Introduction: This study investigates the impact of sequential extracorporeal treatments with oXiris® or CytoSorb® plus Seraph-100® on the clinical and laboratory parameters of critically ill COVID-19 patients with bacterial superinfection. Methods: Patients admitted to the intensive care unit with COVID-19, bacterial superinfection, and undergoing blood purification (BP) were enrolled in this prospective, single-center, observational study. “standard BP” with oXiris® or CytoSorb® were used in 35 COVID-19 patients with bacterial infection. Seraph-100® was added in 33 patients when available serially in the same oXiris® circuit or as sequential treatment with CytoSorb® as a sequential BP. Results: A significant reduction in SOFA score 3 days after treatment was observed in patients undergoing sequential BP (11.3 vs. 8.17, p < 0.01) compared to those undergoing “standard BP” (11.0 vs. 10.3, p > 0.05). The difference between the observed and expected mortality rate based on APACHE IV was greater in the sequential BP group (42.4% vs. 81.7%, p < 0.001) than the “standard BP” (74.2% vs. 81.7%, p > 0.05). Patients treated with sequential BP had a longer survival than those treated with “standard BP” (22.4 vs. 18.7 months; p < 0.001). Conclusions: The sequential approach may enhance the positive effect of BP on organ dysfunction among critically ill patients with COVID-19 and bacterial superinfection.

Over the last decades, individualized approaches and a better understanding of coagulopathy complexity in end-stage liver disease (ESLD) patients has evolved. The risk of both thrombosis and bleeding during minimally invasive interventions or surgery is associated with a worse outcome in this patient population. Despite deranged quantitative and qualitative coagulation laboratory parameters, prophylactic coagulation management is unnecessary for patients who do not bleed. Transfusion of red blood cells (RBCs) and blood products carries independent risks for morbidity and mortality, including modulation of the immune system with increased risk for nosocomial infections. Optimal coagulation management in these complex patients should be based on the analysis of standard coagulation tests (SCTs) and viscoelastic tests (VETs). VETs represent an individualized approach to patients and can provide information about coagulation dynamics in a concise period of time. This narrative review will deliver the pathophysiology of deranged hemostasis in ESLD, explore the difficulties of evaluating the coagulopathies in liver disease patients, and examine the use of VET assays and management of coagulopathy using coagulation factors. Methods: A selective literature search with PubMed as the central database was performed with the following.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) with high PEEP levels application in patients with COVID–19–related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study with data collected from 95 patients who were administered NIV as part of their treatment in the COVID-19 intensive care unit (ICU) at University Hospital Centre Zagreb between October 2021 and February 2022. The definite outcome was NIV failure. Results: High PEEP NIV was applied in all 95 patients; 54 (56.84%) patients could be kept solely on NIV, while 41 (43.16%) patients required intubation. ICU mortality of patients solely on NIV was 3.70%, while total ICU mortality was 35.79%. The most significant difference in the dynamic of respiratory parameters between 2 patient groups was visible on Day 3 of ICU stay: By that day, patients kept solely on NIV required significantly lower PEEP levels and had better improvement in PaO₂, P/F ratio, and HACOR score. Conclusion: High PEEP applied by NIV was a safe option for the initial respiratory treatment of all patients, despite the severity of ARDS. For some patients, it was also shown to be the only necessary form of oxygen supplementation.

Introduction. Ceftazidime/avibactam, a novel beta-lactam antibiotic, demonstrates time-dependent bacterial killing; thus, new reports advocate its administration as a continuous infusion, as opposed to bolus or prolonged infusion application. Methods. Critically ill COVID-19 patients (n=10) superinfected with OXA-48-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae susceptible to ceftazidime/avibactam were treated with ceftazidime/avibactam as a continuous infusion for an average of 10 days. The treatment regimen included an initial loading dose, followed by a continuous infusion of ceftazidime/avibactam. These patients were immunocompromised because of severe COVID-19, treatment with corticosteroids, and some solid organ transplant recipients (n=2), all with high disease severity scores. Discussion. Considering the published literature to this date, this is the one of first reports describing the real-life results of using a continuous infusion of ceftazidime/avibactam in the treatment of OXA-48-producing K. pneumoniae superinfection in critically ill COVID-19 patients. Microbiological effectiveness of treatment, evidenced by negativization of microbiological samples, was achieved in eight cases (80%) overall, but in patients with sepsis and urinary tract infection, the cure rate was 100%. Conclusion. The reasons for the low treatment success rates in pneumonia caused by OXA-48-producing K. pneumoniae could be explained by the concurrent severe COVID-19 pneumonia.