Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is widely used for treating critically-ill patients in the emergency department in China. Anticoagulant therapy is needed to prevent clotting in the extracorporeal circulation during CRRT. Regional citrate anticoagulation (RCA) has been shown to potentially be safer and more effective and is now recommended as the preferred anticoagulant method for CRRT. However, there is still a lack of unified standards for RCA management in the world, and there are many problems in using this method in clinical practice. The Emergency Medical Doctor Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association (CMDA) organized a panel of domestic emergency medicine experts and international experts of CRRT to discuss RCA-related issues, including the advantages and disadvantages of RCA in CRRT anticoagulation, the principle of RCA, parameter settings for RCA, monitoring of RCA (mainly metabolic acid–base disorders), and special issues during RCA. Based on the latest available research evidence as well as the paneled experts’ clinical experience, considering the generalizability, suitability, and potential resource utilization, while also balancing clinical advantages and disadvantages, a total of 16 guideline recommendations were formed from the experts’ consensus.

The MIRUS™ (TIM, Koblenz, Germany) is an electronical gas delivery system, which offers an automated MAC (minimal alveolar concentration)-driven application of isoflurane, sevoflurane, or desflurane, and can be used for sedation in the intensive care unit. We investigated its consumption of volatile anesthetics at 0.5 MAC (primary endpoint) and the corresponding costs. Secondary endpoints were the technical feasibility to reach and control the MAC automatically, the depth of sedation at 0.5 MAC, and awakening times. Mechanically ventilated and sedated patients after major surgery were enrolled. Upon arrival in the intensive care unit, patients obtained intravenous propofol sedation for at least 1 h to collect ventilation and blood gas parameters, before they were switched to inhalational sedation using MIRUS™ with isoflurane, sevoflurane, or desflurane. After a minimum of 2 h, inhalational sedation was stopped, and awakening times were recorded. A multivariate electroencephalogram and the Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale (RASS) were used to assess the depth of sedation. Vital signs, ventilation parameters, gas consumption, MAC, and expiratory gas concentrations were continuously recorded. Thirty patients obtained inhalational sedation for 18:08 [14:46–21:34] [median 1st–3rd quartiles] hours. The MAC was 0.58 [0.50–0.64], resulting in a Narcotrend Index of 37.1 [30.9–42.4] and a RASS of − 3.0 [− 4.0 to (− 3.0)]. The median gas consumption was significantly lowest for isoflurane ([ml h−1]: isoflurane: 3.97 [3.61–5.70]; sevoflurane: 8.91 [6.32–13.76]; and desflurane: 25.88 [20.38–30.82]; p < 0.001). This corresponds to average costs of 0.39 € h−1 for isoflurane, 2.14 € h−1 for sevoflurane, and 7.54 € h−1 for desflurane. Awakening times (eye opening [min]: isoflurane: 9:48 [4:15–20:18]; sevoflurane: 3:45 [0:30–6:30]; desflurane: 2:00 [1:00–6:30]; p = 0.043) and time to extubation ([min]: isoflurane: 10:10 [8:00–20:30]; sevoflurane: 7:30 [4:37–14:22]; desflurane: 3:00 [3:00–6:00]; p = 0.007) were significantly shortest for desflurane. A target-controlled, MAC-driven automated application of volatile anesthetics is technically feasible and enables an adequate depth of sedation. Gas consumption was highest for desflurane, which is also the most expensive volatile anesthetic. Although awakening times were shortest, the actual time saving of a few minutes might be negligible for most patients in the intensive care unit. Thus, using desflurane seems not rational from an economic perspective. Trial registration Clinical Trials Registry (ref.: NCT03860129). Registered 24 September 2018—Retrospectively registered.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and inhaled sedation in coronavirus disease 2019-related acute respiratory distress syndrome

Article: The impact of the anesthetic conserving device on occupational exposure to isoflurane among intensive care healthcare professionals - Minerva Anestesiologica 2018 January;84(1):25-32 - Minerva Medica - Journals

The CytOSorb^Ⓡ treatMent Of critically ill patientS (COSMOS) registry is an observational, prospective, multicenter, international real-world data collection platform executed in countries where the CytoSorb^Ⓡ (CS) 300 mL device is approved and routinely used in everyday clinical practice. This study aims to investigate utilization patterns of the hemoadsorption device and associated outcomes in critical care. Since July 2022, patients who were treated with CS as part of their intensive care treatment were enrolled from 16 sites in Germany, Italy, and Spain in the registry. After informed consent, real-world clinical data are systematically collected at multiple intervals, including 24 h before CS start, during CS treatment, and 24 h post-CS treatment, as well as at discharge from intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital discharge, and final follow-up on day 90. Vital status was assessed as ICU survival, 30-day survival, overall hospital survival, and 90-day survival. We compared details on the type of extracorporeal circuit used, device flow rate, anticoagulation regimen, vasopressor requirements, fluid balance, ratio of partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood to the fraction of inspiratory oxygen concentration (P/F ratio), myoglobin in the rhabdomyolysis cohort and bilirubin in the liver failure cohort before and after CS treatment. Safety of the device was assessed by investigator-reported device-related adverse effects. Data were presented as either mean ± standard deviation or as median with interquartile range (IQR). A total of 150 patients were enrolled, 23 patients did not have any data entry by the time of the data readout for this interim analysis conducted and therefore had to be excluded from the analysis (33 % female, mean age [59±17] years). CS indications included septic shock (57.6 %), cardiogenic shock (12.9 %), and rhabdomyolysis (10.6 %). CS was mainly integrated with renal replacement therapy (82.8 %). Median Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score was 23 (IQR: 17-29), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score 12 (IQR: 9-15), and ICU stay 20 (IQR: 11-33) days. Median interleukin-6 decreased significantly from 862.4 (IQR: 142-97,457) pg/mL in the 24 h before CS treatment to 202.8 (IQR: 42-3247) pg/mL in the 24 h post-CS treatment (P <0.0001). Post-CS, lactate and creatinine levels significantly decreased, fluid balance improved from 1386 (IQR: 220-3168) mL to 275 (IQR: -768-1846) mL (P <0.0001) and median P/F ratio increased from 132 (IQR: 68-208) mmHg to 189 (IQR: 115-260) mmHg (P <0.0001). Norepinephrine requirements reduced from 0.30 (IQR: 0.18-0.46) µg/(kg·min) to 0.19 (IQR: 0.10-0.33) µg/(kg·min) (P=0.0003). In rhabdomyolysis patients, myoglobin decreased from 18,976 (IQR: 1934-34,275) to 835 (IQR: 623-5925) µg/L (P=0.0273). Observed ICU mortality was 35 %, lower than predicted by baseline scores. The COSMOS registry highlights CS-associated improvements in lactate, creatinine, norepinephrine needs, fluid balance, and oxygenation. Mortality was favorable compared with risk-based predictions.Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT05146336.