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Tassiopoulos AK, Mofakham S, Rubano JA, Labropoulos N, Bannazadeh M, Drakos P, Volteas P, Cleri NA, Alkadaa LN, Asencio AA, Oganov A, Hou W, Rutigliano DN, Singer AJ, Vosswinkel J, Talamini M, Mikell CB, Kaushansky K. D-Dimer-Driven Anticoagulation Reduces Mortality in Intubated COVID-19 Patients: A Cohort Study With a Propensity-Matched Analysis. Front Med (Lausanne) 2021; 8:631335. [PMID: 33634153 PMCID: PMC7902033 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2021.631335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: Examine the possible beneficial effects of early, D-dimer driven anticoagulation in preventing thrombotic complications and improving the overall outcomes of COVID-19 intubated patients. Methods: To address COVID-19 hypercoagulability, we developed a clinical protocol to escalate anticoagulation based on serum D-dimer levels. We retrospectively reviewed all our first 240 intubated patients with COVID-19. Of the 240, 195 were stratified into patients treated based on this protocol (ON-protocol, n = 91) and the control group, patients who received standard thromboprophylaxis (OFF-protocol, n = 104). All patients were admitted to the Stony Brook University Hospital intensive care units (ICUs) between February 7th, 2020 and May 17, 2020 and were otherwise treated in the same manner for all aspects of COVID-19 disease. Results: We found that the overall mortality was significantly lower ON-protocol compared to OFF-protocol (27.47 vs. 58.66%, P < 0.001). Average maximum D-dimer levels were significantly lower in the ON-protocol group (7,553 vs. 12,343 ng/mL), as was serum creatinine (2.2 vs. 2.8 mg/dL). Patients with poorly controlled D-dimer levels had higher rates of kidney dysfunction and mortality. Transfusion requirements and serious bleeding events were similar between groups. To address any possible between-group differences, we performed a propensity-matched analysis of 124 of the subjects (62 matched pairs, ON-protocol and OFF-protocol), which showed similar findings (31 vs. 57% overall mortality in the ON-protocol and OFF-protocol group, respectively). Conclusions: D-dimer-driven anticoagulation appears to be safe in patients with COVID-19 infection and is associated with improved survival. What This Paper Adds: It has been shown that hypercoagulability in patients with severe COVID-19 infection leads to thromboembolic complications and organ dysfunction. Anticoagulation has been variably administered to these patients, but it is unknown whether routine or escalated thromboprophylaxis provides a survival benefit. Our data shows that escalated D-dimer driven anticoagulation is associated with improved organ function and overall survival in intubated COVID-19 ICU patients at our institution. Importantly, we found that timely escalation of this anticoagulation is critical in preventing organ dysfunction and mortality in patients with severe COVID-19 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Apostolos K Tassiopoulos
- Department of Surgery, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, United States.,Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, United States
| | - Sima Mofakham
- Department of Neurosurgery, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, United States
| | - Jerry A Rubano
- Department of Surgery, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, United States
| | - Nicos Labropoulos
- Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, United States
| | - Mohsen Bannazadeh
- Department of Surgery, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, United States.,Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, United States
| | - Panagiotis Drakos
- Department of Surgery, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, United States
| | - Panagiotis Volteas
- Department of Surgery, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, United States
| | - Nathaniel A Cleri
- Department of Neurosurgery, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, United States
| | - Leor N Alkadaa
- Department of Neurosurgery, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, United States
| | - Anthony A Asencio
- Department of Neurosurgery, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, United States
| | - Anthony Oganov
- Department of Neurosurgery, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, United States
| | - Wei Hou
- Department of Family, Population and Preventive Medicine, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, United States
| | - Daniel N Rutigliano
- Department of Surgery, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, United States
| | - Adam J Singer
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, United States
| | - James Vosswinkel
- Department of Surgery, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, United States
| | - Mark Talamini
- Department of Surgery, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, United States
| | - Charles B Mikell
- Department of Neurosurgery, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, United States
| | - Kenneth Kaushansky
- Department of Medicine, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, United States
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5
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Mallipattu SK, Jawa R, Moffitt R, Hajagos J, Fries B, Nachman S, Gan TJ, Saltz M, Saltz J, Kaushansky K, Skopicki H, Abell-Hart K, Chaudhri I, Deng J, Garcia V, Gayen S, Kurc T, Bolotova O, Yoo J, Dhaliwal S, Nataraj N, Sun S, Tsai C, Wang Y, Abbasi S, Abdullah R, Ahmad S, Bai K, Bennett-Guerrero E, Chua A, Gomes C, Griffel M, Kalogeropoulos A, Kiamanesh D, Kim N, Koraishy F, Lingham V, Mansour M, Marcos L, Miller J, Poovathor S, Rubano J, Rutigliano D, Sands M, Santora C, Schwartz J, Shroyer K, Spitzer S, Stopeck A, Talamini M, Tharakan M, Vosswinkel J, Wertheim W, Mallipattu SK, Jawa R, Moffitt R, Hajagos J, Fries B, Nachman S, Gan TJ, Saltz M, Saltz J, Kaushansky K, Skopicki H, Abell-Hart K, Chaudhri I, Deng J, Garcia V, Gayen S, Kurc T, Bolotova O, Yoo J, Dhaliwal S, Nataraj N, Sun S, Tsai C, Wang Y, Abbasi S, Abdullah R, Ahmad S, Bai K, Bennett-Guerrero E, Chua A, Gomes C, Griffel M, Kalogeropoulos A, Kiamanesh D, Kim N, Koraishy F, Lingham V, Mansour M, Marcos L, Miller J, Poovathor S, Rubano J, Rutigliano D, Sands M, Santora C, Schwartz J, Shroyer K, Spitzer S, Stopeck A, Talamini M, Tharakan M, Vosswinkel J, Wertheim W. Geospatial Distribution and Predictors of Mortality in Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19: A Cohort Study. Open Forum Infect Dis 2020; 7:ofaa436. [PMID: 33117852 PMCID: PMC7543608 DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofaa436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic offers the opportunity to assess how hospitals manage the care of hospitalized patients with varying demographics and clinical presentations. The goal of this study was to demonstrate the impact of densely populated residential areas on hospitalization and to identify predictors of length of stay and mortality in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in one of the hardest hit counties internationally. METHODS This was a single-center cohort study of 1325 sequentially hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in New York between March 2, 2020, to May 11, 2020. Geospatial distribution of study patients' residences relative to population density in the region were mapped, and data analysis included hospital length of stay, need and duration of invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), and mortality. Logistic regression models were constructed to predict discharge dispositions in the remaining active study patients. RESULTS The median age of the study cohort (interquartile range [IQR]) was 62 (49-75) years, and more than half were male (57%) with history of hypertension (60%), obesity (41%), and diabetes (42%). Geographic residence of the study patients was disproportionately associated with areas of higher population density (r s = 0.235; P = .004), with noted "hot spots" in the region. Study patients were predominantly hypertensive (MAP > 90 mmHg; 670, 51%) on presentation with lymphopenia (590, 55%), hyponatremia (411, 31%), and kidney dysfunction (estimated glomerular filtration rate < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2; 381, 29%). Of the patients with a disposition (1188/1325), 15% (182/1188) required IMV and 21% (250/1188) developed acute kidney injury. In patients on IMV, the median (IQR) hospital length of stay in survivors (22 [16.5-29.5] days) was significantly longer than that of nonsurvivors (15 [10-23.75] days), but this was not due to prolonged time on the ventilator. The overall mortality in all hospitalized patients was 15%, and in patients receiving IMV it was 48%, which is predicted to minimally rise from 48% to 49% based on logistic regression models constructed to project disposition in the remaining patients on ventilators. Acute kidney injury during hospitalization (odds ratioE, 3.23) was the strongest predictor of mortality in patients requiring IMV. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to collectively utilize the demographics, clinical characteristics, and hospital course of COVID-19 patients to identify predictors of poor outcomes that can be used for resource allocation in future waves of the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - S K Mallipattu
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - R Jawa
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - R Moffitt
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - J Hajagos
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - B Fries
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - S Nachman
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - T J Gan
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - M Saltz
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - J Saltz
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - K Kaushansky
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - H Skopicki
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - K Abell-Hart
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - I Chaudhri
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - J Deng
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - V Garcia
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - S Gayen
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - T Kurc
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - O Bolotova
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - J Yoo
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - S Dhaliwal
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - N Nataraj
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - S Sun
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - C Tsai
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Y Wang
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - S Abbasi
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - R Abdullah
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - S Ahmad
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - K Bai
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - E Bennett-Guerrero
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - A Chua
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - C Gomes
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - M Griffel
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - A Kalogeropoulos
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - D Kiamanesh
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - N Kim
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - F Koraishy
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - V Lingham
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - M Mansour
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - L Marcos
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - J Miller
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - S Poovathor
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - J Rubano
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - D Rutigliano
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - M Sands
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - C Santora
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - J Schwartz
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - K Shroyer
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - S Spitzer
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - A Stopeck
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - M Talamini
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - M Tharakan
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - J Vosswinkel
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - W Wertheim
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - S K Mallipattu
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - R Jawa
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - R Moffitt
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - J Hajagos
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - B Fries
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - S Nachman
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - T J Gan
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - M Saltz
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - J Saltz
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - K Kaushansky
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - H Skopicki
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - K Abell-Hart
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - I Chaudhri
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - J Deng
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - V Garcia
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - S Gayen
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - T Kurc
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - O Bolotova
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - J Yoo
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - S Dhaliwal
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - N Nataraj
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - S Sun
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - C Tsai
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Y Wang
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - S Abbasi
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - R Abdullah
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - S Ahmad
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - K Bai
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - E Bennett-Guerrero
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - A Chua
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - C Gomes
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - M Griffel
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - A Kalogeropoulos
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - D Kiamanesh
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - N Kim
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - F Koraishy
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - V Lingham
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - M Mansour
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - L Marcos
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - J Miller
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - S Poovathor
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - J Rubano
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - D Rutigliano
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - M Sands
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - C Santora
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - J Schwartz
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - K Shroyer
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - S Spitzer
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - A Stopeck
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - M Talamini
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - M Tharakan
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - J Vosswinkel
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - W Wertheim
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
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6
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Duffy EI, Garry J, Talbot L, Pasternak D, Flinn A, Minardi C, Dookram M, Grant K, Fitzgerald D, Rubano J, Vosswinkel J, Jawa RS. A pilot study assessing the spiritual, emotional, physical/environmental, and physiological needs of mechanically ventilated surgical intensive care unit patients via eye tracking devices, head nodding, and communication boards. Trauma Surg Acute Care Open 2018; 3:e000180. [PMID: 30246152 PMCID: PMC6144907 DOI: 10.1136/tsaco-2018-000180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2018] [Revised: 08/01/2018] [Accepted: 08/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Mechanically ventilated patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) are unable to communicate verbally. We sought to evaluate their needs via a communication board (CB) and a novel eye tracking device (ETD) that verbalizes selections made by gazing. Methods This was a pilot prospective study conducted in a tertiary care surgical ICU. Continuously mechanically ventilated adult surgical ICU patients with a Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale score of −1 to +1, without cognitive impairment, were eligible. We asked patients four yes-or-no questions to assess basic needs regarding presence of pain, need for endotracheal suction, satisfactory room temperature, and position comfort. Patients were then asked if there was anything else that they wanted to communicate. All responses were confirmed by head nodding. Results The median accuracy of the CB (100% (IQR 100%–100%)) for basic needs communication (yes/no questions) was comparable with that of the ETD (100% (IQR 68.8%–100%); p=0.14) in the 12 enrolled patients. Notably, 83% of patients desired to communicate additional information, ranging from spiritual (eg, desire for prayer/chaplain), emotional (eg, frustration, desire for comfort), physical/environmental (eg, television), to physiological (eg, thirst/hunger) needs. Discussion The majority of patients desired to communicate something other than basic needs. Unless specifically assessed via an assistive communication device (eg, CB or ETD), some of these other needs would have been difficult to discern. Level of evidence IV therapeutic care/management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin I Duffy
- Division of Trauma, Emergency Surgery, and Surgical Critical Care, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Jonah Garry
- Division of Trauma, Emergency Surgery, and Surgical Critical Care, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Lillian Talbot
- Division of Trauma, Emergency Surgery, and Surgical Critical Care, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - David Pasternak
- Division of Trauma, Emergency Surgery, and Surgical Critical Care, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Ashley Flinn
- Division of Trauma, Emergency Surgery, and Surgical Critical Care, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Casey Minardi
- Department of Inpatient Occupational Therapy, Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Michele Dookram
- Department of Inpatient Occupational Therapy, Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Kathleen Grant
- Department of Inpatient Occupational Therapy, Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Debbie Fitzgerald
- Division of Trauma, Emergency Surgery, and Surgical Critical Care, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Jerry Rubano
- Division of Trauma, Emergency Surgery, and Surgical Critical Care, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - James Vosswinkel
- Division of Trauma, Emergency Surgery, and Surgical Critical Care, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Randeep S Jawa
- Division of Trauma, Emergency Surgery, and Surgical Critical Care, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Stony Brook, New York, USA
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