The practice of intensive care in Latin America: a survey of academic intensivists

Core sepsis-related competencies for medical students: an international consensus by Delphi technique

BACKGROUND

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition which may arise from infection in any organ system and requires early recognition and management. Healthcare professionals working in any specialty may need to manage patients with sepsis. Educating medical students about this condition may be an effective way to ensure all future doctors have sufficient ability to diagnose and treat septic patients. However, there is currently no consensus on what competencies medical students should achieve regarding sepsis recognition and treatment. This study aims to outline what sepsis-related competencies medical students should achieve by the end of their medical student training in both high or upper-middle incomes countries/regions and in low or lower-middle income countries/regions.

METHODS

Two separate panels from high or upper-middle income and low or lower-middle income countries/regions participated in a Delphi method to suggest and rank sepsis competencies for medical students. Each panel consisted of 13-18 key stakeholders of medical education and doctors in specialties where sepsis is a common problem (both specialists and trainees). Panelists came from all continents, except Antarctica.

RESULTS

The panels reached consensus on 38 essential sepsis competencies in low or lower-middle income countries/regions and 33 in high or upper-middle incomes countries/regions. These include competencies such as definition of sepsis and septic shock and urgency of antibiotic treatment. In the low or lower-middle income countries/regions group, consensus was also achieved for competencies ranked as very important, and was achieved in 4/5 competencies rated as moderately important. In the high or upper-middle incomes countries/regions group, consensus was achieved in 41/57 competencies rated as very important but only 6/11 competencies rated as moderately important.

CONCLUSION

Medical schools should consider developing curricula to address essential competencies, as a minimum, but also consider addressing competencies rated as very or moderately important.

Nationwide Clinical Practice Patterns of Anesthesiology Critical Care Physicians: A Survey to Members of the Society of Critical Care Anesthesiologists

BACKGROUND

Despite the growing contributions of critical care anesthesiologists to clinical practice, research, and administrative leadership of intensive care units (ICUs), relatively little is known about the subspecialty-specific clinical practice environment. An understanding of contemporary clinical practice is essential to recognize the opportunities and challenges facing critical care anesthesia, optimize staffing patterns, assess sustainability and satisfaction, and strategically plan for future activity, scope, and training. This study surveyed intensivists who are members of the Society of Critical Care Anesthesiologists (SOCCA) to evaluate practice patterns of critical care anesthesiologists, including compensation, types of ICUs covered, models of overnight ICU coverage, and relationships between these factors. We hypothesized that variability in compensation and practice patterns would be observed between individuals.

METHODS

Board-certified critical care anesthesiologists practicing in the United States were identified using the SOCCA membership distribution list and invited to take a voluntary online survey between May and June 2021. Multiple-choice questions with both single- and multiple-select options were used for answers with categorical data, and adaptive questioning was used to clarify stem-based responses. Respondents were asked to describe practice patterns at their respective institutions and provide information about their demographics, salaries, effort in ICUs, as well as other activities.

RESULTS

A total of 490 participants were invited to take this survey, and 157 (response rate 32%) surveys were completed and analyzed. The majority of respondents were White (73%), male (69%), and younger than 50 years of age (82%). The cardiothoracic/cardiovascular ICU was the most common practice setting, with 69.5% of respondents reporting time working in this unit. Significant variability was observed in ICU practice patterns. Respondents reported spending an equal proportion of their time in clinical practice in the operating rooms and ICUs (median, 40%; interquartile range [IQR], 20%-50%), whereas a smaller proportion-primarily those who completed their training before 2009-reported administrative or research activities. Female respondents reported salaries that were $36,739 less than male respondents; however, this difference was not statistically different, and after adjusting for age and practice type, these differences were less pronounced (-$27,479.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], -$57,232.61 to $2273.03; P = .07).

CONCLUSIONS

These survey data provide a current snapshot of anesthesiology critical care clinical practice patterns in the United States. Our findings may inform decision-making around the initiation and expansion of critical care services and optimal staffing patterns, as well as provide a basis for further work that focuses on intensivist satisfaction and burnout.

Sepsis in Children in Latin America: Gaps, Inequities, and Improvement Strategies

ABSTRACT

Pediatric sepsis is a worldwide public health issue because of its high mortality rate, which increases even more in low-income countries. In this article, we review the Latin American background, the burdens of pediatric sepsis in Latin America, and the Caribbean, as well as some strategies that could help improve the outcomes of sepsis in these regions from a public health view.

Adherencia al paquete de medidas ABCDEF durante la pandemia de COVID-19

Introducción

El objetivo de este estudio fue describir el conocimiento y el uso reportado del paquete de medidas ABCDEF en las unidades de cuidados intensivos (UCI) de adultos de la República Argentina durante la pandemia por SARS-CoV-2.

Métodos

Se realizó un estudio cualitativo a través de una encuesta nacional dirigida a profesionales de la salud.

Resultados

Se recibieron 396 cuestionarios completos de profesionales de 21 provincias argentinas y la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires. El 66% de los participantes contestaron que conocen el paquete y lo aplican con diferentes grados de implementación. El 42,9% informó que usa al menos una herramienta validada para evaluar el dolor. Más de la mitad de los encuestados afirman realizar vacaciones de sedación y pruebas de ventilación espontánea diariamente. Las escalas de sedación fueron utilizadas por el 66,6% de los participantes en forma rutinaria. El 62% utiliza herramientas validadas para la detección de delirium. Respecto de la movilización temprana y ejercicio de los pacientes, el 91,8% de los profesionales entrevistados comunicaron que realizan rehabilitación neuromuscular en su UCI. Finalmente, solamente el 6,8% informó que su unidad estaba abierta las 24 horas para las visitas familiares. Las principales barreras a la aplicación del paquete de medidas fueron los recursos humanos y hospitalarios limitados, la resistencia al cambio, la falta de información y el aislamiento por COVID-19.

Conclusión

El 66% de los participantes contestó que conoce el paquete y lo aplica con diferentes grados de implementación.

Low-dose radiotherapy for COVID-19 pneumonia treatment: case report, procedure, and literature review

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has set the emergency services in developing countries on major alert, as the installed response capacities are easily overwhelmed by the constantly increasing high demand. The deficit of intensive care unit beds and ventilators in countries like Peru is forcing practitioners to seek preventive or early interventional strategies to prevent saturating these chronically neglected facilities.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 64-year-old patient is reported after presenting with COVID-19 pneumonia and rapidly progressing to deteriorated ventilatory function. Compassionate treatment with a single 1‑Gy dose to the bilateral whole-lung volume was administered, with gradual daily improvement of ventilatory function and decrease in serum inflammatory markers and oxygen support needs, including intubation. No treatment-related toxicity developed. Procedures of transport, disinfection, and treatment planning and delivery are described.

CONCLUSION

Whole-lung low-dose radiotherapy seems to be a promising approach for avoiding or delaying invasive respiratory support. Delivered low doses are far from meeting toxicity ranges. On-going prospective trials will elucidate the effectiveness of this approach.

Health inequities in the diagnosis and outcome of sepsis in Argentina: a prospective cohort study

Background

Socioeconomic variables impact health outcomes but have rarely been evaluated in critical illness. Low- and middle-income countries bear the highest burden of sepsis and also have significant health inequities. In Argentina, public hospitals serve the poorest segment of the population, while private institutions serve patients with health coverage. Our objective was to analyze differences in mortality between public and private hospitals, using Sepsis-3 definitions.

Methods

This is a multicenter, prospective cohort study including patients with sepsis admitted to 49 Argentine ICUs lasting 3 months, beginning on July 1, 2016. Epidemiological, clinical, and socioeconomic status variables and hospital characteristics were compared between patients admitted to both types of institutions.

Results

Of the 809 patients included, 367 (45%) and 442 (55%) were admitted to public and private hospitals, respectively. Those in public institutions were younger (56 ± 18 vs. 64 ± 18; p < 0.01), with more comorbidities (Charlson score 2 [0–4] vs. 1 [0–3]; p < 0.01), fewer education years (7 [7–12] vs. 12 [10–16]; p < 0.01), more frequently unemployed/informally employed (30% vs. 7%; p < 0.01), had similar previous self-rated health status (70 [50–90] vs. 70 [50–90] points; p = 0.30), longer pre-admission symptoms (48 [24–96] vs. 24 [12–48] h; p < 0.01), had been previously evaluated more frequently in any healthcare venue (28 vs. 20%; p < 0.01), and had higher APACHE II, SOFA, lactate levels, and mechanical ventilation utilization. ICU admission as septic shock was more frequent in patients admitted to public hospitals (47 vs. 35%; p < 0.01), as were infections caused by multiresistant microorganisms. Sepsis management in the ICU showed no differences. Twenty-eight-day mortality was higher in public hospitals (42% vs. 24%; p < 0.01) as was hospital mortality (47% vs. 30%; p < 0.01). Admission to a public hospital was an independent predictor of mortality together with comorbidities, lactate, SOFA, and mechanical ventilation; in an alternative prediction model, it acted as a correlate of pre-hospital symptom duration and infections caused by multiresistant microorganisms.

Conclusions

Patients in public hospitals belonged to a socially disadvantaged group and were sicker at admission, had septic shock more frequently, and had higher mortality. Unawareness of disease severity and delays in the health system might be associated with late admission. This marked difference in outcome between patients served by public and private institutions constitutes a state of health inequity.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s13054-019-2522-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Gender disparity in ICU staffing in Argentina

PURPOSE

Gender disparities in healthcare are striking, notwithstanding an increase in female students and physicians. Underrepresentation of women in leadership positions is well-documented; however, information from low and middle-income countries (LMICs) is still sparse. The Argentinian Society of Intensive Care Medicine (SATI) aimed to characterize the gender composition in Argentine ICUs.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Between 8/1/2018 and 1/1/2019, 131 questionnaires were submitted to ICU Department Chairs of SATI research networks. Gender distribution of the different staffing levels, board certification and hospital characteristics were recorded. One-hundred and four were completed, including 2186 physicians; 44% were female. Female participation decreased with highest responsibility: only 23% of Department Chairs were female (P = .002 vs. the rest of the staffing categories, adjusted for multiple comparisons). Residents exhibited the highest proportion of female physicians (47%). Board certification was similar for both sexes (62.3% vs. 62.2%, P = .97). Female/male distribution in public and private hospitals was 47%/53% and 40/60% (P < .01), respectively.

CONCLUSION

Our data provide evidence of an important gender gap in ICU management in a LMIC. Women were poorly represented in the leadership positions, although qualifications were similar to men. Moreover, female physicians worked more frequently in the public health subsector, usually underfinanced in LMICs-a surrogate of a gender pay gap.

The Pan American and Iberian Federation of Critical Medicine and Intensive Therapy develops its Strategic Plan

The Pan-American and Iberian Federation of Critical Medicine and Intensive Therapy, A.C. (FEPIMCTI), has prepared its Strategic Plan for the next 5 years. In this Plan, it defines its course towards the future, establishes its long-term objectives and works to achieve success. Its strategic objectives are framed in consolidating the legal, fiscal and administrative structure, the updating of its statutes, the implementation of a process management system encompassed in a quality culture, the implementation of committees of experts, achieving academic excellence by developing training programs and giving visibility to the Federation. Their main values refer to equity, professionalism, respect and social solidarity. The implementation of the Strategic Plan in a collaborative manner must serve as a driving force for change to position FEPIMCTI as a relevant Scientific Society in the Critical Medicine of its member countries.