Introduction: Herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) is a rare disease with a poor prognosis. No recent evaluation of hospital incidence, acute mortality and morbidity is available. In particular, decompressive craniectomy has rarely been proposed in cases of life-threatening HSE with temporal herniation, in the absence of evidence. This study aimed to assess the hospital incidence and mortality of HSE, and to evaluate the characteristics, management, the potential value of decompressive craniectomy and the outcome of patients with HSE admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). Methods: Epidemiological study: we used the hospital medical and administrative discharge database to identify hospital stays, deaths and ICU admissions relating to HSE in 39 hospitals, from 2010 to 2013. Retrospective monocentric cohort: all patients with HSE admitted to the ICU of the university hospital during the study were included. The use of decompressive craniectomy and long-term outcome were analyzed. The initial brain images were analyzed blind to outcome. Results: The hospital incidence of HSE was 1.2/100,000 inhabitants per year, 32 % of the patients were admitted to ICUs and 17 % were mechanically ventilated. Hospital mortality was 5.5 % overall, but was as high as 11.9 % in ICUs. In the monocentric cohort, 87 % of the patients were still alive after one year but half of them had moderate to severe disability. Three patients had a high intracranial pressure (ICP) with brain herniation and eventually underwent decompressive hemicraniectomy. The one-year outcome of these patients did not seem to be different from that of the other patients. It was not possible to predict brain herniation reliably from the initial brain images. Conclusions: HSE appears to be more frequent than historically reported. The high incidence we observed probably reflects improvements in diagnostic performance (routine use of PCR). Mortality during the acute phase and long-term disability appear to be stable. High ICP and brain herniation are rare, but must be monitored carefully, as initial brain imaging is not useful for identifying high-risk patients. Decompressive craniectomy may be a useful salvage procedure in cases of intractable high ICP.

Mitral valve replacement using a bioprosthesis remains controversial in young patients because data on long-term outcomes are missing. This study evaluated the long-term results of the PERIMOUNT pericardial mitral bioprosthesis in patients aged 65 years or younger. From 1984 to 2010, 148 Carpentier–Edwards PERIMOUNT mitral bioprostheses were implanted in 148 patients aged 65 years or younger. Baseline clinical, perioperative and follow-up data were recorded prospectively. Structural valve deterioration (SVD) was defined by strict echocardiographic assessment. The mean follow-up period was 8.6 ± 5.5 years, for a total of 1269 valve-years. Operative mortality rate was 2.0%. Fifty-one late deaths occurred (linearized rate 4.0% per valve-year). Actuarial survival rates averaged 70 ± 4%, 53 ± 6% and 31 ± 7% after 10, 15 and 20 years of follow-up, respectively. Actuarial freedom from SVD at 10, 15 and 20 years was 78 ± 5%, 47 ± 7% and 19 ± 7%, respectively. Reoperation was associated with no operative mortality. Actuarial freedom from reoperation due to SVD at 10, 15 and 20 years was 82 ± 4%, 50 ± 6% and 25 ± 8%, respectively. Competing risk analysis demonstrated an actual risk of explantation secondary to SVD at 20 years of 44 ± 5%. Expected valve durability was 14.2 years for this age group. In the selected patients aged 65 years or younger undergoing mitral valve replacement with a pericardial bioprosthesis, the expected valve durability was 14.2 years. Reoperation for SVD was associated with a low risk of mortality.

Point-of-care testing (POCT) systems enable a wide range of tests to be rapidly performed at the bedside and have attracted increasing interest in the intensive care unit (ICU). However, previous studies comparing the concordance of POCT with central laboratory testing have reported divergent findings. Most reported studies on POCT reliability have focused on analyzer performance rather than the preanalytical phase. The aim of this study was to assess the reliability of results provided by point-of-care analyzers according to the organization of the care units and the preanalytical process. In three adult critical care units, 491 paired blood samples were analyzed for hemoglobin, potassium, and sodium concentrations by blood gas analyzers (identical reference) and the central laboratory. The clinical significance of agreement was assessed using Bland–Altman plots. A quality improvement program was then implemented to improve the preanalytical POCT process for one ICU where there was poor agreement. A second comparison was performed on 278 paired blood samples in this unit. Biases were clinically nonsignificant for potassium and sodium concentrations for all tested critical care units, relative to the reference method. However, biases [limits of agreements] for hemoglobin analyses were clearly affected by the preanalytical process: −3 [−6; 1] g/L in the operating room, −5 [−28; 17] g/L in a 10-bed ICU, and −19 [−64; 27] g/L in a 37-bed ICU. The quality approach was implemented in the 37-bed ICU and led to corrective actions that: (1) reduced the time for the POCT preanalytical phase; (2) implemented a checklist to validate the preanalytical conditions; (3) used technical innovations. The improvement of the preanalytical process resulted in a substantial decrease of the bias for hemoglobin concentration measurements: −3 [−10; 5] g/L in the 37-bed ICU. We clearly demonstrate that an identical analyzer can provide results of varying quality depending on the local constraints of the ICUs. We demonstrate that quality management focused on the preanalytical process and performed by the partners involved in the POCT can overcome these issues.

Double-lumen tracheal tube (DLT) insertion can be managed with videolaryngoscopes such as the Glidescope or indirect laryngoscopes like the Airtraq DL. No study has compared both devices when a difficult intubation is predicted. Our hypothesis was that the Glidescope is superior to the Airtraq for double-lumen tube insertion in patients with a predicted or known difficult airway. Adult patients scheduled for elective thoracic surgery with a predicted risk (evaluated preoperatively using the Arné score) or history of difficult intubation were allocated randomly to one of two groups: a Glidescope group and an Airtraq group. Adults scheduled for thoracic elective surgery, requiring one-lung ventilation with a predicted difficult intubation score of at least 7 (Arné risk index). Between March 2014 and March 2015, 277 patients were scheduled for elective thoracic surgery, requiring double-lumen tracheal tube placement. Among the 277 scheduled patients, 78 were predicted to have a difficult airway. Finally, 72 patients were enrolled. The primary outcome was the overall success rate of tracheal intubation after two attempts. Secondary outcomes were success rates on the first attempt, duration of intubation, need for laryngeal pressure, Cormack and Lehane grade and side-effects. Neither the overall success rates of tracheal intubation [Glidescope group 31/36 (86%) versus Airtraq group 34/36 (94%), P = 0.43] nor the side-effects differed between groups. There was no difference concerning visualisation of the glottis using the Cormack and Lehane grade (P = 0.18) or intubation time [Glidescope group 67 s (49 to 90) versus Airtraq group 81 s (59 to 101), P = 0.28]. All patients with a previous history of difficult intubation were intubated successfully. There is no difference in success rates of tracheal intubation with a double-lumen tube in patients with a predicted or known difficult airway when using either a Glidescope or Airtraq device. National register of the French National Agency for Medicines and Health Products Safety No. 2014-A00143-44.