UNASSIGNED: The OI was originally evaluated as a prognostic tool for acute hypoxemic respiratory failure in children and was an independent predictor for mortality in adult patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
UNASSIGNED: Oxygenation index and OSI of 201 adult patients undergoing emergency surgery were evaluated at different time points. The primary objective of this study was to find the correlation between OI and OSI. The secondary objectives were to find the prognostic utility of OI and OSI for postoperative mechanical ventilation and mortality.
UNASSIGNED: Significant statistical correlation was found between OI and OSI both at the beginning (r 2 = 0.61; p < 0.001) and immediately after surgery (r 2 = 0.47; p < 0.001). Oxygen saturation index at the beginning [area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUROC) (95% CI) 0.76 (0.62-0.89); best cutoff 3.9, sensitivity 64% and specificity 45%] and immediately after surgery [AUROC (95% CI) 0.82 (0.72-0.92); best cutoff 3.57, sensitivity 79%, and specificity 62%] were reasonable predictors of the requirement of invasive ventilatory support. Exploratory analysis reported that older age (p = 0.02), higher total leukocyte count (p = 0.002), higher arterial lactate (p = 0.02), and higher driving pressure (p < 0.001) were independently associated with hospital mortality.
UNASSIGNED: In adult patients undergoing emergency laparotomy under general anesthesia, OI and OSI were found to be correlated. Both metrics demonstrated reasonable accuracy in predicting the need for invasive ventilatory support beyond 24 hours and hospital mortality.
UNASSIGNED: Thakuria R, Ernest EE, Chowdhury AR, Pangasa N, Kayina CA, Bhattacharjee S, et al. Oxygenation Index and Oxygen Saturation Index for Predicting Postoperative Outcome in Patients Undergoing Emergency Surgery: A Prospective Cohort Study. Indian J Crit Care Med 2024;28(7):645-649.

BACKGROUND: Adjusting trunk inclination from a semi-recumbent position to a supine-flat position or vice versa in patients with respiratory failure significantly affects numerous aspects of respiratory physiology including respiratory mechanics, oxygenation, end-expiratory lung volume, and ventilatory efficiency. Despite these observed effects, the current clinical evidence regarding this positioning manoeuvre is limited. This study undertakes a scoping review of patients with respiratory failure undergoing mechanical ventilation to assess the effect of trunk inclination on physiological lung parameters.
METHODS: The PubMed, Cochrane, and Scopus databases were systematically searched from 2003 to 2023.
METHODS: Changes in trunk inclination.
METHODS: Four domains were evaluated in this study: 1) respiratory mechanics, 2) ventilation distribution, 3) oxygenation, and 4) ventilatory efficiency.
RESULTS: After searching the three databases and removing duplicates, 220 studies were screened. Of these, 37 were assessed in detail, and 13 were included in the final analysis, comprising 274 patients. All selected studies were experimental, and assessed respiratory mechanics, ventilation distribution, oxygenation, and ventilatory efficiency, primarily within 60 min post postural change.
CONCLUSIONS: In patients with acute respiratory failure, transitioning from a supine to a semi-recumbent position leads to decreased respiratory system compliance and increased airway driving pressure. Additionally, C-ARDS patients experienced an improvement in ventilatory efficiency, which resulted in lower PaCO2 levels. Improvements in oxygenation were observed in a few patients and only in those who exhibited an increase in EELV upon moving to a semi-recumbent position. Therefore, the trunk inclination angle must be accurately reported in patients with respiratory failure under mechanical ventilation.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between driving pressure (ΔP) and 90-day mortality in patients following lung transplantation (LTx) in patients who developed primary graft dysfunction (PGD).
METHODS: This prospective, observational study involved consecutive patients who, following LTx, were admitted to our intensive care unit (ICU) from January 2022 to January 2023. Patients were separated into two groups according to ΔP at time of admission (i.e., low, ≤15 cmH2O or high, >15 cmH2O). Postoperative outcomes were compared between groups.
RESULTS: In total, 104 patients were involved in the study, and of these, 69 were included in the low ΔP group and 35 in the high ΔP group. Kaplan-Meier analysis of 90-day mortality showed a statistically significant difference between groups with survival better in the low ΔP group compared with the high ΔP group. According to Cox proportional regression model, the variables independently associated with 90-day mortality were ΔP and pneumonia. Significantly more patients in the high ΔP group than the low ΔP group had PGD grade 3 (PGD3), pneumonia, required tracheostomy, and had prolonged postoperative extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) time, postoperative ventilator time, and ICU stay.
CONCLUSIONS: Driving pressure appears to have the ability to predict PGD3 and 90-day mortality of patients following LTx. Further studies are required to confirm our results.

Mechanical ventilation (MV) is an important strategy for improving the survival of patients with respiratory failure. However, MV is associated with aggravation of lung injury, with ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) becoming a major concern. Thus, ventilation protection strategies have been developed to minimize complications from MV, with the goal of relieving excessive breathing workload, improving gas exchange, and minimizing VILI. By opting for lower tidal volumes, clinicians seek to strike a balance between providing adequate ventilation to support gas exchange and preventing overdistension of the alveoli, which can contribute to lung injury. Additionally, other factors play a role in optimizing lung protection during MV, including adequate positive end-expiratory pressure levels, to maintain alveolar recruitment and prevent atelectasis as well as careful consideration of plateau pressures to avoid excessive stress on the lung parenchyma.

UNASSIGNED: Ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) presents a grave risk to acute respiratory failure patients undergoing mechanical ventilation. Low tidal volume (LTV) ventilation has been advocated as a protective strategy against VILI. However, the effectiveness of limited driving pressure (plateau pressure minus positive end-expiratory pressure) remains unclear.
UNASSIGNED: This study evaluated the efficacy of LTV against limited driving pressure in preventing VILI in adults with respiratory failure.
UNASSIGNED: A single-centre, prospective, open-labelled, randomized controlled trial.
UNASSIGNED: This study was executed in medical intensive care units at Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. We enrolled acute respiratory failure patients undergoing intubation and mechanical ventilation. They were randomized in a 1:1 allocation to limited driving pressure (LDP; ⩽15 cmH2O) or LTV (⩽8 mL/kg of predicted body weight). The primary outcome was the acute lung injury (ALI) score 7 days post-enrolment.
UNASSIGNED: From July 2019 to December 2020, 126 patients participated, with 63 each in the LDP and LTV groups. The cohorts had the mean (standard deviation) ages of 60.5 (17.6) and 60.9 (17.9) years, respectively, and they exhibited comparable baseline characteristics. The primary reasons for intubation were acute hypoxic respiratory failure (LDP 49.2%, LTV 63.5%) and shock-related respiratory failure (LDP 39.7%, LTV 30.2%). No significant difference emerged in the primary outcome: the median (interquartile range) ALI scores for LDP and LTV were 1.75 (1.00-2.67) and 1.75 (1.25-2.25), respectively (p = 0.713). Twenty-eight-day mortality rates were comparable: LDP 34.9% (22/63), LTV 31.7% (20/63), relative risk (RR) 1.08, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.74-1.57, p = 0.705. Incidences of newly developed acute respiratory distress syndrome also aligned: LDP 14.3% (9/63), LTV 20.6% (13/63), RR 0.81, 95% CI 0.55-1.22, p = 0.348.
UNASSIGNED: In adults with acute respiratory failure, the efficacy of LDP and LTV in averting lung injury 7 days post-mechanical ventilation was indistinguishable.
UNASSIGNED: The study was registered with the ClinicalTrials.gov database (identification number NCT04035915).
Limited breathing pressure or low amount of air given to the lung; which one is better for adults who need breathing help by ventilator machineWe conducted this research at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, aiming to compare two ways of helping patients with breathing problems. We studied 126 patients who were randomly put into two groups. One group received a method where the pressure during breathing was limited (limited driving pressure: LDP), and the other group got a method where the amount of air given to the lungs was kept low (low tidal volume: LTV). We checked how bad the lung injury was at seven days later. The results showed that there was no difference between the two methods. Both ways of helping patients breathe had similar outcomes, and neither was significantly better than the other in preventing lung problems. The study suggests that both approaches work about the same for patients who need help with breathing using a machine.

UNASSIGNED: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is systematically associated with decreased respiratory system compliance (CRS). It remains unclear whether transportation to the referral ECMO center, changes in ventilatory mode or settings to achieve ultra-protective ventilation, or the natural evolution of ARDS drives this change in respiratory mechanics. Herein, we assessed the precise moment when CRS decreases after ECMO cannulation and identified factors associated with decreased CRS.
UNASSIGNED: To rule out the effect of transportation and the different modes of ventilation on CRS, we conducted a retrospective, single-center, observational cohort study from January 2013 to May 2020, on 22 patients with severe ARDS requiring on-site ECMO and ventilated in pressure-controlled mode to achieve ultra-protective ventilation. CRS was assessed at different time points ranging from 12 h before ECMO cannulation to 72 h after ECMO cannulation. The primary outcome was the relative change in CRS between 3 h before and 3 h after ECMO cannulation. The secondary outcomes included variables associated with the relative changes in CRS within the first 3 h after ECMO cannulation and the relative changes in CRS at each time point.
UNASSIGNED: CRS decreased within the first 3 h after ECMO cannulation (-28.3%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -38.8 to -17.9, P<0.001), while the decrease was mild before and after these first 3 h after ECMO cannulation. To achieve ultra-protective ventilation, respiratory rate decreased in the mean by -13 breaths/min (95% CI: -15 to -11) and driving pressure by -8.3 cmH2O (95% CI: -11.2 to -5.3), resulting in decreased tidal volume by -3.3 mL/kg of predicted body weight (95% CI: -3.9 to -2.6) as compared to before ECMO cannulation (P <0.001 for all). Plateau pressure reduction, driving pressure reduction, and tidal volume reduction were significantly associated with decreased CRS after ECMO cannulation, whereas neither respiratory rate, positive end-expiratory pressure, inspired fraction of oxygen, fluid balance, nor mean airway pressure was associated with decreased CRS.
UNASSIGNED: Decreased driving pressure resulting in lower tidal volume to achieve ultra-protective ventilation after ECMO cannulation was associated with a marked decrease in CRS in ARDS patients with on-site ECMO cannulation.

Drug infusion devices have become indispensable tools in ICU patient care, drug delivery, and operation rooms (OR) and for controlled fluid delivery. Syringe pump safety is paramount in healthcare and laboratory settings to ensure accurate medication delivery and prevent adverse events. Healthcare professionals must receive thorough training on syringe pump operation, including loading syringes, programming infusion rates, and responding to alarms. Using the correct syringe size and type is essential to prevent inaccuracies in drug/fluid delivery. Regular calibration and maintenance checks are necessary to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the syringe pumps. Two cases of refractory hypotension are reported here, which were resolved by careful inspection of the infusion pumps.

BACKGROUND: In patients requiring general anesthesia, lung-protective ventilation can prevent postoperative pulmonary complications, which are associated with higher morbidity, mortality, and prolonged hospital stay. Application of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) is one component of lung-protective ventilation. The correct strategy for setting adequate PEEP, however, remains controversial. PEEP settings that lead to a lower pressure difference between end-inspiratory plateau pressure and end-expiratory pressure (\"driving pressure,\" ΔP) may reduce the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. Preliminary data suggests that the PEEP required to prevent both end-inspiratory overdistension and end-expiratory alveolar collapse, thereby reducing ΔP, correlates positively with the body mass index (BMI) of patients, with PEEP values corresponding to approximately 1/3 of patient\'s respective BMI. Thus, we hypothesize that adjusting PEEP according to patient BMI reduces ΔP and may result in less postoperative pulmonary complications.
METHODS: Patients undergoing general anesthesia and endotracheal intubation with volume-controlled ventilation with a tidal volume of 7 ml per kg predicted body weight will be randomized and assigned to either an intervention group with PEEP adjusted according to BMI or a control group with a standardized PEEP of 5 mbar. Pre- and postoperatively, lung ultrasound will be performed to determine the lung aeration score, and hemodynamic and respiratory vital signs will be recorded for subsequent evaluation. The primary outcome is the difference in ΔP as a surrogate parameter for lung-protective ventilation. Secondary outcomes include change in lung aeration score, intraoperative occurrence of hemodynamic and respiratory events, oxygen requirements and postoperative pulmonary complications.
CONCLUSIONS: The study results will show whether an intraoperative ventilation strategy with PEEP adjustment based on BMI has the potential of reducing the risk for postoperative pulmonary complications as an easy-to-implement intervention that does not require lengthy ventilator maneuvers nor additional equipment.
BACKGROUND: German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS), DRKS00031336. Registered 21st February 2023.
METHODS: The study protocol was approved by the ethics committee of the Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel, Germany, on 1st February 2023. Recruitment began in March 2023 and is expected to end in September 2023.

Driving pressure (∆P) is a core therapeutic component of mechanical ventilation (MV). Varying levels of ∆P have been employed during MV depending on the type of underlying pathology and severity of injury. However, ∆P levels have also been shown to closely impact hard endpoints such as mortality. Considering this, conducting an in-depth review of ∆P as a unique, outcome-impacting therapeutic modality is extremely important. There is a need to understand the subtleties involved in making sure ∆P levels are optimized to enhance outcomes and minimize harm. We performed this narrative review to further explore the various uses of ∆P, the different parameters that can affect its use, and how outcomes vary in different patient populations at different pressure levels. To better utilize ∆P in MV-requiring patients, additional large-scale clinical studies are needed.

UNASSIGNED: Application of individualized positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) based on minimum driving pressure facilitates to prevent from postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs). Whether lung protective ventilation strategy can reduce the risk of PPCs in COVID-19 patients remains unclear. In this study, we compared the effects of driving pressure-guided ventilation with conventional mechanical ventilation on PPCs in patients with COVID-19.
UNASSIGNED: Patients infected COVID-19 within 30-day before surgery were retrospectively enrolled consecutively. Patients were divided into two group: driving pressure-guided lung protective ventilation strategy group (LPVS group) and conventional mechanical ventilation group (Control group). Propensity score matching for variables selected was used by logistic regression with the nearest-neighbor method. The outcomes were the incidence of PPCs and hypoxemia in post-anesthesia care unit.
UNASSIGNED: There was no significant difference in the baseline data between both groups (P > 0.05). The incidence of PPCs (12.73 % vs 36.36 %, χ2 = 7.068, P = 0.008) and hypoxemia [18.18 % vs 38.18 %, χ2 = 4.492, P = 0.034], and lung ultrasound scores [4.68 ± 1.60 vs 8.39 ± 1.87, t = 8.383, P < 0.001] in LPVS group were lower than control group. The PEEP, airway pressure and plateau pressure in LPVS group were higher than control group, but driving pressure and tidal volume was lower than control group, the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05).
UNASSIGNED: Individualized PEEP ventilation strategy guided by minimum driving pressure could improve oxygenation and reduce the incidence of PPCs in surgical patients with COVID-19.