The use of bedside echocardiography for measuring cardiac index and systemic vascular resistance in pediatric patients with septic shock

Utility of NICaS Non-Invasive Hemodynamic Monitoring in Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19

(1) Background: COVID-19 presented many challenges to effective treatments, such as managing cardiovascular insufficiency while mitigating risks to healthcare providers. This study utilized NICaS, a non-invasive hemodynamic monitor that provides advanced data via whole-body impedance analysis. We investigated the associated trends in hemodynamic parameters obtained by the NICaS device and their correlation with in-hospital all-cause mortality during COVID-19 hospitalization in the intensive care unit. (2) Methods: Data from 29 patients with COVID-19 admitted to the intensive care unit and monitored with NICaS between April 2020 and February 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. (3) Results: Decreasing cardiac output and cardiac power were significantly associated with death. Total peripheral resistance was significantly increasing in non-survivors as was total body water percentage. Those admitted with a heart rate above 90 beats per minute had a significantly reduced survival. (4) Conclusions: Non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring via the NICaS device is simple and effective in evaluating critically ill patients with COVID-19 and may help guide clinical management via remote monitoring. Controlling tachycardia may help ensure adequate oxygen supply-demand ratio. A hint toward a beneficiary effect of a restrictive fluid balance may be observed.

Peripheral Intravenous Waveform Analysis Responsiveness to Subclinical Hemorrhage in a Rat Model

BACKGROUND

Early detection and quantification of perioperative hemorrhage remains challenging. Peripheral intravenous waveform analysis (PIVA) is a novel method that uses a standard intravenous catheter to detect interval hemorrhage. We hypothesize that subclinical blood loss of 2% of the estimated blood volume (EBV) in a rat model of hemorrhage is associated with significant changes in PIVA. Secondarily, we will compare PIVA association with volume loss to other static, invasive, and dynamic markers.

METHODS

Eleven male Sprague Dawley rats were anesthetized and mechanically ventilated. A total of 20% of the EBV was removed over ten 5 minute-intervals. The peripheral intravenous pressure waveform was continuously transduced via a 22-G angiocatheter in the saphenous vein and analyzed using MATLAB. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) and central venous pressure (CVP) were continuously monitored. Cardiac output (CO), right ventricular diameter (RVd), and left ventricular end-diastolic area (LVEDA) were evaluated via transthoracic echocardiogram using the short axis left ventricular view. Dynamic markers such as pulse pressure variation (PPV) were calculated from the arterial waveform. The primary outcome was change in the first fundamental frequency (F1) of the venous waveform, which was assessed using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Mean F1 at each blood loss interval was compared to the mean at the subsequent interval. Additionally, the strength of the association between blood loss and F1 and each other marker was quantified using the marginal R2 in a linear mixed-effects model.

RESULTS

PIVA derived mean F1 decreased significantly after hemorrhage of only 2% of the EBV, from 0.17 to 0.11 mm Hg, P = .001, 95% confidence interval (CI) of difference in means 0.02 to 0.10, and decreased significantly from the prior hemorrhage interval at 4%, 6%, 8%, 10%, and 12%. Log F1 demonstrated a marginal R2 value of 0.57 (95% CI 0.40-0.73), followed by PPV 0.41 (0.28-0.56) and CO 0.39 (0.26-0.58). MAP, LVEDA, and systolic pressure variation displayed R2 values of 0.31, and the remaining predictors had R2 values ≤0.2. The difference in log F1 R2 was not significant when compared to PPV 0.16 (95% CI -0.07 to 0.38), CO 0.18 (-0.06 to 0.04), or MAP 0.25 (-0.01 to 0.49) but was significant for the remaining markers.

CONCLUSIONS

The mean F1 amplitude of PIVA was significantly associated with subclinical blood loss and most strongly associated with blood volume among the markers considered. This study demonstrates feasibility of a minimally invasive, low-cost method for monitoring perioperative blood loss.

[Value of functional echocardiographic parameters in predicting refractory septic shock in neonates]

OBJECTIVES

To study the value of functional echocardiographic parameters in predicting refractory septic shock in neonates.

METHODS

A total of 72 neonates with septic shock were enrolled. According to the highest value of septic shock score, they were divided into two groups: refractory (n=30) and non-refractory (n=42). The two groups were compared in terms of clinical data, laboratory findings, and functional echocardiographic parameters. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the performance of functional echocardiographic parameters in predicting refractory septic shock.

RESULTS

Compared with the non-refractory group, the refractory group had significantly lower cardiac output and cardiac index (CI) and a significantly higher mean arterial pressure (MAP)/CI ratio (P<0.05). CI had a cut-off value of 2.6 L/(min·m²), a sensitivity of 79%, a specificity of 83%, and an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.841 in predicting septic shock-related death (P<0.05), and MAP/CI ratio had a cut-off value of 11.4, a sensitivity of 83%, a specificity of 73%, and an AUC of 0.769 (P<0.05). CI had a cut-off value of 2.9 L/(min·m²), a sensitivity of 69%, a specificity of 69%, and an AUC of 0.717 in predicting all-cause death within 28 days (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

CI and MAP/CI ratio can be useful for early prediction of septic shock-related death in neonates.

Association Between Different DVT Prevention Methods and Outcomes of Septic Shock Caused by Intestinal Perforation in China: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction

Septic shock, largely caused by intestinal perforation, is the most common critical illness in intensive care unit (ICU). As an important quality control strategy in ICU, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) prevention is routinely used in the treatment of septic shock. Nevertheless, the effects of DVT prevention on septic shock are not fully revealed. This study was thus designed to investigate the effects of DVT prevention on septic shock caused by intestinal perforation in China.

Methods

A total of 463 hospitals were enrolled in a survey, led by the China National Critical Care Quality Control Center (China NCCQC) from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018. The association between DVT prevention, including pharmacological prophylaxis and mechanical prophylaxis, and outcomes, such as prognosis, complications, hospital stays, and hospitalization costs, was determined in the present study.

Main Results

Notably, the increased rates of DVT prevention were not associated with the onset of complications in patients with septic shock caused by intestinal perforation (p > 0.05). In addition, even though increased DVT prevention did not affect hospital stays, it significantly decreased the discharge rates without doctor's order in patients with septic shock caused by intestinal perforation (p < 0.05). Nevertheless, it should be noted that the rates of pharmacological prophylaxis but not mechanical prophylaxis were significantly associated with the costs of septic shock caused by intestinal perforation (p < 0.05). Although increased total rates of DVT prevention and the rates of mechanical prophylaxis did not reduce the mortality in patients with septic shock caused by intestinal perforation, the higher frequent intervention using pharmacological prophylaxis indicated the lower mortality of these patients (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

DVT prevention by any means is a safe therapeutic strategy for treating septic shock caused by intestinal perforation, and pharmacological prophylaxis reduced the mortality of patients with septic shock caused by intestinal perforation.

Successful Treatment of Severely Hypotensive Pediatric Patients with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) with the Guidance of Invasive Hemodynamic Monitoring: A Report of Three Cases

Introduction: Since the beginning of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, it was assumed that infection rate in pediatric patients is lower than in adults and that infection is less severe in children than adult patients. Recently, there have been several reports and case series presenting critically-ill children with COVID-19, but still, severe hypotension is rare in pediatric patients with COVID-19. Case Presentation: We describe three pediatric cases with COVID-19 who presented with multi-system organ failure and severe hypotension treated with the guidance of the parameters of an invasive continuous hemodynamic monitoring device. We also compare their parameters with few articles on pediatric sepsis parameters. Conclusions: Although we usually start the treatment of hypotensive pediatric patients with hydration and epinephrine as an inotrope, in our cases, we required a different treatment plan according to the hemodynamic monitoring parameters, which indicates the value of the utilization of these devices in pediatric intensive care units

Age-Dependent Myocardial Dysfunction in Critically Ill Patients: Role of Mitochondrial Dysfunction

Myocardial dysfunction is common in septic shock and post-cardiac arrest but manifests differently in pediatric and adult patients. By conventional echocardiographic parameters, biventricular systolic dysfunction is more prevalent in children with septic shock, though strain imaging reveals that myocardial injury may be more common in adults than previously thought. In contrast, diastolic dysfunction in general and post-arrest myocardial systolic dysfunction appear to be more widespread in the adult population. A growing body of evidence suggests that mitochondrial dysfunction mediates myocardial depression in critical illness; alterations in mitochondrial electron transport system function, bioenergetic production, oxidative and nitrosative stress, uncoupling, mitochondrial permeability transition, fusion, fission, biogenesis, and autophagy all may play key pathophysiologic roles. In this review we summarize the epidemiologic and clinical phenotypes of myocardial dysfunction in septic shock and post-cardiac arrest and the multifaceted manifestations of mitochondrial injury in these disease processes. Since neonatal and pediatric-specific data for mitochondrial dysfunction remain sparse, conclusive age-dependent differences are not clear; instead, we highlight what evidence exists and identify gaps in knowledge to guide future research. Finally, since focal ischemic injury (with or without reperfusion) leading to myocardial infarction is predominantly an atherosclerotic disease of the elderly, this review focuses specifically on septic shock and global ischemia-reperfusion injury occurring after resuscitation from cardiac arrest.