Factors influencing weaning from mechanical ventilation in neurological and neurosurgical early rehabilitation patients

Preoperative systemic immune-inflammation index may predict prolonged mechanical ventilation in patients with spontaneous basal ganglia intracerebral hemorrhage undergoing surgical operation

Background

Prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV) has been proven as a risk factor for poor prognosis in patients with neurocritical illness. Spontaneous basal ganglia intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is one common subtype of hemorrhagic stroke and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. The systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) is used as a novel and valuable prognostic marker for various neoplastic diseases and other critical illnesses.

Objective

This study aimed to analyze the predictive value of preoperative SII for PMV in patients with spontaneous basal ganglia ICH who underwent surgical operations.

Methods

This retrospective study was conducted in patients with spontaneous basal ganglia ICH who underwent surgical operations between October 2014 and June 2021. SII was calculated using the following formula: SII = platelet count × neutrophil count/lymphocyte count. Multivariate logistic regression analysis and receiver operating characteristics curve (ROC) were used to evaluate the potential risk factors of PMV after spontaneous basal ganglia ICH.

Results

A total of 271 patients were enrolled. Of these, 112 patients (47.6%) presented with PMV. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that preoperative GCS (OR, 0.780; 95% CI, 0.688-0.883; P < 0.001), hematoma size (OR, 1.031; 95% CI, 1.016-1.047; P < 0.001), lactic acid (OR, 1.431; 95% CI, 1.015-2.017; P = 0.041) and SII (OR, 1.283; 95% CI, 1.049-1.568; P = 0.015) were significant risk factors for PMV. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of SII was 0.662 (95% CI, 0.595-0.729, P < 0.001), with a cutoff value was 2,454.51.

Conclusion

Preoperative SII may predict PMV in patients with spontaneous basal ganglia ICH undergoing a surgical operation.

One-year outcome of brain injured patients undergoing early neurological rehabilitation: a prospective observational study

Background

The present study intended to analyze the outcome of patients with severe brain injury one-year after discharge from early rehabilitation.

Methods

Early neurological rehabilitation patients admitted to intensive or intermediate care units and discharged between June 2018 and May 2020 were screened for eligibility. The level of consciousness was evaluated using the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) upon admission and at discharge. At one-year follow-up, the outcome was assessed with the Glasgow Outcome Scale-extended (GOSE). Demographical and clinical data collected during inpatient rehabilitation were used to predict the outcome 1 year after discharge.

Results

Two hundred sixty-four patients (174 males, 90 females) with a median age of 62 years (IQR = 51–75) and a median duration of their disease of 18 days (IQR = 12–28) were included in the study. At follow-up, the mortality rate was 27% (n = 71). Age and discharge CRS-R total score were independent predictors in a Cox proportional hazards model with death (yes/no) as the dependent variable. According to the GOSE interviews, most patients were either dead (n = 71; 27%), in a vegetative state (n = 28; 11%) or had a severe disability (n = 124; 47%), whereas only a few patients showed a moderate disability (n = 18; 7%) or a good recovery (n = 23; 9%) 1 year after discharge. Age, non-traumatic etiology, discharge CRS-R total score and length of stay independently predicted whether the outcome was good or poor at follow-up.

Conclusion

Age was an important predictor for outcome at one-year follow-up, which might be due to altered brain plasticity and more comorbidities in elderly subjects. In addition, the present study demonstrated that the CRS-R total score at discharge might be more important for the prediction of one-year outcome than the initial assessment upon admission.

German hospital capacities for prolonged mechanical ventilator weaning in neurorehabilitation - results of a representative survey

A brief survey among members of the German Neurorehabilitation Society aimed to document the hospital capacities (“beds”) for prolonged weaning from a mechanical ventilator for patients with neuro-disabilities that require simultaneous multi-professional neurorehabilitation treatment. Sixty-eight institutions declared to have capacities with a broad distribution across Germany and its federal states. Overall, 1094 “beds” for prolonged weaning (and neurorehabilitation) were reported, 871 together with further information regarding their identification and hence regional location. These units had on average 16.1 beds for prolonged weaning (95% confidence interval 12.6 to 19.6) with a range from 2 to 68 beds per organization. The data indicate substantial capacities for the combined prolonged weaning and neurorehabilitation treatment in Germany. For most “beds” included in this analysis a basic validation was possible. While a reasonable coverage of these specialized service capacities by the survey is likely, the number reported could still be biased by underreporting by non-response. Both the broad variation of number of “beds” for prolonged weaning per unit and their unequal geographical distribution across federal states (per capita rate) warrant a more refined follow-up survey that will provide insights into reasons for the observed pattern of variation for these specialized hospital capacities.

Influence of paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity (PSH) on the functional outcome of neurological early rehabilitation patients: a case control study

Background

Paroxysmal Sympathetic Hyperactivity (PSH) is a frequently observed condition among critically ill patients on intensive care units. According to different studies, PSH is associated with worse recovery and increased mortality in acute-care facilities. In this monocentric, retrospective case-control study, we investigated whether this association also applies to post-acute neurological early rehabilitation.

Methods

The study included n = 387 patients, admitted to an intensive care or intermediate care unit within 1 year (2016). Among these, 97 patients showed clinical signs of PSH. For each patient with PSH, a patient without PSH was identified, controlling for age, gender, functional and respiratory status upon admission. However, for 25 patients with PSH, there was no suitable control patient fulfilling all defined matching criteria. Primary outcome was type of discharge, dichotomized into favorable (follow-up rehabilitation) and unfavorable outcome (all others). Secondary outcome measures were functional and respiratory status, number of secondary diagnoses, duration of treatment interruptions and length of stay at discharge.

Results

About 25% of neurological early rehabilitation patients showed clinical signs of PSH. A young age (OR = 0.94; CI = 0.91–0.97) and less severe PSH symptoms (OR = 0.79; CI = 0.69–0.90) were independent predictors of a favorable outcome. In addition, severity of PSH symptoms was associated with weaning duration, while the occurrence of PSH symptoms alone had no influence on most secondary outcome variables. The treatment on intermediate care units proved to be longer for patients with PSH symptoms, only.

Conclusions

Patients with PSH represent a large group of neurological early rehabilitation patients. Overall, we did not find PSH-related differences in most of the examined outcome measures. However, severe PSH symptoms seem to be associated with poorer outcome and longer treatment on intermediate care units, in order to prevent possible complications.