The impact of early neuraminidase inhibitor therapy on clinical outcomes in patients hospitalised with influenza A-related pneumonia: a multicenter, retrospective study

Carbon dioxide production index (VCO2i) predicts hyperlactatemia during cardiopulmonary bypass in ediatric carDiac surGery (pGDP- VCO2i): Study protocol for a nested case-control trial

BACKGROUND

Hyperlactatemia (HL) during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is relatively frequent in infants and associates with increased morbidity and mortality. Studies on adults have shown that carbon dioxide production index (VCO2i) during CPB is linked to the occurrence of HL, with 'critical thresholds' for VCO2i reported to be 60 mL/min/m2. However, considering infants have a higher metabolic rate and lower tolerance to hypoxia, the critical threshold of VCO2i in infants cannot be replied to the existing adults' standards. The objective of this study is to investigate the association of VCO2i during CPB and HL, and explore the critical VCO2i threshold during CPB in infants.

METHODS

VCO2i predicts hyperlactatemia during cardiopulmonary bypass in pediatric cardiac surgery (pGDP-VCO2i) is a nested case-control study. A cohort of consecutive pediatric patients of less than 3 years of age, undergoing congenital cardiac surgeries between May 2021 and December 2023 in West China Hospital will be enrolled. The VCO2i levels of each patient will be recorded every 5 min during CPB. The primary outcome is the rate of HL. The infants will be divided into two groups based on the presence or not of HL. Pre- and intraoperative factors will be tested for independent association with HL. Then, we will make an analysis, and the critical value of VCO2i will be obtained. The postoperative outcome of patients with or without HL will be compared.

DISCUSSION

This will be the first trial to investigate the association of VCO2i during CPB and HL, and explore the critical VCO2i threshold during CPB in pediatrics. The results of this study are expected to lay a foundation for clinical application of goal-directed perfusion (GDP) management strategy, and optimize the perfusion strategy and improve the prognosis of pediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Chictr.org.cn, ChiCTR2100044296 on 16 March 2021.

Curtailing virus-induced inflammation in respiratory infections: emerging strategies for therapeutic interventions

Acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI) are the most common illnesses worldwide. In some instances, mild cases of ARVI progress to hyperinflammatory responses, which are damaging to pulmonary tissue and requiring intensive care. Here we summarize available information on preclinical and clinical effects of XC221GI (1-[2-(1-methyl imidazole-4-yl)-ethyl]perhydroazin-2,6-dione), an oral drug with a favorable safety profile that has been tested in animal models of influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, highly pathogenic coronavirus strains and other acute viral upper respiratory infections. XC221GI is capable of controlling IFN-gamma-driven inflammation as it is evident from the suppression of the production of soluble cytokines and chemokines, including IL-6, IL-8, CXCL10, CXCL9 and CXCL11 as well as a decrease in migration of neutrophils into the pulmonary tissue. An excellent safety profile of XC221GI, which is not metabolized by the liver, and its significant anti-inflammatory effects indicate utility of this compound in abating conversion of ambulatory cases of respiratory infections into the cases with aggravated presentation that require hospitalization. This drug is especially useful when rapid molecular assays determining viral species are impractical, or when direct antiviral drugs are not available. Moreover, XC221GI may be combined with direct antiviral drugs to enhance their therapeutic effects.

Flu-IV score: a predictive tool for assessing the risk of invasive mechanical ventilation in patients with influenza-related pneumonia

Background

The need for invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) is linked to significant morbidity and mortality in patients with influenza-related pneumonia (Flu-p). We aimed to develop an assessment tool to predict IMV among Flu-p patients within 14 days of admission.

Methods

In total, 1107 Flu-p patients from five teaching hospitals were retrospectively enrolled from January 2012 to December 2019, including 895 patients in the derivation cohort and 212 patients in the validation cohort. The predictive model was established based on independent risk factors for IMV in the Flu-p patients from the derivation cohort.

Results

Overall, 10.6% (117/1107) of patients underwent IMV within 14 days of admission. Multivariate regression analyses revealed that the following factors were associated with IMV: early neuraminidase inhibitor use (− 3 points), lymphocytes < 0.8 × 10⁹/L (1 point), multi-lobar infiltrates (1 point), systemic corticosteroid use (1 point), age ≥ 65 years old (1 points), PaO₂/FiO₂ < 300 mmHg (2 points), respiratory rate ≥ 30 breaths/min (3 points), and arterial PH < 7.35 (4 points). A total score of five points was used to identify patients at risk of IMV. This model had a sensitivity of 85.5%, a specificity of 88.8%, and exhibited better predictive performance than the ROX index (AUROC = 0.909 vs. 0.594, p = 0.004), modified ROX index (AUROC = 0.909 vs. 0.633, p = 0.012), and HACOR scale (AUROC = 0.909 vs. 0.622, p < 0.001) using the validation cohort.

Conclusions

Flu-IV score is a valuable prediction rule for 14-day IMV rates in Flu-p patients. However, it should be validated in a prospective study before implementation.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12890-022-01833-2.

Behavior of hospitalized severe influenza cases according to the outcome variable in Catalonia, Spain, during the 2017-2018 season

Influenza is an important cause of severe illness and death among patients with underlying medical conditions and in the elderly. The aim of this study was to investigate factors associated with ICU admission and death in patients hospitalized with severe laboratory-confirmed influenza during the 2017–2018 season in Catalonia. An observational epidemiological case-to-case study was carried out. Reported cases of severe laboratory-confirmed influenza requiring hospitalization in 2017–2018 influenza season were included. Mixed-effects regression analysis was used to estimate the factors associated with ICU admission and death. A total of 1306 cases of hospitalized severe influenza cases were included, of whom 175 (13.4%) died and 217 (16.6%) were ICU admitted. Age 65–74 years and ≥ 75 years and having ≥ 2 comorbidities were positively associated with death (aOR 3.19; 95%CI 1.19–8.50, aOR 6.95, 95%CI 2.76–1.80 and aOR 1.99; 95%CI 1.12–3.52, respectively). Neuraminidase inhibitor treatment and pneumonia were negatively associated with death. The 65–74 years and ≥ 75 years age groups were negatively associated with ICU admission (aOR 0.41; 95%CI 0.23–0.74 and aOR 0.30; 95%CI 0.17–0.53, respectively). A factor positively associated with ICU admission was neuraminidase inhibitor treatment. Our results support the need to investigate the worst outcomes of hospitalized severe cases, distinguishing between death and ICU admission.