Malnutrition in adult intensive care unit patients is associated with poor clinical outcomes. Providing adequate nutritional support to the critically ill adult should be an important goal for the intensivist. This narrative review aims to delineate the role of parenteral nutrition (PN) in meeting nutritional goals. We examined the data regarding the safety and efficacy of PN compared to enteral nutrition. In addition, we describe practical considerations for the use of PN in the ICU including patient nutritional risk stratification, nutrient composition selection for PN, route of PN administration, and biochemical monitoring.

UNASSIGNED: There are inconsistencies in outcome reporting for patients with necrotising soft tissue infections (NSTI). The aim of this study was to evaluate reported outcome measures in NSTI literature that could inform a core outcome set (COS) such as could be used in a study of hyperbaric oxygen in this indication.
UNASSIGNED: A systematic review of all NSTI literature identified from Cochrane, Ovid MEDLINE and Scopus databases as well as grey literature sources OpenGrey and the New York Academy of Medicine databases which met inclusion criteria and were published between 2010 and 2020 was performed. Studies were included if they reported on > 5 cases and presented clinical endpoints, patient related outcomes, or resource utilisation in NSTI patients. Studies did not have to include intervention. Two independent researchers then extracted reported outcome measures. Similar outcomes were grouped and classified into domains to produce a structured inventory. An attempt was made to identify trends in outcome measures over time and by study design.
UNASSIGNED: Three hundred and seventy-five studies were identified and included a total of 311 outcome measures. Forty eight percent (150/311) of outcome measures were reported by two or more studies. The four most frequently reported outcome measures were mortality without time specified, length of hospital stay, amputation performed, and number of debridements, reported in 298 (79.5%), 260 (69.3%), 156 (41.6%) and 151 (40.3%) studies respectively. Mortality outcomes were reported in 23 different ways. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) were more likely to report 28-day mortality or 90-day mortality. The second most frequent amputation related outcome was level of amputation, reported in 7.5% (28/375) of studies. The most commonly reported patient-centred outcome was the SF-36 which was reported in 1.6% (6/375) of all studies and in 2/10 RCTs.
UNASSIGNED: There was wide variance in outcome measures in NSTI studies, further highlighting the need for a COS.

Each year approximately one million people suffer spinal cord injury, which has significant physical, psychosocial and economic impacts on patients and their families. Spinal cord rehabilitation centres are a well-established part of the care pathway for patients with spinal cord injury and facilitate improvements in functional independence and reductions in healthcare costs. Within the UK, however, there are a limited number of spinal cord injury centres, which delays admission. Patients and their families often perceive that they are not receiving specialist care while being treated in non-specialist units. This review aimed to provide clinicians who work in non-specialist spinal injury centres with a summary of contemporary studies relevant to the critical care management of patients with cervical spinal cord injury. We undertook a targeted literature review including guidelines, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, clinical trials and randomised controlled trials published in English between 1 June 2017 and 1 June 2023. Studies involving key clinical management strategies published before this time, but which have not been updated or repeated, were also included. We then summarised the key management themes: acute critical care management approaches (including ventilation strategies, blood pressure management and tracheostomy insertion); respiratory weaning techniques; management of pain and autonomic dysreflexia; and rehabilitation.

BACKGROUND: Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are rapidly developing technologies that offer a wide range of applications and enable users to experience digitally rendered content in both physical and virtual space. Although the number of studies about the different use of VR and AR increases year by year, a systematic overview of the applications of these innovative technologies in intensive care medicine is lacking. The aim of this systematic review was to provide a detailed summary of how VR and AR are currently being used in various areas of intensive care medicine.
METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed until 1st March 2023 to identify the currently existing evidence for different applications of VR and AR for both health care providers in the intensive care unit and children or adults, who were in an intensive care unit because of a critical illness.
RESULTS: After screening the literature, a total of 59 studies were included. Of note, a substantial number of publications consists of case reports, study plans or are lacking a control group. Furthermore, study designs are seldom comparable. However, there have been a variety of use cases for VR and AR that researchers have explored. They can help intensive care unit (ICU) personnel train, plan, and perform difficult procedures such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, vascular punctures, endotracheal intubation or percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy. Patients might benefit from VR during invasive interventions and ICU stay by alleviating stress or pain. Furthermore, it enables contact with relatives and can also assist patients in their rehabilitation programs.
CONCLUSIONS: Both, VR and AR, offer multiple possibilities to improve current care, both from the perspective of the healthcare professional and the patient. It can be assumed that VR and AR will develop further and their application in health care will increase.

Lung herniation is a rare complication following cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and is defined as a protrusion of lung parenchyma through the thoracic wall. This article presents a case in which a patient presented to the hospital with sepsis secondary to community-acquired pneumonia. A 74-year-old female with a background of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) suffered a sudden pulseless electrical activity (PEA) cardiac arrest while being managed in the acute medical ward. The CT following the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) demonstrated multiple bilateral anterior rib fractures and herniation of the right lung through the right lateral thoracic wall. She was managed in the ICU with ventilatory and cardiovascular support for four days until she suffered a second cardiac arrest, where resuscitation was unsuccessful. In addition to this case report, a literature review was carried out, given the rarity of this pathology. The literature provides only 13 articles on lung herniation due to CPR. The most common injury pattern was anterior rib fractures leading to anterior lung herniation. In our case report, the herniation was away from the fracture site at the lateral chest wall. A common complication was surgical emphysema in several of the articles, as was in our case. The surgical intervention appears to be indicated in large hernias, incarceration, or those causing pain and respiratory compromise. In our case, conservative management was elected, given the patient\'s significant persistent cardiovascular instability unsuitable for interhospital transfer. A high index of suspicion should be adopted for patients who undergo a prolonged period of CPR, including frail patients with underlying health conditions such as chronic lung disease.

Mitochondria are key structures providing most of the energy needed to maintain homeostasis. They are the main source of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), participate in glucose, lipid and amino acid metabolism, store calcium and are integral components in various intracellular signaling cascades. However, due to their crucial role in cellular integrity, mitochondrial damage and dysregulation in the context of critical illness can severely impair organ function, leading to energetic crisis and organ failure. Skeletal muscle tissue is rich in mitochondria and, therefore, particularly vulnerable to mitochondrial dysfunction. Intensive care unit-acquired weakness (ICUAW) and critical illness myopathy (CIM) are phenomena of generalized weakness and atrophying skeletal muscle wasting, including preferential myosin breakdown in critical illness, which has also been linked to mitochondrial failure. Hence, imbalanced mitochondrial dynamics, dysregulation of the respiratory chain complexes, alterations in gene expression, disturbed signal transduction as well as impaired nutrient utilization have been proposed as underlying mechanisms. This narrative review aims to highlight the current known molecular mechanisms immanent in mitochondrial dysfunction of patients suffering from ICUAW and CIM, as well as to discuss possible implications for muscle phenotype, function and therapeutic approaches.

Oxygen therapy is vital in adult intensive care unit (ICU) patients, but it is indistinct whether higher or lower oxygen targets are favorable. Our aim was to update the findings of randomized controlled trials (RTCs) comparing higher and lower oxygen strategies.
MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science were searched. RCTs comparing higher (liberal, hyperoxia) and lower (conservative, normoxia) oxygen in adult mechanically ventilated ICU patients were included. The main outcome was 90-day mortality; other outcomes include serious adverse events (SAE), support free days and length of stay (LOS).
No significant difference was observed for 90-day mortality. A lower incidence was found for SAEs, favoring lower oxygenation (OR, 0.86; 95%CI, 0.77-0.96; I 2 13%). No differences were observed in either support free days at day 28 or ICU and hospital LOS.
No difference was found for 90-day mortality, support free days and ICU and hospital LOS. However, a lower incidence of SAEs was found for lower oxygenation. These findings may have clinical implications for practice guidelines, yet it remains of paramount importance to continue conducting clinical trials, comparing groups with a clinically relevant contrast and focusing on the impact of important side effects.

We report the case of a 56-year-old Caucasian male affected by thymoma and myasthenia gravis that developed recurrent visceral leishmaniasis 11 years after thymectomy. After treatment of each relapse with liposomal amphotericin B the PCR-Leishmania was negative and the patient showed clinical improvement. An immunologic work-up was performed showing lymphopenia with an important decrease in CD4+ T cells (52 cells/μ) and CD4/CD8 ratio (0.2). HIV test was negative. On the basis of previous thymoma and myasthenia gravis and on the basis of the immunological profile a diagnosis of Good\'s syndrome was made. Since IFNγ plays a main role in the control of Leishmania infection the production of IFNγ was evaluated. After mitogen stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells the production of IFNγ was lower than normal. This is the second reported case of Good\'s syndrome with recurrent leishmaniasis and indicates that a definitive cure for leishmaniasis in patients with Good\'s syndrome is not possible. Immunologic work-up in our patient strongly suggests that relapses could be correlated with the low CD4+ T cell number and with the low IFNγ production. Immunotherapy with IFNγ or with compounds able to block the Th2 interleukin production could be a therapeutic option in these patients.

An integrative review of the literature specific to leadership within the intensive care unit was planned to guide future research. Four databases were searched. Study selection was based on predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria and a quality check was done. Data extraction and synthesis involved developing a preliminary thematic coding framework based on a sample of papers. The coding framework and all selected papers were entered into NVivo software. All papers were then coded to the previously identified themes. Themes were summarised and presented with illustrative quotes highlighting key findings. In total, 1102 relevant quotations were coded across the 28 included papers. Four themes pertaining to leadership were described and analysed: (a) leadership dimensions and discourses; (b) leadership experiences; (c) facilitators and/or barriers to leadership; and (d) leadership outcomes. The literature was found to focus on leader behaviours, as well as the leader dimensions of role allocation, clinical and communication skills and traditional hierarchies. Positive behaviours mentioned included good decision-making, staying calm under pressure and being approachable. Leadership experiences (and outcomes) are typically reported to be positive. Personal individual factors seem the biggest enablers and barriers to leadership within the intensive care unit. Training is considered to be a facilitator of leadership within the intensive care unit. This study highlights the current literature on leadership in intensive care medicine and provides a basis for future research on interventions to improve leadership in the intensive care unit.

UNASSIGNED: Birth asphyxia leads to about 4 million neonatal deaths every year around the globe. But, the pooled prevalence of asphyxia was not yet collated in East and Central African countries. Hence, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the pooled prevalence of perinatal asphyxia in Central and East Africa.
UNASSIGNED: PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct, Africa Index Medicus, Africa Journal Online, Excerpta Medica Database, and Cochrane Library databases were searched. All necessary data were extracted using a standardized data extraction format. Data were analyzed using STATA 14 statistical software. A heterogeneity of studies was assessed using the I2 statistics. Publication bias was checked by using a funnel plot and Egger\'s regression test. A random-effect model was computed to estimate the pooled prevalence of perinatal asphyxia.
UNASSIGNED: Thirteen full-text studies were included in the present meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of perinatal asphyxia in this study was 15.9% (95%CI: 10.8, 21.0% [I2 = 94.6, p = 0.000]). Regional subgroup analysis indicated that the pooled prevalence of perinatal asphyxia was 18.0 % (95%CI:11.4, 26.7% [I2 = 96.00, p = 0.000]) and 9.1 % (95%CI:2.0, 16.2% [I2 = 90.80, P = 0.000]) in East and Central African countries respectively. Similarly, the level of perinatal asphyxia was varied based on asphyxia measuring tools. But the trim fill analysis pointed that there was no difference in the pooled prevalence of perinatal asphyxia in this study.
UNASSIGNED: The pooled prevalence of perinatal asphyxia was high in the current study. It had also substantial variation across the regions and measuring tools. Therefore, there is a call to reduce the high burden of this problem in the region.