Factors associated with limitation of life support: Post-ICU mortality case study of a tertiary hospital

BACKGROUND

Life-sustaining treatment limitation (LSV) is the medical act of withdrawing or not initiating measures that are considered futile in a patient's specific situation. LSV in critically ill patients remains a difficult topic to study, due to the multitude of factors that condition it.

OBJECTIVE

To determine factors related to LSV in ICU in cases of post-ICU in-hospital mortality, as well as factors associated with survival after discharge from ICU.

DESIGN

Retrospective longitudinal study.

AMBIT

Intensive care unit of a tertiary hospital.

PATIENTS

People who died in the hospitalization ward after ICU treatment between January 2014 and December 2019.

INTERVENTIONS

None. This is an observational study.

VARIABLES OF INTEREST

Age, sex, probability of death, type of admission, LSV in ICU, oncological disease, dependence, invasive mechanical ventilation, emergency hemodialysis, transfusion of blood products, nosocomial infection (NI), pre-ICU, intra-ICU and post-ICU stays.

RESULTS

Of 114 patients who died outside the ICU, 49 had LSV registered in the ICU (42.98%). Age and stay prior to ICU admission were positively associated with LSV (OR 1,03 and 1,08, respectively). Patients without LSV had a higher post-ICU stay, while it was lower for male patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results support that LSV established within the ICU can avoid complications commonly associated with unnecessary prolongation of stay, such as NI.

Ceftolozane/tazobactam for the treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections: A multicenter case series analysis

INTRODUCTION

Pseudomonas aeruginosa displays resistance to several available antibiotics. Infections caused by this pathogen are associated with a high mortality, morbidity, and considerable healthcare resource utilization and costs. This study was aimed at describing the use of ceftolozane/tazobactam (C/T) for the treatment of patients with P. aeruginosa infections.

METHODS

Case series analysis of hospitalized patients treated with C/T for P. aeruginosa infections in five public Portuguese hospitals. Patients presenting with infections caused by this pathogen and receiving C/T for at least 72h during hospitalization were eligible.

RESULTS

Sixty-four hospitalized patients with P. aeruginosa infections treated with C/T were evaluated between December 2016 and July 2019. Most patients were aged between 60 and 79 years (53.9%). Patients presented a total of 68 P. aeruginosa infections, with respiratory infections being the most common (28.1%, 18 out of 64). Most P. aeruginosa strains (85.9%, 55 out of 64) were extensively drug-resistant (XDR). C/T was mostly used as targeted therapy (98.4%, 63 out of 64 patients) and as monotherapy (72.7%, 47 out of 64 patients). Combination therapy was used in 47.4% (9 out of 19) of patients with bacteriemia. Most patients had successful microbiological (79.2%, 42 out of 53) and clinical (78.7%, 48 out of 61) outcomes. All-cause in-hospital mortality rate was 34.4%.

CONCLUSION

The present case series contributes to the body of evidence suggesting that C/T is an effective and safe option for treating P. aeruginosa infections, namely those caused by XDR strains, both when used as mono- or combination therapy.

[An outbreak of Burkholderia cepacia bacteremia in a hemodialysis unit, Cadiz, 2014]

INTRODUCTION

In January 2014 a possible outbreak of Burkholderia cepacia bacteremia occurred in a hemodialysis center situated in La Linea de la Concepción (Cadiz). An investigation was begun to confirm the outbreak, identify the source, and implement control measures.

METHODS

A descriptive analysis was performed to describe the characteristics of the patients affected with Burkholderia cepacia bacteremia from November 2013 to February 2014. Environmental samples were taken. A molecular typing study was performed using pulsed field gel electrophoresis (SpeI PFGE) and MLST analysis in order to determine the genetic similarity between the isolates.

RESULTS

The bacterium was isolated from blood cultures of 7 patients during the study period. Three of the samples (2 of which were also cases) were endoluminal fluid from catheter locks, and 4 chlorhexidine bottle samples. The patients were coincident in 2 of the 6 work shifts. The mean age of the cases was 67 years of whom 57% were women. Human samples and an environmental sample was analyzed and found to be genetically identical (ST653 clone).

CONCLUSIONS

The analysis confirmed the outbreak of Burkholderia cepacia, with 7 cases among the patients of the hemodialysis center. The outbreak was due to the same strain, probably a common source and secondary transmission from person to person.