Outcome of cancer patients considered for intensive care unit admission: a hospital-wide prospective study

Characteristics and outcomes of cancer patients admitted to intensive care units in cancer specialized hospitals in China

PURPOSE

Standard intensive care unit (ICU) admission policies and treatment strategies for patients with cancer are still lacking. To depict the current status of admission, characteristics, and outcomes of patients with cancer in the ICU.

METHODS

A multicenter cross-sectional study was performed from May 10, 2021 to July 10, 2021, in the ICU departments of 37 cancer-specialized hospitals in China. Clinical records of all admitted patients aged ≥ 14 years and ICU duration > 24 h with complete data were included. Demographic information, clinical history, severity score at admission, ICU critical condition diagnosis and treatment, ICU and in-hospital outcomes and 90 days survival were also collected. A total of 1455 patients were admitted and stayed for longer than 24 h. The most common primary cancer diagnoses included lung, colorectal, esophageal, and gastric cancer.

RESULTS

Patients with lung cancer were admitted more often because of worsening complications that occurred in the clinical ward. However, other cancer patients may be more likely to be admitted to the ICU because of postoperative care. ICU-admitted patients with lung or esophageal cancer tended to have more ICU complications. Patients with lung cancer had a poor overall survival prognosis, whereas patients with colorectal cancer appeared to benefit the most according to 90 days mortality rates.

CONCLUSION

Patients with lung cancer require more ICU care due to critical complications and the overall survival prognosis is poor. Colorectal cancer may benefit more from ICU management. This information may be considered in ICU admission and treatment strategies.

Characterisation and Outcomes of Patients with Solid Organ Malignancies Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit: Mortality and Impact on Functional Status and Oncological Treatment

BACKGROUND

Despite the increasing number of ICU admissions among patients with solid tumours, there is a lack of tools with which to identify patients who may benefit from critical support. We aim to characterize the clinical profile and outcomes of patients with solid malignancies admitted to the ICU.

METHODS

Retrospective observational study of patients with cancer non-electively admitted to the ICU of the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona (Spain) between January 2019 and December 2019. Data regarding patient and neoplasm characteristics, ICU admission features and outcomes were collected from medical records.

RESULTS

97 ICU admissions of 84 patients were analysed. Lung cancer (22.6%) was the most frequent neoplasm. Most of the patients had metastatic disease (79.5%) and were receiving oncological treatment (75%). The main reason for ICU admission was respiratory failure (38%). Intra-ICU and in-hospital mortality rates were 9.4% and 24%, respectively. Mortality rates at 1, 3 and 6 months were 19.6%, 36.1% and 53.6%. Liver metastasis, gastrointestinal cancer, hypoalbuminemia, elevated basal C-reactive protein, ECOG-PS greater than 2 at ICU admission, admission from ward and an APACHE II score over 14 were related to higher mortality. Functional status was severely affected at discharge, and oncological treatment was definitively discontinued in 40% of the patients.

CONCLUSION

Medium-term mortality and functional deterioration of patients with solid cancers non-electively admitted to the ICU are high. Surrogate markers of cachexia, liver metastasis and poor ECOG-PS at ICU admission are risk factors for mortality.

Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine and Indian Association of Palliative Care Expert Consensus and Position Statements for End-of-life and Palliative Care in the Intensive Care Unit

End-of-life care (EOLC) exemplifies the joint mission of intensive and palliative care (PC) in their human-centeredness. The explosion of technological advances in medicine must be balanced with the culture of holistic care. Inevitably, it brings together the science and the art of medicine in their full expression. High-quality EOLC in the ICU is grounded in evidence, ethical principles, and professionalism within the framework of the Law. Expert professional statements over the last two decades in India were developed while the law was evolving. Recent landmark Supreme Court judgments have necessitated a review of the clinical pathway for EOLC outlined in the previous statements. Much empirical and interventional evidence has accumulated since the position statement in 2014. This iteration of the joint Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine-Indian Association of Palliative Care (ISCCM-IAPC) Position Statement for EOLC combines contemporary evidence, ethics, and law for decision support by the bedside in Indian ICUs.

How to cite this article

Mani RK, Bhatnagar S, Butola S, Gursahani R, Mehta D, Simha S, et al. Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine and Indian Association of Palliative Care Expert Consensus and Position Statements for End-of-life and Palliative Care in the Intensive Care Unit. Indian J Crit Care Med 2024;28(3):200-250.

Clinical Warburg effect in lymphoma patients admitted to intensive care unit

BACKGROUND

The Warburg effect, characterized by elevated lactate levels without tissue hypoxia or shock, has been described in patients with aggressive lymphoproliferative malignancies. However, the clinical characteristics and long-term outcomes in this population remain poorly understood.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed 135 patients with aggressive lymphoproliferative malignancies admitted to the ICU between January 2017 and December 2022. Patients were classified into three groups: Clinical Warburg Effect (CWE), No Warburg with High Lactate level (NW-HL), and No Warburg with Normal Lactate level (NW-NL). Clinical characteristics and outcomes were compared between the groups and factors associated with 1-year mortality and CWE were identified using multivariable analyses.

RESULTS

Of the 135 patients, 46 (34%) had a CWE. This group had a higher proportion of Burkitt and T cell lymphomas, greater tumor burden, and more frequent bone and cerebral involvement than the other groups. At 1 year, 72 patients (53%) died, with significantly higher mortality in the CWE and NW-HL groups (70% each) than in the NW-NL group (38%). Factors independently associated with 1-year mortality were age [HR = 1.02 CI 95% (1.00-1.04)], total SOFA score at admission [HR = 1.19 CI 95% (1.12-1.25)], and CWE [HR = 3.87 CI 95% (2.13-7.02)]. The main factors associated with the CWE were tumor lysis syndrome [OR = 2.84 CI 95% (1.14-7.42)], bone involvement of the underlying malignancy [OR = 3.58 CI 95% (1.02-12.91)], the total SOFA score at admission [OR = 0.81 CI 95% (0.69-0.91)] and hypoglycemia at admission [OR = 14.90 CI 95% (5.42-47.18)].

CONCLUSION

CWE is associated with a higher tumor burden and increased 1-year mortality compared to patients without this condition. Our findings underscore the importance of recognizing patients with CWE as a high-risk cohort, as their outcomes closely resemble those of individuals with lymphoma and shock, despite not requiring advanced organ support. Clinicians should recognize the urgency of managing these patients and consider early intervention to improve their prognosis.

Outcome of patients with newly diagnosed AML admitted to the ICU, including preemptive admission - a multi-center study

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) can lead to life-threatening complications that may require intensive care unit (ICU) management. It has been advocated that early preemptive (ePE) ICU admission, before the onset of organ failure, could benefit some high-risk patients such as those with hyperleukocytosis. The aim of this study was to retrospectively analyze the outcome of newly diagnosed AML patients who required ICU admission in five academic centers with a special focus on patients with an ePE admission strategy, i.e., those transferred to the ICU without any organ failure (modified SOFA score ≤ 2 [omitting thrombocytopenia] and no life-sustaining intervention in the first 24 h following ICU admission) before the start of induction therapy. Between January 2017 and December 2019, 428 patients were included among which 101 were admitted to the ICU. Among patients requiring life-sustaining interventions (n = 83), 18 (22%) died while in the ICU but ICU survivors had the same survival as those not admitted to the ICU. Patients with an ePE admission (n = 18) had more comorbidities and high-risk disease features such as hyperleukocytosis but required no life-sustaining interventions while in the ICU. In a subgroup analysis of patients with hyperleukocytosis ≥ 50 G/l at diagnosis (n = 85), patients not admitted to the ICU and those admitted with an ePE strategy had similar outcomes. This study provides encouraging results about ICU outcome in AML patients during induction therapy but the potential benefit of an ePE strategy must be confirmed prospectively.

Risk factors for ICU mortality in patients with hematological malignancies: a singlecenter, retrospective cohort study from Turkey

BACKGROUND

Patients with hematological malignancies (HM) often require admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) due to organ failure, disease progression or treatment-related complications, and they generally have a poor prognosis. Therefore, understanding the factors affecting ICU mortality in HM patients is important. In this study, we aimed to identify the risk factors for ICU mortality in our critically ill HM patients.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of HM patients who were hospitalized in our medical ICU between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2018. We recorded some parameters of these patients and compared these parameters by statistically between survivors and nonsurvivors to determine the risk factors for ICU mortality.

RESULTS

The study included 368 critically ill HM patients who were admitted to our medical ICU during a 9-year period. The median age was 58 (49-67) years and 63.3% of the patients were male. Most of the patients (43.2%) had acute leukemia. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) was performed in 153 (41.6%) patients. The ICU mortality rate was 51.4%. According to univariable analyses, a lot of parameters (e.g., admission APACHE II and SOFA scores, length of ICU stay, some laboratory parameters at the ICU admission, the reason for ICU admission, comorbidities, type of HM, type of HSCT, infections on ICU admission and during ICU stay, etc.) were significantly different between survivors and nonsurvivors. However, only high SOFA scores at ICU admission (OR:1.281, p = 0.004), presence of septic shock (OR:17.123, p = 0.0001), acute kidney injury (OR:48.284, p = 0.0001), and requirement of invasive mechanical ventilation support during ICU stay (OR:23.118, p = 0.0001) were independent risk factors for ICU mortality.

DISCUSSION

In our cohort, critically ill HM patients had high ICU mortality. We found four independent predictors for ICU mortality. Yet, there is still a need for further research to better understand poor outcome predictors in critically ill HM patients.

Quality of life of patients with solid malignancies at 3 months after unplanned admission in the intensive care unit: A prospective case-control study

BACKGROUND

Although short- and long-term survival in critically ill patients with cancer has been described, data on their quality of life (QoL) after an intensive care unit (ICU) stay are scarce. This study aimed to determine the impact of an ICU stay on QoL assessed at 3 months in patients with solid malignancies.

METHODS

A prospective case-control study was conducted in three French ICUs between February 2020 and February 2021. Adult patients with lung, colorectal, or head and neck cancer who were admitted in the ICU were matched in a 1:2 ratio with patients who were not admitted in the ICU regarding their type of cancer, curative or palliative anticancer treatment, and treatment line. The primary endpoint was the QoL assessed at 3 months from inclusion using the mental and physical components of the Short Form 36 (SF-36) Health Survey. The use of anticancer therapies at 3 months was also evaluated.

RESULTS

In total, 23 surviving ICU cancer patients were matched with 46 non-ICU cancer patients. Four patients in the ICU group did not respond to the questionnaire. The mental component score of the SF-36 was higher in ICU patients than in non-ICU patients: median of 54 (interquartile range: 42-57) vs. 47 (37-52), respectively (p = 0.01). The physical component score of the SF-36 did not differ between groups: 35 (31-47) vs. 42 (34-47) (p = 0.24). In multivariate analysis, no association was found between patient QoL and an ICU stay. A good performance status and a non-metastatic cancer at baseline were independently associated with a higher physical component score. The use of anticancer therapies at 3 months was comparable between the two groups.

CONCLUSION

In patients with solid malignancies, an ICU stay had no negative impact on QoL at 3 months after discharge when compared with matched non-ICU patients.

Effect of a delayed admission to the intensive care unit on survival after emergency department visit in patients with cancer: a retrospective observational study

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE

Delayed admission to the ICU is reported to be associated with worse outcomes in cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE

The main objective of this study was to compare the 180-day survival of cancer patients whether they were directly admitted to the ICU from the emergency department (ED) or secondarily from the wards after the ED visit.

DESIGN, SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS

This was a retrospective observational study including all adult cancer patients that visited the ED in 2018 and that were admitted to the ICU at some point within 7 days from the ED visit.

EXPOSURE

Delayed ICU admission.

OUTCOME MEASURE AND ANALYSIS

Survival at day 180 was plotted using Kaplan-Meier curves, and hazard ratio (HR) from Cox proportional-hazard models was used to quantify the association between admission modality (directly from the ED or later from wards) and survival at day 180, after adjustment to baseline characteristics.

RESULTS

During the study period, 4560 patients were admitted to the hospital following an ED visit, among whom 136 (3%) patients had cancer and were admitted to the ICU, either directly from the ED in 101 (74%) cases or secondarily from the wards in 35 (26%) cases. Patients admitted to the ICU from the ED had a better 180-day survival than those admitted secondarily from wards (log-rank P = 0.006). After adjustment to disease status (remission or uncontrolled malignancy), survival at day 180 was significantly improved in the case of admission to the ICU directly from the ED with an adjusted HR of 0.50 (95% confidence interval, 0.26-0.95), P = 0.03.

CONCLUSION

In ED patients with cancer, a direct admission to the ICU was associated with better 180-day survival compared with patients with a delayed ICU admission secondary from the wards. However, several confounders were not taken into account, which limits the validity of this result.

Tumor lysis syndrome, acute kidney injury and disease-free survival in critically ill patients requiring urgent chemotherapy

Background

Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) is a life-threatening complication during the treatment of malignant neoplasia. We sought to describe characteristics and predictors of acute kidney injury (AKI), remission and mortality in high-risk TLS patients. In this retrospective monocentric study, we included all patients with the diagnosis of biological and/or clinical TLS from 2012 to 2018. The primary outcome was the prevalence of AKI during the acute phase of TLS. Secondary outcomes were overall mortality and remission of the underlying malignancy at 1 year.

Results

Among 153 patients with TLS, 123 (80.4%) patients experienced AKI and 83 (54.2%) required renal replacement therapy. mSOFA score (OR = 1.15, IC 95% [1.02–1.34]), age (OR = 1.05, IC 95% [1.02–1.08]) and male gender (OR = 6.79, IC 95% [2.59–19.44]) were associated with AKI. Rasburicase use (HR = 2.45, IC 95% [1.17–5.15]) was associated with remission of the underlying malignancy at 1 year. Parameters associated with mortality at 1 year were mechanical ventilation (HR = 1.96, IC 95% [1.02–3.78]), vasopressors (HR = 3.13, IC 95% [1.59–6.15]), age (HR = 1.02, IC 95% [1–1.03]), spontaneous TLS (HR = 1.65, IC 95% [1.01–2.69]) and delay of chemotherapy administration (HR = 1.01, IC 95% [1–1.03]).

Conclusions

AKI is highly prevalent in TLS patients. Rasburicase is associated with better outcomes regarding remission of the underlying malignancy. As rasburicase may be an indirect marker of a high degree of tumor lysis and chemosensitivity, more studies are warranted to confirm the protective role of urate oxidase. Delaying chemotherapy may be deleterious in terms of long-term outcomes.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13613-022-00990-1.

A comprehensive analysis of 5-year outcomes in patients with cancer admitted to intensive care units

Background

The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term (5-year) clinical outcomes of patients who received intensive care unit (ICU) treatment using Korean nationwide data.

Methods

All patients aged >18 years with ICU admission according to Korean claims data from January 2008 to December 2010 were enrolled. These enrolled patients were followed up until December 2015. The primary outcome was ICU mortality.

Results

Among all critically ill patients admitted to the ICU (n=323,765), patients with cancer showed higher ICU mortality (18.6%) than those without cancer (13.2%, p<0.001). However, there was no significant difference in ICU mortality at day 28 among patients without cancer (14.5%) and those with cancer (lung cancer or hematologic malignancies) (14.3%). Compared to patients without cancer, hazard ratios of those with cancer for ICU mortality at 5 years were: 1.90 (1.87–1.94) for lung cancer; 1.44 (1.43–1.46) for other solid cancers; and 3.05 (2.95–3.16) for hematologic malignancies.

Conclusion

This study showed that the long-term survival rate of patients with cancer was significantly worse than that of general critically ill patients. However, short term outcomes of critically ill patients with cancer were not significantly different from those of general patients, except for those with lung cancer or hematologic malignancies.

Oxygenation strategy during acute respiratory failure in immunocompromised patients

Acute respiratory failure (ARF) in immunocompromised patients remains challenging to treat. A large number of case require admission to intensive care unit (ICU) where mortality remains high. Oxygenation without intubation is important in this setting. This review summarizes recent studies assessing oxygenation devices for immunocompromised patients. Previous studies showed that non-invasive ventilation (NIV) has been associated with lower intubation and mortality rates. Indeed, in recent years, the outcomes of immunocompromised patients admitted to the ICU have improved. In the most recent randomized controlled trials, including immunocompromised patients admitted to the ICU with ARF, neither NIV nor high-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) could reduce the mortality rate. In this setting, other strategies need to be tested to decrease the mortality rate. Early admission strategy and avoiding late failure of oxygenation strategy have been assessed in retrospective studies. However, objective criteria are still lacking to clearly discriminate time to admission or time to intubation. Also, diagnosis strategy may have an impact on intubation or mortality rates. On the other hand, lack of diagnosis has been associated with a higher mortality rate. In conclusion, improving outcomes in immunocompromised patients with ARF may include strategies other than the oxygenation strategy alone. This review discusses other unresolved questions to decrease mortality after ICU admission in such patients.

Primary brain tumor patients admitted to a US intensive care unit: a descriptive analysis

Purpose:

To describe our population of primary brain tumor (PBT) patients, a subgroup of cancer patients whose intensive care unit (ICU) outcomes are understudied.

Methods:

Retrospective analysis of PBT patients admitted to an ICU between 2013 to 2018 for an unplanned need. Using descriptive analyses, we characterized our population and their outcomes.

Results:

Fifty-nine PBT patients were analyzed. ICU mortality was 19% (11/59). The most common indication for admission was seizures (n = 16, 27%).

Conclusion:

Our ICU mortality of PBT patients was comparable to other solid tumor patients and the general ICU population and better than patients with hematological malignancies. Further study of a larger population would inform guidelines for triaging PBT patients who would most benefit from ICU-level care.

Purpose: Data are lacking regarding outcomes of patients with primary brain tumors (PBTs) admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU), which may it difficult for ICU providers to know who of these patients will best benefit from ICU-level care. We aimed to describe our patient population to contribute to the limited data. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of critically ill PBT patients in our ICU. Results: Of 59 patients analyzed, ICU mortality was 19% (11/59), and the most common indication for admission was seizures (n = 16, 27%). Conclusion: Our ICU mortality of PBT patients was comparable to other solid tumor patients and the general ICU population and better than patients with hematological malignancies.

Outcome of cancer patients considered for intensive care unit admission in two university hospitals in the Netherlands: the danger of delayed ICU admissions and off-hour triage decisions

Background

Very few studies assessed the association between Intensive Care Unit (ICU) triage decisions and mortality. The aim of this study was to assess whether an association could be found between 30-day mortality, and ICU admission consultation conditions and triage decisions.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort study in two large referral university hospitals in the Netherlands. We identified all adult cancer patients for whom ICU admission was requested from 2016 to 2019. Via a multivariable logistic regression analysis, we assessed the association between 30-day mortality, and ICU admission consultation conditions and triage decisions.

Results

Of the 780 cancer patients for whom ICU admission was requested, 332 patients (42.6%) were considered ‘too well to benefit’ from ICU admission, 382 (49%) patients were immediately admitted to the ICU and 66 patients (8.4%) were considered ‘too sick to benefit’ according to the consulting intensivist(s). The 30-day mortality in these subgroups was 30.1%, 36.9% and 81.8%, respectively. In the patient group considered ‘too well to benefit’, 258 patients were never admitted to the ICU and 74 patients (9.5% of the overall study population, 22.3% of the patients ‘too well to benefit’) were admitted to the ICU after a second ICU admission request (delayed ICU admission). Thirty-day mortality in these groups was 25.6% and 45.9%. After adjustment for confounders, ICU consultations during off-hours (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.09–2.38, p-value 0.02) and delayed ICU admission (OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.00–3.33, p-value 0.048 compared to “ICU admission”) were independently associated with 30-day mortality.

Conclusion

The ICU denial rate in our study was high (51%). Sixty percent of the ICU triage decisions in cancer patients were made during off-hours, and 22.3% of the patients initially considered “too well to benefit” from ICU admission were subsequently admitted to the ICU. Both decisions during off-hours and a delayed ICU admission were associated with an increased risk of death at 30 days. Our study suggests that in cancer patients, ICU triage decisions should be discussed during on-hours, and ICU admission policy should be broadened, with a lower admission threshold for critically ill cancer patients.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13613-021-00898-2.

Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score and the Need for Organ Support Predict Mortality in Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant Patients Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is an effective therapy resulting in increased definitive cure rates or extended disease-free survival in various malignant and nonmalignant hematologic diseases. However, because of the high risk of severe complications of this therapy, up to 50% of patients may require being admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) to manage life-threatening conditions. We aimed to evaluate the in-hospital mortality of allo-HSCT recipients admitted to the ICU and to identify those variables associated with in-hospital mortality. A 10-year (January 2010 to December 2019), single-center, retrospective study was conducted in Vall d´Hebron University Hospital, Barcelona. We included all consecutive allo-HSCT patients who required admission to the ICU. Baseline and disease-related characteristics were registered. Severity scores and the need for organ support were also assessed on days 1, 3, and 5 of ICU admission. In-hospital mortality-associated independent variables were identified using the Cox proportional hazards regression model. Three hundred twenty-three patients underwent allo-HSCT during the study period, of whom 82 (25%) were admitted to the ICU; 53 (65%) male, with a median age of 51 (38-59) years. Most patients received allo-HSCT for the treatment of lymphoma (20 patients [24%]) or acute leukemia (44 patients [54%]). The median Acute Physiology And Chronic Health Evaluation II score was 23 (17-28), and the median Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score on admission was 9 (7-11). Forty-nine (60%) patients died in the ICU, and 11 (13%) died in the hospital after being discharged from the ICU. Disease-related characteristics were not associated with mortality. Yet, SOFA score on day 1 (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.11 [95% confidence interval {CI}: 1.04-1.02]; P = .002), the need for vasopressors on day 3 (HR: 2.35 [95% CI: 1.27-4.36]; P = .007), and a nondecreasing SOFA score on day 5 (HR: 2.13 [95% CI: 1.03-4.39]; P = .04), were independently associated with in-hospital mortality. Mortality in allo-HSCT patients who require ICU admission remains high. In the present study, SOFA score, the need for vasopressors on day 3, and a nondecreasing SOFA score on day 5 predicted in-hospital mortality.

Assessment of mortality and performance status in critically ill cancer patients: A retrospective cohort study

INTRODUCTION

Given clinicians' frequent concerns about unfavourable outcomes, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) triage decisions in acutely ill cancer patients can be difficult, as clinicians may have doubts about the appropriateness of an ICU admission. To aid to this decision making, we studied the survival and performance status of cancer patients 2 years following an unplanned ICU admission.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study in a large tertiary referral university hospital in the Netherlands. We categorized all adult patients with an unplanned ICU admission in 2017 into two groups: patients with or without an active malignancy. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's Chi-square tests and the Mann-Whitney U tests were used to evaluate the primary objective 2-year mortality and performance status. A good performance status was defined as ECOG performance status 0 (fully active) or 1 (restricted in physically strenuous activity but ambulatory and able to carry out light work). A multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with 2-year mortality within cancer patients.

RESULTS

Of the 1046 unplanned ICU admissions, 125 (12%) patients had cancer. The 2-year mortality in patients with cancer was significantly higher than in patients without cancer (72% and 42.5%, P <0.001). The median performance status at 2 years in cancer patients was 1 (IQR 0-2). Only an ECOG performance status of 2 (OR 8.94; 95% CI 1.21-65.89) was independently associated with 2-year mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

In our study, the majority of the survivors have a good performance status 2 years after ICU admission. However, at that point, three-quarter of these cancer patients had died, and mortality in cancer patients was significantly higher than in patients without cancer. ICU admission decisions in acutely ill cancer patients should be based on performance status, severity of illness and long-term prognosis, and this should be communicated in the shared decision making. An ICU admission decision should not solely be based on the presence of a malignancy.

Survival in Immunocompromised Patients Ultimately Requiring Invasive Mechanical Ventilation: A Pooled Individual Patient Data Analysis

Rationale: Acute respiratory failure (ARF) is associated with high mortality in immunocompromised patients, particularly when invasive mechanical ventilation is needed. Therefore, noninvasive oxygenation/ventilation strategies have been developed to avoid intubation, with uncertain impact on mortality, especially when intubation is delayed. Objectives: We sought to report trends of survival over time in immunocompromised patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation. The impact of delayed intubation after failure of noninvasive strategies was also assessed. Methods: Systematic review and meta-analysis using individual patient data of studies that focused on immunocompromised adult patients with ARF requiring invasive mechanical ventilation. Studies published in English were identified through PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central (2008-2018). Individual patient data were requested from corresponding authors for all identified studies. We used mixed-effect models to estimate the effect of delayed intubation on hospital mortality and described mortality rates over time. Measurements and Main Results: A total of 11,087 patients were included (24 studies, three controlled trials, and 21 cohorts), of whom 7,736 (74%) were intubated within 24 hours of ICU admission (early intubation). The crude mortality rate was 53.2%. Adjusted survivals improved over time (from 1995 to 2017, odds ratio [OR] for hospital mortality per year, 0.96 [0.95-0.97]). For each elapsed day between ICU admission and intubation, mortality was higher (OR, 1.38 [1.26-1.52]; P < 0.001). Early intubation was significantly associated with lower mortality (OR, 0.83 [0.72-0.96]), regardless of initial oxygenation strategy. These results persisted after propensity score analysis (matched OR associated with delayed intubation, 1.56 [1.44-1.70]). Conclusions: In immunocompromised intubated patients, survival has improved over time. Time between ICU admission and intubation is a strong predictor of mortality, suggesting a detrimental effect of late initial oxygenation failure.

Cancer Patients' Prehospital Emergency Care: Post Hoc Analysis from the French Prospective Multicenter Study EPICANCER

Background: Very little data are available concerning the prehospital emergency care of cancer patients. The objective of this study is to report the trajectories and outcomes of cancer patients attended by prehospital emergency services. Methods: This was an ancillary study from a three-day cross-sectional prospective multicenter study in France. Adult patients with cancer were included if they called the emergency medical dispatch center Service d’Aide Médicale Urgente (SAMU). The study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03393260, accessed on 8th January 2018). Results: During the study period, 1081 cancer patients called the SAMU. The three most frequent reasons were dyspnea (20.2%), neurological disorder (15.4%), and fatigue (13.1%). Among those patients, 949 (87.8%) were directed to the hospital, among which 802 (90.8%) were directed to an emergency department (ED) and 44 (5%) were transported directly to an intensive care unit (ICU). A mobile intensive care unit (MICU) was dispatched 213 (31.6%) times. The decision to dispatch an MICU seemed generally based on the patient’s reason for seeking emergency care and the presence of severity signs rather than on the malignancy or the patient general health status. Among the patients who were directed to the ED, 98 (16.1%) were deceased on day 30. Mortality was 15.4% for those patients directed to the ED but who were not admitted to the ICU in the next 7 days, 28.2% for those who were admitted to ICU in the next 7 days, and 56.1% for those patients transported by the MICU directly to the ICU. Conclusion: Cancer patients attending prehospital emergency care were most often directed to EDs. Patients who were directly transported to the ICU had a high mortality rate, raising the question of improving triage policies.

The Reality of Critical Cancer Patients in a Polyvalent Intensive Care Unit

Background and objective With the increasing incidence of cancer and the rise in the survival rates of cancer patients, more and more oncological candidates are being considered for admission to intensive care units (ICU). Several studies have demonstrated no difference in the outcomes of cancer patients compared to non-cancer patients. Our study aimed to describe and analyze the outcomes related to cancer patients in a polyvalent ICU. Methods We conducted a retrospective study of consecutive oncological patients admitted to a polyvalent ICU (2013-2017). Cox model and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were performed to analyze the results. Results A total of 236 patients were included in the study; the mean age of the patients was 53.5 ± 15.3 years, and 65% of them were male. The main cancer types were those related to the central nervous system (CNS; 31%), as well as gastrointestinal (18%), genitourinary (17%), and hematological (15%). Curative/diagnostic surgeries (49%) and sepsis/septic shock (17%) were the main reasons for admission. The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) and Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS II) scores in hematological patients vs. solid tumors were as follows: 30 vs. 20 and 63 vs. 38, respectively (p<0.005). Vasopressors, invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), and renal replacement therapy (RRT) were used more widely in hematological patients compared to solid-tumor patients. Length of stay was longer in hematological patients vs. solid-tumor patients (12.8 vs. 7 days, p=0.002). The median overall survival in hematological patients was one month and that in solid-tumor patients was 5.8 months (p<0.005). The survival rate at six months was better than described in the existing literature (48 vs. 32.4%). Conclusion Both SAPS II and APACHE II scores were reasonably accurate in predicting mortality, demonstrating their value in cancer patients.

[Bone marrow transplantation patients in the intensive care unit]

Allogeneic hematopoetic stem cell transplantation yields improved long-term survival for patients with high-risk malignant and non-malignant hematologic disease. However, it is associated with high morbidity and mortality. A proportion of patients need intensive care due to infectious, immunological and/or toxic complications. The utility of intensive care unit (ICU) treatments as mechanical ventilation and renal replacement therapy for these patients is uncertain since mortality is high. We describe the most frequent complications and the treatment options concerning the ICU in recipients of allogeneic hematopoetic stem cells.

Development and validation of the VitaL CLASS score to predict mortality in stage IV solid cancer patients with septic shock in the emergency department: a multi-center, prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Clinical decision-making of invasive high-intensity care for critically ill stage IV cancer patients in the emergency department (ED) is challenging. A reliable and clinically available prognostic score for advanced cancer patients with septic shock presented at ED is essential to improve the quality of intensive care unit care. This study aimed to develop a new prognostic score for advanced solid cancer patients with septic shock available early in the ED and to compare the performance to the previous severity scores.

METHODS

This multi-center, prospective cohort study included consecutive adult septic shock patients with stage IV solid cancer. A new scoring system for 28-day mortality was developed and validated using the data of development (January 2016 to December 2017; n = 469) and validation sets (January 2018 to June 2019; n = 428). The developed score's performance was compared to that of the previous severity scores.

RESULTS

New scoring system for 28-day mortality was based on six variables (score range, 0-8): vital signs at ED presentation (respiratory rate, body temperature, and altered mentation), lung cancer type, and two laboratory values (lactate and albumin) in septic shock (VitaL CLASS). The C-statistic of the VitaL CLASS score was 0.808 in the development set and 0.736 in the validation set, that is superior to that of the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score (0.656, p = 0.01) and similar to that of the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score (0.682, p = 0.08). This score could identify 41% of patients with a low-risk group (observed 28-day mortality, 10.3%) and 7% of patients with a high-risk group (observed 28-day mortality, 73.3%).

CONCLUSIONS

The VitaL CLASS score could be used for both risk stratification and as part of a shared clinical decision-making strategy for stage IV solid cancer patients with septic shock admitting at ED within several hours.

Triage and Prognostication of Cancer Patients Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit

Cancer remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Advances in cancer screening, early detection, targeted therapies, and supportive care have led to improvements in outcomes and quality of life. The rapid increase in novel cancer therapies can cause life-threatening adverse events. The need for intensive care unit (ICU) care is projected to increase. Until 2 decades ago, cancer diagnosis often precluded ICU admission. Recently, substantial cancer survival has been achieved; therefore, ICU denial is not recommended. ICU resources are limited and expensive; hence, appropriate utilization is needed. This review focuses on triage and prognosis in critically ill cancer patients requiring ICU admission.

Palliative, Ethics, and End-of-Life Care Issues in the Cancer Patient

End-of-life care of critically ill adult patients with advanced or incurable cancers is imbued with major ethical challenges. Oncologists, hospitalists, and intensivists can inadvertently subjugate themselves to the perceived powers of autonomous patients. Therapeutic illusion and poor insight by surrogates in physicians' ability to offer accurate prognosis, missed opportunities and miscommunication by clinicians, and lack of systematic or protocolized approach represent important barriers to high-quality palliative care. Enhanced collaboration, models that allow clinicians and surrogates to share the burdens of decision, and institutional support for early integration of palliative care can foster an ethical climate.

Impact of early ICU admission on outcome of critically ill and critically ill cancer patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

Prognostic impact of early ICU admission remains controversial. The aim of this review was to investigate the impact of early ICU admission in the general ICU population and in critically ill cancer patients and to report level of evidences of this later.

METHODS

Systematic review and meta-analysis performed on articles published between 1970 and 2017. Two authors extracted data. Influence of early ICU admission on mortality is reported as Risk Ratio (95%CI) using both fixed and random-effects model.

DATA SYNTHESIS

For general ICU population, 31 studies reporting on 73,213 patients were included (including 66,797 patients with early ICU admission) and for critically ill cancer patients 14 studies reporting on 2414 patients (including 1272 with early ICU admission) were included. Early ICU admission was associated with decreased mortality using a random effect model (RR 0.65; 95% confidence interval 0.58-0.73; I² = 66%) in overall ICU population as in critically ill cancer patients (RR 0.69; 95% confidence interval 0.52-0.90; I² = 85%). To explore heterogeneity, a meta-regression was performed. Characteristics of the trials (prospective vs. retrospective, monocenter vs. multicenter) had no impact on findings. Publication after 2010 (median publication period) was associated with a lower effect of early ICU admission (estimate 0.37; 95%CI 0.14-0.60; P = 0.002) in the general ICU population. A significant publication bias was observed.

CONCLUSION

Theses results suggest that early ICU admission is associated with decreased mortality in the general ICU population and in CICP. These results were however obtained from high risk of bias studies and a high heterogeneity was noted. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO 2018 CRD42018094828.

Impact of critical care response team implementation on oncology patient outcomes: A retrospective cohort study

Introduction:

The main goal of a critical care response team (CCRT) is to quickly assess and transfer, if required, rapidly deteriorating patients to an intensive care unit (ICU) to prevent cardiopulmonary arrest, stabilize patients' condition, and help in optimizing the care provided by the primary team. The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation between early intervention by CCRT and the outcome of oncology patients.

Materials and Methods:

This is a retrospective cohort study conducted at King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. KAMC is a tertiary care facility with 1200-bed capacity. The study compared oncology patients to nononcology patients.

Results:

Over 4 years, a total number of 4941 patients were reviewed, of which 172 were oncology patients. The average age of patients in the oncology group was 48.8 ± 20.7, while the average age for nononcology was 52.8 ± 21.2 (P = 0.016). The average Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score on admission for oncology patients was higher than that for the nononcology group (27.8 ± 8.9 vs. 23.6 ± 9.3, respectively). Lower ICU mortality was seen after CCRT implementation (38.8% vs. 62.7%). The average duration of hospital stay and ICU stay increased after CCRT implementation (37.34 vs. 29.31 and 11.93 vs. 8.9, respectively).

Conclusion:

In this study, we identified that early intervention by implementing CCRT had a significant impact in reducing ICU mortality for oncology and nononcology patients.

Treatment Limitation Decisions in Critically Ill Patients With a Malignancy on the Intensive Care Unit

Background:

Treatment limitation decisions (TLDs) on the ICU can be challenging, especially in patients with a malignancy. Up-to-date literature regarding TLDs in critically ill patients with a malignancy admitted to the ICU is scarce. The aim was to compare the incidence of written TLDs between patients with an active malignancy, patients with a malignancy in their medical history (complete remission, CR) and patients without a malignancy admitted unplanned to the ICU.

Methods:

We conducted a retrospective cohort study in a large university hospital in the Netherlands. We identified all unplanned admissions to the ICU in 2017 and categorized the patients in 3 groups: patients with an active malignancy (study population), with CR and without a malignancy. A TLD was defined as a written instruction not to perform life-saving treatments, such as CPR in case of cardiac arrest. A multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify whether having a malignancy was associated with TLDs.

Results:

Of the 1046 unplanned admissions, 125 patients (12%) had an active malignancy and 76 (7.3%) patients had CR. The incidence of written TLDs in these subgroups were 37 (29.6%) and 20 (26.3%). Age (OR 1.03; 95% CI 1.01 -1.04), SOFA score at ICU admission (OR 1.11; 95% CI 1.05 -1.18) and having an active malignancy (OR 1.75; 95% CI 1.04-2.96) compared to no malignancy were independently associated with written TLDs. SOFA scores on the day of the TLD were not significantly different in patients with and without a malignancy.

Conclusions:

This study shows that the presence of an underlying malignancy is independently associated with written TLDs during ICU stay. Patients with CR were not at risk of more written TLDs. Whether this higher incidence of TLDs in patients with a malignancy is justified, is at least questionable and should be evaluated in future research.

Appropriateness of intensive care treatments near the end of life during the COVID-19 pandemic

The patient and family perspective on the appropriateness of intensive care unit (ICU) treatments involves preferences, values and social constructs beyond medical criteria. The clinician's perception of inappropriateness is more reliant on clinical judgment. Earlier consultation with families before ICU admission and patient education on the outcomes of life-sustaining therapies may help reconcile these provider-patient disagreements. However, global emergencies like COVID-19 change the usual paradigm of end-of-life care, as it is a new disease with only scarce predictive information about it. Pandemics can also bring about the burdensome predicament of doctors having to make unwanted choices of rationing access to the ICU when demand for otherwise life-saving resources exceeds supply. Evidence-based prognostic checklists may guide treatment triage but the principles of shared decision-making are unchanged. Yet, they need to be altered with respect to COVID-19, defining likely outcomes and likelihood of benefit for the patient, and clarifying their willingness to take on the risks inherent to being in an ICU for 2 weeks for those eligible. For patients who are admitted during the prodrome of COVID-19 disease, or those who deteriorate in the second week, clinicians have some lead time in hospital to have appropriate discussions about ceilings of treatments offered based on severity.

KEY POINTS

The patient and family perspective on inappropriateness of intensive care at the end of life often differs from the clinician's opinion due to the nonmedical frame of mind.To improve satisfaction with communication on treatment goals, consultation on patient values and inclusion of social constructs in addition to clinical prediction is a good start to reconcile differences between physician and health service users' viewpoints.During pandemics, where health systems may collapse, different admission criteria driven by the need to ration services may be warranted.

EDUCATIONAL AIMS

To explore the extent to which older patients and their families are involved in decisions about appropriateness of intensive care admission or treatmentsTo understand how patients or their families define inappropriate intensive care admission or treatmentsTo reflect on the implications of decision to admit or not to admit to the intensive care unit in the face of acute resource shortages during a pandemic.

Practical Considerations for Treating Patients With Cancer in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Cancer has become a prevalent disease, affecting millions of new patients globally each year. The COVID-19 pandemic is having far-reaching impacts around the world, causing substantial disruptions to health and health care systems that are likely to last for a prolonged period. Early data have suggested that having cancer is a significant risk factor for mortality from severe COVID-19. A diverse group of medical oncologists met to formulate detailed practical advice on systemic anticancer treatments during this crisis. In the context of broad principles, issues including risks of treatment, principles of prioritizing resources, treatment of elderly patients, and psychosocial impact are discussed. Detailed treatment advice and options are given at a tumor stream level. We must maintain care for patients with cancer as best we can and recognize that COVID-19 poses a significant competing risk for death that changes conventional treatment paradigms.

One-year survival in patients with solid tumours discharged alive from the intensive care unit after unplanned admission: A retrospective study

PURPOSE

Outcomes in cancer patients after unplanned ICU admission was reassessed.

METHODS

retrospective cohort of patients with solid tumours admitted to ICU over a 10 years period.

RESULTS

622 patients (age 62 [53-70]) were analysed. The most common primary sites of cancer were lung (n = 133; 21.4%) and digestive tract (n = 126; 20.2%) The ICU mortality rate was 22.2% (n = 138). Among 470 ICU survivors, the 1-year mortality was 41.3% (95% CI, 36-45.9) (n = 167). Factors independently associated with 1-year mortality were ICU admission after 2010 (HR 0.53 (0.37-0.76), p < .001), disease status (respectively, HR = 1.88 (1.0.2-3.45), p = .002) for locally advanced cancer and HR = 2.23 (1.35-3.67), p = .003) for metastatic cancer), poor performance status (HR = 1.58 (1.08-2.31), p = .019), newly diagnosed cancer at ICU admission (HR = 2.02 (1.28-3.20), p = .003), inability to receive oncologic treatment after ICU discharge (HR = 5.34 (3.49-8.18), p < .001) and decision to withhold life-sustaining treatment during ICU stay (HR = 2.34 (1.50-3.65), p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Among the factors associated with one-year mortality after ICU discharge, the possibility of receiving oncologic treatment after ICU discharge seems crucial.

Predictors of mortality among patients with acute leukemias admitted to an intensive care unit specialized in patients with hematological disease at a Brazilian hospital

INTRODUCTION

Hematologists deal every day with high mortality rates of acute leukemia patients. Many times these patients need Intensive Care Unit (ICU) support and some general ICU teams believe that these patients have a much greater chance of dying than patients with other pathologies. In Brazil, data related to mortality rates and ICUs for acute leukemia patients are scarce.

METHODS

Therefore, to assess mortality predictors in patients with acute leukemia admitted to a specialized hematological ICU, we evaluated demographics, supportive care, hospitalization time, disease status, admitting diagnosis, neutropenia, number of transfusions and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE)/Sepsis Related Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores as possible factors associated with mortality. Data were extracted from the first admission records of 110 patients with acute leukemia admitted to the Hemocentro de Pernambuco (Hemope) ICU between 2006 and 2009.

RESULTS

In this retrospective cohort study, 72/110 of the patients were men, and 64/110 were from the metropolitan area of Recife. The patients' age median was 43.5 years (±17.9); 67.3% had acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and 32.7% had acute lymphoid leukemia. The main admitting diagnosis in the ICU was sepsis (66.7%). The mean APACHE II score was 18.3. Of the total, 65 (59%) died, and the mortality rate was independently related to longer hospitalization (p<0.001), the increase in the APACHE II score (p<0.038) and having received hemodialysis (p<0.006). Neutropenia, receiving multiple transfusions and using any kind of mechanical ventilation or vasoactive drug on admission were not relevant to mortality. Factors associated with higher mortality rates were: longer hospitalization, increase in the APACHE II score, and use of hemodialysis.

CONCLUSION

With these data, to prevent organ lesions before admission to the ICU, a better strategy might be to reduce mortality for leukemia patients.

Long-Term Outcome of Patients With a Hematologic Malignancy and Multiple Organ Failure Admitted at the Intensive Care

Objectives:

Historically, patients with a hematologic malignancy have one of the highest mortality rates among cancer patients admitted to the ICU. Therefore, physicians are often reluctant to admit these patients to the ICU. The aim of our study was to examine the survival of patients who have a hematologic malignancy and multiple organ failure admitted to the ICU.

Design:

This retrospective cohort study, part of the HEMA-ICU study group, was designed to study the survival of patients with a hematologic malignancy and organ failure after admission to the ICU. Patients were followed for at least 1 year.

Setting:

Five university hospitals in the Netherlands.

Patients:

One-thousand ninety-seven patients with a hematologic malignancy who were admitted at the ICU.

Interventions:

None.

Measurements and Main Results:

Primary outcome was 1-year survival. Organ failure was categorized as acute kidney injury, respiratory failure, hepatic failure, and hemodynamic failure; multiple organ failure was defined as failure of two or more organs. The World Health Organization performance score measured 3 months after discharge from the ICU was used as a measure of functional outcome. The 1-year survival rate among these patients was 38%. Multiple organ failure was inversely associated with long-term survival, and an absence of respiratory failure was the strongest predictor of 1-year survival. The survival rate among patients with 2, 3, and 4 failing organs was 27%, 22%, and 8%, respectively. Among all surviving patients for which World Health Organization scores were available, 39% had a World Health Organization performance score of 0–1 3 months after ICU discharge. Functional outcome was not associated with the number of failing organs.

Conclusions:

Our results suggest that multiple organ failure should not be used as a criterion for excluding a patient with a hematologic malignancy from admission to the ICU.

Acute kidney injury in critically ill patients with solid tumours

Background

Patients with solid tumours are at risk for acute kidney injury (AKI), however, epidemiological data are limited.

Methods

We conducted a study that included patients with solid tumours admitted to a single-centre intensive care unit (ICU) from January 2011 to December 2015. We analysed factors associated with the occurence of AKI, ICU and Day-90 mortality.

Results

Two-hundred and four patients were included. The incidence of AKI was 59%, chiefly related to sepsis (80%), hypovolaemia (40%) and outflow tract obstruction (17%). Renal replacement therapy was implemented in 12% of the patients, with a hospital mortality of 39%. Independent predictors of AKI were: Simplified Acute Physiological Score II (SAPS II) [odds ratio (OR) 1.05; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.02-1.07; P < 0.001], abdominal or pelvic cancer (OR 2.84; 95% CI 1.35-5.97; P = 0.006), nephrotoxic chemotherapy within the previous 3 months (OR 3.84; 95% CI 1.67-8.84; P = 0.002) and sepsis (OR 2.74; 95% CI 1.30-5.77; P = 0.008). Renal recovery at Day 90 was inversely related to AKI severity. ICU, hospital and Day-90 mortality were 15, 29 and 37%, respectively. Factors independently associated with ICU mortality were: total serum protein (OR per 10 g/L, 0.44; 95% CI 0.23-0.86; P = 0.02) and SAPS II (OR 1.04; 95% CI 1.01-1.07; P = 0.02), while Day-90 mortality was associated with performance status 3-4 (OR 6.59; 95% CI 2.42-18; P < 0.001) and total serum protein (OR 0.60; 95% CI 0.38-0.94; P = 0.02).

Conclusions

AKI in patients with solid tumours was frequent and renal recovery gradually decreased in proportion to AKI severity. However, AKI was not independently associated with a higher short-term mortality.

Direct admission to the intensive care unit from the emergency department and mortality in critically ill hematology patients

Background

The aim of this study was to assess the benefit of direct ICU admission from the emergency department (ED) compared to admission from wards, in patients with hematological malignancies requiring critical care.

Methods

Post hoc analysis derived from a prospective, multicenter cohort study of 1011 critically ill adult patients with hematologic malignancies admitted to 17 ICU in Belgium and France from January 2010 to May 2011. The variable of interest was a direct ICU admission from the ED and the outcome was in-hospital mortality. The association between the variable of interest and the outcome was assessed by multivariable logistic regression after multiple imputation of missing data. Several sensitivity analyses were performed: complete case analysis, propensity score matching and multivariable Cox proportional-hazards analysis of 90-day survival.

Results

Direct ICU admission from the ED occurred in 266 (26.4%) cases, 84 of whom (31.6%) died in the hospital versus 311/742 (41.9%) in those who did not. After adjustment, direct ICU admission from the ED was associated with a decreased in-hospital mortality (adjusted OR: 0.63; 95% CI 0.45–0.88). This was confirmed in the complete cases analysis (adjusted OR: 0.64; 95% CI 0.45–0.92) as well as in terms of hazard of death within the 90 days after admission (adjusted HR: 0.77; 95% CI 0.60–0.99). By contrast, in the propensity score-matched sample of 402 patients, direct admission was not associated with in-hospital mortality (adjusted OR: 0.92; 95% CI 0.84–1.01).

Conclusions

In this study, patients with hematological malignancies admitted to the ICU were more likely to be alive at hospital discharge if they were directly admitted from the ED rather than from the wards. Assessment of early predictors of poor outcome in cancer patients admitted to the ED is crucial so as to allow early referral to the ICU and avoid delays in treatment initiation and mis-orientation.

Factors Associated With Clinical Deterioration Among Patients Hospitalized on the Wards at a Tertiary Cancer Hospital

PURPOSE

Patients hospitalized outside the intensive care unit (ICU) frequently experience clinical deterioration. Little has been done to describe the landscape of clinical deterioration among inpatients with cancer. We aimed to describe the frequency of clinical deterioration among patients with cancer hospitalized on the wards at a major academic hospital and to identify independent risk factors for clinical deterioration among these patients.

METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study at a 1,300-bed urban academic hospital with a 138-bed inpatient cancer center. We included consecutive admissions to the oncology wards between January 1, 2014, and June 30, 2017. We defined clinical deterioration as the composite of ward death and transfer to the ICU.

RESULTS

We evaluated 21,219 admissions from 9,058 patients. The composite outcome occurred during 1,945 admissions (9.2%): 1,365 (6.4%) had at least one ICU transfer, and 580 (2.7%) involved ward death. Logistic regression identified several independent risk factors for clinical deterioration, including the following: age (odds ratio [OR], 1.33 per decade; 95% CI, 1.07 to 1.67), male sex (OR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.05 to 1.33), comorbidities, illness severity (OR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.10 to 1.13), emergency admission (OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.26 to 1.67), hospitalization on particular wards (OR, 1.525; 95% CI, 1.326 to 1.67), bacteremia (OR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.52), fungemia (OR, 3.76; 95% CI, 1.90 to 7.41), tumor lysis syndrome (OR, 3.01; 95% CI, 2.41 to 3.76), and receipt of antimicrobials (OR, 2.04; 95% CI, 1.72 to 2.42) and transfusions (OR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.42 to 1.92).

CONCLUSION

Clinical deterioration was common; it occurred in more than 9% of admissions. Factors independently associated with deterioration included comorbidities, admission source, infections, and blood product transfusion.

The role of a critical care outreach service in the management of patients with haematological malignancy

Introduction

Although improvement in survival from haematological malignancies has been reported, a substantial number of these patients develop life threatening complications. Critical care outreach services (CCOS) aim to avert inappropriate ICU admissions, while ensuring timely patient review.

Methods

We retrospectively analysed patients with haematological malignancy reviewed by an outreach service between January 2014 and December 2015 at a single institution. The aim of our study was to describe the patient population assessed by a well-established outreach team, identify predictors of ICU admission, as well as ICU and hospital mortality.

Results

Sixty of 126 patients reviewed (47.6%) were admitted to ICU. ICU and hospital mortality were 25.3% and 45.2%, respectively. The odds of being admitted to ICU was 13 times higher (p = 0.013) if the patient was referred for hypoxia, 20 times higher (p = 0.006) if they were referred for sepsis or 14 times higher (p = 0.027) if they were referred to CCOS for hypotension, compared to when the team was automatically alerted. The odds of not surviving hospital admission increased 1.27 times for every extra day of CCOS review (p = 0.02). When a patient was referred having a refractory or progressive haematological condition, the odds of not surviving to hospital discharge increased by four or 12 times, respectively, compared to when the referred patient was in remission. Receiving high flow nasal cannula oxygen (HFNCO) was associated with a reduction in ICU admission (p = 0.03), irrespective of the underlying diagnosis, performance status or location of delivery. The CCOS participated in end-of-life discussions in 29% patients.

Conclusions

ICU and hospital mortality of patients with haemato-oncological malignancy continue to improve. CCOS are heavily involved in the recognition and management of these patients, as well as in the facilitation of end-of-life discussions. Sepsis was associated with increased risk of ICU admission and mortality. Initiation of HFNCO outside ICU appears to be feasible and safe and was not associated with increasing risk in this single centre study.

Variability in triage practices for critically ill cancer patients: A randomized controlled trial

PURPOSE

Intensive care triage practices and end-user interpretation of triage guidelines have rarely been assessed. We evaluated agreement between providers on the prioritization of patients for ICU admission using different triage guidelines.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A multi-centered randomized study on providers from 18 different countries was conducted using clinical vignettes of oncological patients. The level of agreement between providers was measured using two different guidelines, with one being cancer specific.

RESULTS

Amongst 257 providers, 52.5% randomly received the Society of Critical Care Prioritization Model, and 47.5% received a cancer specific flowchart as a guide. In the Prioritization Model arm the average entropy was 1.193, versus 1.153 in the flowchart arm (P = .095) indicating similarly poor agreement. The Fleiss' kappa coefficients were estimated to be 0.2136 for the SCCMPM arm and 0.2457 for the flowchart arm, also similarly implying poor agreement.

CONCLUSIONS

The low agreement amongst practitioners on the prioritization of cancer patient cases for ICU admission existed using both general triage guidelines and guidelines tailored only to cancer patients. The lack of consensus on intensive care unit triage practices in the oncological population exposes a potential barrier to appropriate resource allocation that needs to be addressed.

Improved survival rates of AML patients following admission to the intensive care unit

Induction chemotherapy in AML patients may have life-threatening side effects requiring intensive care unit (ICU) treatment. We analyzed all AML patients receiving intensive chemotherapy at a single academic center between 01/2006-12/2016. At least one ICU admission was observed in 32% (76/240) patients, and 33% of those died following ICU admission. Whereas the ICU admission proportion remained stable, mortality after ICU admission decreased from 14% (2006-2008) to 3% (2014-2016; p = .056). The number of failing organ systems inversely correlated with surviving ICU admission (p < .001). Sepsis and renal, cardiac and pulmonary failure were each associated with higher mortality. With increasing ICU duration, survival probability decreased (p < .001), but remained >50% even after 14 days of ICU treatment. Progression-free and overall survival were comparable between ICU surviving patients and patients never needing ICU support. In conclusion, outcome after ICU admission of AML patients has substantially improved in recent years.

Intensive care unit admission in patients with T cell lymphomas: clinical features and outcome

T cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas (T-NHLs) are aggressive malignancies which have a high risk of life-threatening complications. However, their prognosis in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting has not yet been assessed. We conducted a study including 87 ICU patients either with newly diagnosed T-NHLs or those undergoing first-line therapy admitted between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2014. The primary subtypes were peripheral T cell lymphoma (PTCL) (n = 41, 47%), anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL) (n = 13, 15%), and adult T-leukaemia/lymphoma (ATLL) (n = 11, 13%). Six in every ten patients had malignancy-related complications (haemophagocytic syndrome 37%, tumour lysis syndrome 18% and hypercalcaemia 9%), while infections accounted for one quarter of ICU admissions. Nine fungal infections were documented, including six invasive aspergillosis. Urgent chemotherapy was started in the ICU in 59% of the patients, and urgent surgery was required in 13%. ICU and day-90 mortality were 22% and 41%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that SOFA score at day 1, age, sepsis and haemophagocytic syndrome were independent predictors of day-90 mortality. Compared to 66 ICU-matched controls with non-Hodgkin B cell lymphomas, patients with T-NHLs had a similar ICU survival. Overall survival rates of patients with T cell NHLs and B cell NHLs were 20% and 46%, respectively (hazard ratio for death associated with T cell NHLs 2.00 [1.12-3.58]). Patients with T cell NHLs had a very poor long-term outcome. Although the high rate of short-term survival suggests that an ICU trial is a reasonable option for patients newly diagnosed for the malignancy, extended stay in the ICU or further readmission should be considered only for highly selected patients who respond to the haematological treatment.

Oxygenation/non-invasive ventilation strategy and risk for intubation in immunocompromised patients with hypoxemic acute respiratory failure

We investigated how the initial ventilation/oxygenation management may influence the need for intubation on the coming day in a cohort of immunocompromised patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (ARF).

Data from 847 immunocompromised patients with ARF were used to estimate the probability of intubation at day+1 within the first 3 days of ICU admission, according to oxygenation management. First, noninvasive ventilation (NIV) was compared to oxygen therapy whatever the administration device; then standard oxygen was compared to High Flow Nasal Cannula therapy alone (HFNC), NIV alone or NIV+HFNC. To take into account the oxygenation regimens over time and to handle confounders, propensity score weighting models were used.

In the original sample, the probability of intubation at day+1 was higher in the NIV group vs oxygenation therapy (OR = 1.64, 95CI, 1.09–2.48) or vs the standard oxygen group (OR = 2.05, 95CI: 1.29–3.29); it was also increased in the HFNC group compared to standard oxygen (OR = 2.85, 95CI: 1.37–5.67). However, all these differences disappeared by handling confounding-by-indication in the weighted samples, as well as in the pooled model. Note that adjusted OR for day-28 mortality increased with the day of intubation.

In this large cohort of immunocompromised patients, ventilation/oxygenation management had no impact on the probability of intubation on the coming day.

The challenge of avoiding intubation in immunocompromised patients with acute respiratory failure

INTRODUCTION

A growing number of immunocompromised (IC) patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (ARF) is admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) worldwide. Areas covered: This review provides an overview of the current knowledge of the ways to prevent intubation in IC patients with ARF. Expert commentary: Striking differences oppose ARF incidence, characteristics, etiologies and management between IC and non-IC patients. Survival benefits have been reported with early admission to ICU in IC patients. Then, while managing hypoxemia and associated organ dysfunction, the identification of the cause of ARF will be guided by a rigorous clinical assessment at the bedside, further assisted by an invasive or noninvasive diagnostic strategy based on clinical probability for each etiology. Finally, the initial respiratory support aims to avoid mechanical ventilation for the many yet recognizing those patients for whom delaying intubation expose them to suboptimal management. We advocate for not using noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in this setting. A proper evaluation of High-flow nasal cannula oxygen (HFNC)  is required in IC patients as to demonstrate its superiority compared to standard oxygen therapy. Day-to-day decisions must strive to avoid delayed intubation, and make every effort to identify ARF etiology.

Consensus statement for cancer patients requiring intensive care support

This consensus statement is directed to intensivists, hematologists, and oncologists caring for critically ill cancer patients and focuses on the management of these patients.

Intensive care in cancer patients in the age of immunotherapy and molecular therapies: Commitment of the SEOM-SEMICYUC

Cancer patients are a vulnerable group exposed to numerous and serious risks beyond cancer itself. In recent years, the prognosis of these individuals has improved substantially thanks to several advances such as immunotherapy, targeted molecular therapies, surgical techniques, or developments in support treatment. This coincides with the prolonged survival of oncological patients admitted to the ICU due to critical complications, and under the supervision of intensivists. The time has therefore come to revisit the intensive care support of these patients, which poses new professional as well as organizational challenges. An agreement was signed in 2017 between the SEOM and SEMICYUC with the aim of improving the quality of care of cancer patients with critical complications. The initiative seeks to aid in decision-making, standardize criteria, decrease subjectivity, generate channels of communication, and delve deeper into the ethical and scientific aspects of these situations. This document sets forth the most important reasons that have led us to undertake this initiative.