Respiratory support in COPD patients after acute exacerbation with monitoring the quality of support (Rescue2-monitor): an open-label, prospective randomized, controlled, superiority clinical trial comparing hospital- versus home-based acute non-invasive ventilation for patients with hypercapnic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is expected to be the 3rd leading cause of death worldwide by 2020. Despite improvements in survival by using acute non-invasive ventilation (NIV) to treat patients with exacerbations of COPD complicated by acute hypercapnic respiratory failure (AHRF), these patients are at high risk of readmission and further life-threatening events, including death. Recent studies suggested that NIV at home can reduce readmissions, but in a small proportion of patients, and with a high level of expertise. Other studies, however, do not show any benefit of home NIV. This could be related to the fact that respiratory failure in patients with stable COPD and their response to mechanical ventilation are influenced by several pathophysiological factors which frequently coexist in the same patient to varying degrees. These pathophysiological factors might influence the success of home NIV in stable COPD, thus long-term NIV specifically adapted to a patient's "phenotype" is likely to improve prognosis, reduce readmission to hospital, and prevent death. In view of this conundrum, Rescue2-monitor (R2M), an open-label, prospective randomized, controlled study performed in patients with hypercapnic COPD post-AHRF, will investigate the impact of the quality of nocturnal NIV on the readmission-free survival. The primary objective is to show that any of 3 home NIV strategies ("rescue," "non-targeted," and "targeted") will improve readmission-free survival in comparison to no-home NIV. The "targeted" group of patients will receive a treatment with personalized (targeted) ventilation settings and extensive monitoring. Furthermore, the influence of comorbidities typical for COPD patients, such as cardiac insufficiency, OSA, or associated asthma, on ventilation outcomes will be taken into consideration and reasons for non-inclusion of patients will be recorded in order to evaluate the percentage of ventilated COPD patients that are screening failures. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03890224 . Registered on March 26, 2019.

Non-invasive assessment of lung elastance in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome

BACKGROUND

Chest wall mechanics can be abnormal in patients with acute respiratory disease syndrome (ARDS). Therefore, partitioning respiratory system between lungs and chest wall at the bedside is useful to optimize ventilator settings. A non-invasive method for assessing lung elastance (EL), called lung barometry, was previously described on an animal model.

METHODS

This prospective study was designed to compare EL assessed by lung barometry (ELLB) versus esophageal pressure (ELPeso). In sedated, paralyzed patients, PEEP was progressively increased from 5 to 40cmH2O then decreased from 40 to 5cmH2O by step of 5cmH2O every two minutes. ELLB was assessed for each step as the ratio between the change in PEEP and the induced end-expiratory lung volume change measured by direct spirometry. ELPeso was calculated from esophageal pressure measurement at each PEEP. EL and the ratio between EL and respiratory system elastance (ERS) calculated with the two methods were compared.

RESULTS

Twenty six adult patients with early onset moderate or severe ARDS were included. There was a linear correlation between ELLB and ELPeso during the increase and decrease of PEEP (R²=0.26 and 0.42, respectively). Concordance using Bland and Altman method demonstrated bias and large limits of agreement during the increase (-0.5 cmH2O/L; -25 to 24 cmH2O/L) and during the decrease in PEEP (-0.3 cmH2O/L; -21 to 20 cmH2O/L). There were no linear correlation between ELLB/ERS and ELPeso/ERS during the increase and the decrease of PEEP (R²=0.00; R²=0.00, respectively).

CONCLUSION

In ARDS patients, lung barometry method cannot be used instead of the esophageal pressure measurement to assess EL.

Declassification of radioactive liquid wastes generated in radio immune assay [corrected] (RIA) laboratories

Radioactive liquid wastes of low-medium activity level are generated in radio immune assay (RIA) laboratories, which are also potentially infectious because of the pathogens from patient blood. The most common way of managing these wastes consists of a temporal storage, for partial radioactivity decay, followed by management by an authorised company. The object of this work is to study the viability of treating radioactive liquid wastes coming from RIA using membrane techniques in order to reduce their volume, which would mean an improvement from the radiological point of view and a decrease in management costs. This paper describes the results of some experiments carried out with RIA real wastes, by means of processes such as ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis. It has been proved that waste volume can be significantly reduced, obtaining a treated liquid that is free of pathogens and organic matter and with an activity level around the environmental background.

Use of heliox in patients with severe exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

OBJECTIVE

To assess whether patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease treated with heliox have a better prognosis than those treated with standard therapy.

DESIGN

Retrospective analysis over 18 months.

SETTING

Academic emergency department.

PATIENTS

Eighty-one patients admitted with exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and respiratory acidosis.

INTERVENTIONS

Use of helium-oxygen mixture as an adjunctive therapy.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

The following data were collected: age, gender, medical history, vital signs, arterial blood gas at admission, emergency room treatment, requirement for intubation, admission in intensive care unit, length of stay, and evolution. Patients were classified into two groups according to whether heliox was used as a therapeutic agent (heliox group) or not (standard group). Chi-square test and Student's t-test were used for statistical analysis (significant at p <.05). In both groups, the following data were similar: age, gender, medical history, vital signs, initial arterial blood gas, and emergency room treatment. Significant decreases in intubation, and mortality rate were identified in the heliox group. Significant decreases in intensive care unit stay and in-hospital stay were observed for survivors in the heliox group.

CONCLUSION

Use of heliox seems to improve prognosis in patients with severe acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Prospective randomized studies are needed to confirm these results.

[Lethal portal venous gas after cardiopulmonary arrest]

We report the case of a 51-year-old patient admitted after a transient cardiorespiratory arrest. The abdominal CT scan revealed the presence of hepatic portal venous gas. At laparotomy, a diffuse mesenteric ischaemia was diagnosed. The patient died from multiple organ failure in the subsequent hours. Necrotic bowel is associated with hepatic portal venous gas in 50% of the cases and the current mortality rate is 85%. Gas originates either through intestinal transmucosal passage, either by intraportal bacterial gas production, or through both mechanisms.

Vaccination against hepatitis B virus in Spain: a cost-effectiveness analysis

A cost-effectiveness analysis was made to determine the effectiveness of the following strategies of mass immunization with the new recombinant vaccine against the hepatitis B virus in Spain: vaccination of adolescents, newborns, both populations, and vaccination plus passive immunization of newborns of HBsAg positive mothers. Decision trees supported on Markov models with Monte Carlo simulation have been used for the calculation of costs of the disease, and a mathematical model of differential equations was used for the simulation of the potential effectiveness of vaccination. The costs considered were those associated with the vaccination and travel of subjects, diagnosis, and treatment of the disease. The results are presented as additional cost or saving per case of infection prevented. In all assumptions, results showed that the most effective strategy for mass vaccination was the combination of vaccinating all adolescents together with active and passive immunization of children born to HBsAg positive mothers.

Cost effectiveness of hepatitis A virus immunisation in Spain

The aim of this study was to evaluate, in economic terms, the recently launched hepatitis A vaccine in comparison with the use of nonspecific immune globulin, for the prevention of hepatitis A. A cost-effectiveness analysis was performed, comparing mass and selective strategies for both active and passive immunisation in children, adolescents and the high-risk adult population. Direct costs of diagnosis, treatment and immunisation, and travelling expenses of the individuals, were considered. The alternative of mass vaccination for children and adolescents cost 2679 to 6394 European Currency Units (ECU) [$US 3040 to $US 8312; 1994 values] per case prevented. Selective vaccination of high-risk individuals cost ECU205 per case prevented for young adults (those aged about 20 years) when the annual risk of contracting the disease was 0.7%, while there were net savings for all age groups when there was a 2 to 3% risk. The most sensitive variables affecting the cost of mass-vaccination strategies were incidence of hepatitis A, vaccine coverage and vaccine cost; for the various high-risk groups, these were vaccine cost, incidence of hepatitis A and costs of treating infection. Selective vaccination, depending on the age of high-risk patients [mainly travellers to endemic areas for periods of over 6 months, or those under 'precarious' conditions (e.g. backpackers, even for short periods)], is the most efficient alternative; in fact, the cost-effectiveness ratio has not been calculated, since there were net savings. For occasional travellers (as above, and those travelling for periods of under 6 months in 10 years), passive immunisation is more efficient. Selective vaccination for package-tour, short-stay travellers (infection risk around 0.3%) and strategies for mass vaccination of children and adolescents are not justified from an efficiency point of view.

Effect of recombinant human growth hormone therapy on bone and clinical parameters in girls with Turner's syndrome. The Spanish Collaborative Group

Forty-eight girls with Turner's syndrome were assigned to one of three treatments; recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) alone, rhGH plus oxandrolone, and rhGH plus ethinyloestradiol. Treatment with rhGH alone or in combination with oxandrolone induced catch-up growth. Older girls treated with rhGH plus ethinyloestradiol showed less marked improvement. The gain in height was associated with a gain in bone diameter and cortical thickness (reflecting increased bone mass). There was a rapid loss of subcutaneous fat. These effects of growth hormone are similar to those observed in patients with growth hormone deficiency.

[Infantile cortical hyperostosis. Apropos of 8 cases]

Retrospective analysis of eight patients suffering from infantile cortical hyperostosis shows clearly autosomic dominant inheritance of the disease, the strong variation in the clinical expressivity, and therefore the need for an in deep work-up of the patient and his relatives in the presence of any suspicious symptom.

[IgA nephropathy in childhood]

We review our experience on IgA nephropathy (Berger's disease), defined as the IgA mesangial deposit in the absence of systemic disease. Following these criteria ten patients have been diagnosed which amount to 10% of all biopsied glomerulonephritis in our centre during 1977-1985. These ten patients have been controlled for periods of time ranging from 4 months to 7 years (means = 3 years). After that time, 2 patients have chronic renal failure, in contrast with other pediatric series in which the prognosis is less severe.

[Tests for studying the secretion of growth hormone. Update]

Some tests to study the growth hormone secretion have been analysed. According to our own experience and to the present criteria the physiologic tests seem to be more suitable than the pharmacologic ones. In case of discordant results, those obtained in physiologic tests completed with the clinical data and if necessary with biologic probes are conclusive. The availability of GRF will allow the treatment of some cases of dwarfism of hypothalamic origin, that in our opinion are more frequent than those of pituitary origin. Otherwise the gene studies will contribute to the understanding of some cases of genetic dwarfism and make possible an appropriate genetic counseling.

Some comparative aspects of a longitudinal growth study in normal Spanish children and other longitudinal studies

The differences existing among some european longitudinal growth studies make it necessary to be cautious in the use of standards constructed on different populations. The improvement of the environmental conditions during the last 20 years is probably the most important cause of the "catch-up" phenomenon of the spanish stature. It is probable that racial characteristics also play a role, even in the same country as can be appreciated on comparing two spanish longitudinal studies based on children originally from different regions. All of which indicates the need to use own standards in those countries which, like ours, have lived through a period of intense changes. Even exploratory studies of regional differences in the same country seem necessary.