvasive Ventilation in Patients With Do-Not-Intubate and Comfort-Measures-Only Orders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effectiveness of noninvasive ventilation in patients with acute respiratory failure and do-not-intubate or comfort-measures-only orders.

DATA SOURCES

MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus, and Web of Science from inception to January 1, 2017.

STUDY SELECTION

Studies of all design types that enrolled patients in the ICU or hospital ward who received noninvasive ventilation and had preset do-not-intubate or comfort-measures-only orders.

DATA EXTRACTION

Data abstraction followed Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines. Data quality was assessed using a modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Twenty-seven studies evaluating 2,020 patients with do-not-intubate orders and three studies evaluating 200 patients with comfort-measures-only orders were included. In patients with do-not-intubate orders, the pooled survival was 56% (95% CI, 49-64%) at hospital discharge and 32% (95% CI, 21-45%) at 1 year. Hospital survival was 68% for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 68% for pulmonary edema, 41% for pneumonia, and 37% for patients with malignancy. Survival was comparable for patients treated in a hospital ward versus an ICU. Quality of life of survivors was not reduced compared with baseline, although few studies evaluated this. No studies evaluated quality of dying in nonsurvivors. In patients with comfort-measures-only orders, a single study showed that noninvasive ventilation was associated with mild reductions in dyspnea and opioid requirements.

CONCLUSIONS

A large proportion of patients with do-not-intubate orders who received noninvasive ventilation survived to hospital discharge and at 1 year, with limited data showing no decrease in quality of life in survivors. Provision of noninvasive ventilation in a well-equipped hospital ward may be a viable alternative to the ICU for selected patients. Crucial questions regarding quality of life in survivors, quality of death in nonsurvivors, and the impact of noninvasive ventilation in patients with comfort-measures-only orders remain largely unanswered.

Resource use, characteristics and outcomes of prolonged non-invasive ventilation: a single-centre observational study in China

OBJECTIVE

To report the resource use, characteristics and outcomes of patients with prolonged non-invasive ventilation (NIV).

DESIGN

A single-centre observational study.

SETTING

An intensive care unit of a teaching hospital.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients who only received NIV because of acute respiratory failure were enrolled. Prolonged NIV was defined as subjects who received NIV ≥14 days. A total of 1539 subjects were enrolled in this study; 69 (4.5%) underwent prolonged NIV.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Predictors of prolonged NIV and hospital mortality.

RESULTS

The rate of do-not-intubate (DNI) orders was 9.1% (140/1539). At the beginning of NIV, a DNI order (OR 3.95, 95% CI 2.25 to 6.95) and pH ≥7.35 (2.20, 1.27 to 3.82) were independently associated with prolonged NIV. At days 1 and 7 of NIV, heart rate (1.01 (1.00 to 1.03) and 1.02 (1.00 to 1.03], respectively) and PaO₂/FiO₂<150 (2.19 (1.25 to 3.85) and 2.05 (1.04 to 4.04], respectively) were other independent risk factors for prolonged NIV. When patients who died after starting NIV but prior to 14 days were excluded, the association was strengthened. Regarding resource use, 77.1% of subjects received NIV<7 days and only accounted for 47.0% of NIV-days. However, 18.4% of subjects received NIV 7-13.9 days and accounted for 33.4% of NIV-days, 2.9% of subjects received NIV 14-20.9 days and accounted for 9.5% of NIV-days, and 1.6% of subjects received NIV≥21 days and accounted for 10.1% of NIV-days.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicate the resource use, characteristics and outcomes of a prolonged NIV population with a relatively high proportion of DNI orders. Subjects with prolonged NIV make up a high proportion of NIV-days and are at high risk for in-hospital mortality.

Caring for critically ill oldest old patients: a clinical review

Despite technological advances, the mortality rate for critically ill oldest old patients remains high. The intensive caring should be able to combine technology and a deep humanity considering that the patients are living the last part of their lives. In addition to the traditional goals of ICU of reducing morbidity and mortality, of maintaining organ functions and restoring health, caring for seriously oldest old patients should take into account their end-of-life preferences, the advance or proxy directives if available, the prognosis, the communication, their life expectancy and the impact of multimorbidity. The aim of this review was to focus on all these aspects with an emphasis on some intensive procedures such as mechanical ventilation, noninvasive mechanical ventilation, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, renal replacement therapy, hemodynamic support, evaluation of delirium and malnutrition in this heterogeneous frail ICU population.

[Non-invasive ventilation in 'do-not-intubate' patients in a chronic disease hospital. One year follow-up study]

Elderly patients with multiple morbidity and do not intubate (DNI) orders frequently present with acute respiratory failure. There are data supporting the effectiveness of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in this context. Our chronic disease hospital developed an integrated care clinical pathway for the use of NIV in acute respiratory failure in the emergency room and wards in 2010. The aim of this study was to assess the outcome of NIV in patients with acute respiratory failure who had a DNI order in a sub-acute care hospital.

METHODS

Observational, one year-follow up study. The main variables were in-hospital mortality and one year mortality. Other variables recorded were: demographics, clinical data, functional data, performance of daily life activities, dementia, arterial blood gases and re-admissions.

RESULTS

The study included a total of 102 patients, of which 22% were in institutions. The mean age 81±7.47% males, with a Charlson index 3.7±1, and Barthel index 54±31. The overall mortality during the admission was 33% (34 patients). Among those patients ventilated outside the protocol indication, the mortality was significantly greater, at 71% (P>.05). Overall one-year survival rate was 46%. This survival rate was statistically higher in patients with obesity hypoventilation syndrome and a Barthel >50.

CONCLUSIONS

NIV is a useful technique in a hospital for chronic patients in an elderly population with a therapeutic ceiling. Despite their disease severity and comorbidity, acceptable survival rates are achieved. A correct case selection is needed. Obesity hypoventilation syndrome and those with Barthel index >50 have a better prognosis.

A Comparison of Outcomes among Hospital Survivors with and without Severe Comorbidity Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit

Little is known about the experiences of patients with severe comorbidity discharged from Intensive Care Units (ICUs). This project aimed to determine the effects of an ICU stay for patients with severe comorbidity by comparing 1) quality of life (QOL), 2) the symptom profile of hospital survivors and 3) health service use after hospital discharge for patients admitted to ICU with and without severe comorbidity. A case-control study was used. Patients with severe comorbidity were matched to a contemporaneous cohort of ICU patients by age and severity of illness. Assessment tools were the Medical Outcome Study 36-item short-form and European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C15-PAL questionnaires for QOL and the Symptom Assessment Scale for symptom distress. A proportional odds assumption was performed using an ordinal regression model. The difference in QOL outcome was the dependent variable for each pair. Health service use after discharge from ICU was monitored with patient diaries. Patients aged 18+ years admitted to an ICU in a metropolitan teaching hospital between 2011 and 2012 were included. We recruited 30 cases and 30 controls. QOL improved over the six months after hospital discharge for patients with and without severe comorbidity ( P <0.01) within the groups but there was no difference found between the groups ( P >0.3). There was no difference in symptoms or health service use between patients with and without severe comorbidity. ICU admission for people with severe comorbidity can be appropriate to stabilise the patient's condition and is likely to be followed by some overall improvement over the six months after hospital discharge.

Noninvasive mechanical ventilation in patients having declined tracheal intubation

PURPOSE

Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is a treatment option in patients with acute respiratory failure who are good candidates for intensive care but have declined tracheal intubation. The aim of our study was to report outcomes after NIV in patients with a do-not-intubate (DNI) order.

METHODS

Prospective observational cohort study in all patients who received NIV for acute respiratory failure in 54 ICUs in France and Belgium, in 2010/2011.

RESULTS

Goals of care, comfort, and vital status were assessed daily. On day 90, a telephone interview with patients and relatives recorded health-related quality of life (HRQOL), posttraumatic stress disorder-related symptoms, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Post-ICU burden was compared between DNI patients and patients receiving NIV with no treatment-limitation decisions (TLD). Of 780 NIV patients, 574 received NIV with no TLD, and 134 had DNI orders. Hospital mortality was 44 % in DNI patients and 12 % in the no-TLD group. Mortality in the DNI group was lowest in COPD patients compared to other patients in the DNI group (34 vs. 51 %, P = 0.01). In the DNI group, HRQOL showed no significant decline on day 90 compared to baseline; day-90 data of patients and relatives did not differ from those in the no-TLD group.

CONCLUSIONS

Do-not-intubate status was present among one-fifth of ICU patients who received NIV. DNI patients who were alive on day 90 experienced no decrease in HRQOL compared to baseline. The prevalences of anxiety, depression, and PTSD-related symptoms in these patients and their relatives were similar to those seen after NIV was used as part of full-code management (clinicaltrial.govNCT01449331).

Guidelines for the management of adult lower respiratory tract infections--summary

This document is an update of Guidelines published in 2005 and now includes scientific publications through to May 2010. It provides evidence-based recommendations for the most common management questions occurring in routine clinical practice in the management of adult patients with LRTI. Topics include management outside hospital, management inside hospital (including community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD), acute exacerbations of bronchiectasis) and prevention. The target audience for the Guideline is thus all those whose routine practice includes the management of adult LRTI.

Guidelines for the management of adult lower respiratory tract infections--full version

This document is an update of Guidelines published in 2005 and now includes scientific publications through to May 2010. It provides evidence-based recommendations for the most common management questions occurring in routine clinical practice in the management of adult patients with LRTI. Topics include management outside hospital, management inside hospital (including community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD), acute exacerbations of bronchiectasis) and prevention. Background sections and graded evidence tables are also included. The target audience for the Guideline is thus all those whose routine practice includes the management of adult LRTI.

The utility and futility of non-invasive ventilation in non-designated areas: can critical care outreach nurses influence practice?

OBJECTIVE

To explore the practice of delivering non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in non-designated areas within a large university teaching hospital by critical care outreach nurses.

METHODS

Local audit was prospectively conducted over a five-month period of all patients commenced on NIV in non-designated areas. The audit was repeated a year later and again four years later.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Documentation of patient diagnosis and management plan including whether they were suitable for attempted cardiopulmonary resuscitation and endotracheal intubation as per British Thoracic Society guidelines (2002). Patient outcome (to hospital discharge) and arterial blood gas results pre and post commencement of NIV.

RESULTS

115 patients received NIV for the treatment of acute respiratory failure. The mortality rate for the first 2 years data combined (n75) was 57% and attributed to the fact that patients were elderly, acidotic and had diagnoses associated with a poor response to NIV. 86% of patients had a documented resuscitation status and management plan. Resuscitation status (p=0.01) and arterial blood gas improvement within two hours of therapy had a significant effect on patient outcome (p=0.001). Four years later the mortality rate had reduced to 35% possibly due to appropriate patient selection. More patients were deemed suitable for resuscitation, were transferred to designated areas and electively ventilated.

CONCLUSION

Inappropriate use of NIV in non-designated areas is associated with a high mortality. Critical care outreach nurses can play a pivotal role in influencing appropriate patient selection for NIV.

Long-term survival in elderly patients with a do-not-intubate order treated with noninvasive mechanical ventilation

Background:

Noninvasive mechanical ventilation (NIMV) is an effective tool in treating patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF), since it reduces both the need for endotracheal intubation and the mortality in comparison with nonventilated patients. A particular issue is represented by the outcome of NIMV in patients referred to the emergency department for ARF and with a do-not-intubate (DNI) status because of advanced age or excessively critical conditions. This study evaluated long-term survival in a group of elderly patients with acute hypercapnic ARF who had a DNI order and who were successfully treated by NIMV.

Methods:

The population consisted of 54 patients with a favorable outcome after NIMV for ARF. They were followed up for 3 years by regular control visits, with at least one visit every 4 months, or as needed according to the patient’s condition. Of these, 31 continued NIMV at home and 23 were on long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) alone.

Results:

A total of 16 of the 52 patients had not survived at the 1-year follow-up, and another eight patients died during the 3-year observation, with an overall mortality rate of 30.8% after 1 year and 46.2% after 3 years. Comparing patients who continued NIMV at home with those who were on LTOT alone, 9 of the 29 patients on home NIMV died (6 after 1 year and 3 after 3 years) and 15 of the 23 patients on LTOT alone died (10 after 1 year and 5 after 3 years).

Conclusion:

These results show that elderly patients with ARF successfully treated by NIMV following a DNI order have a satisfactory long-term survival.