Objectives: The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019, known as COVID-19, has rapidly evolved to a global pandemic. This pandemic represents an unprecedented public health issue not only for the general population but also for patients on the transplant wait list. Multiple organizations around the world have published recommendations for the proper conduct of transplant procedures, including donor and recipient screening and perioperative management. We investigated the efficacy of these new recommendations and the effects of SARS- CoV-2 infection on the deceased donation rate, donor organ management, and the time from family consent to procurement. Materials and Methods: The characteristics of potential donors diagnosed with brain death between July 15, 2019, and November 18, 2020, were evaluated retrospectively. Demographic and clinical features, the time elapsed from the clinical diagnosis until confirmation, and rates of acceptance were recorded. Potential donors diagnosed with brain death before the pandemic and during the pandemic were compared according to these variables. Results: Within the study period, 40 patients were diagnosed with brain death: 13 before the pandemic and 27 during the pandemic. The organs from 2 donors were procured before the pandemic. Organs from 3 of 8 donors were procured during the pandemic (the organs from 5 of these 8 patients were not donated). The organ donation time was 8.5 +/- 2.12 hours (minimum-maximum, 7-10 hours) in the period before the pandemic and 54 +/- 11.53 hours (minimum-maximum, 45-67 hours) during the pandemic. Conclusions: The number of donors decreased significantly in our hospital during the pandemic and was similar to the overall rate in Turkey. The duration of the donation process has been prolonged, and strategies to improve rates of organ donation, including infection control, have become a focus of concern.

Background: Vaccines against coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) have been effective in preventing symptomatic diseases, hospitalizations, and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions. However, data regarding the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in reducing mortality among critically ill patients with COVID-19 remains unclear.Aims: To determine the vaccination status and investigate the impact of the COVID-19 vaccine on the 28-day mortality in critically ill patients with COVID-19.Study Design: Multicenter prospective observational clinical study.Methods: This study was conducted in 60 hospitals with ICUs managing critically ill patients with COVID-19. Patients aged >= 18 years with confirmed COVID-19 who were admitted to the ICU were included. The present study had two phases. The first phase was designed as a one-day point prevalence study, and demographic and clinical findings were evaluated. In the second phase, the 28-day mortality was evaluated.Results: As of August 11, 2021, 921 patients were enrolled in the study. The mean age of the patients was 65.42 +/- 16.74 years, and 48.6% (n = 448) were female. Among the critically ill patients with COVID-19, 52.6% (n = 484) were unvaccinated, 7.7% (n = 71) were incompletely vaccinated, and 39.8% (n = 366) were fully vaccinated. A subgroup analysis of 817 patients who were unvaccinated (n = 484) or who had received two doses of the CoronaVac vaccine (n = 333) was performed. The 28-day mortality rate was 56.8% (n = 275) and 57.4% (n = 191) in the unvaccinated and two-dose CoronaVac groups, respectively. The 28-day mortality was associated with age, hypertension, the number of comorbidities, type of respiratory support, and APACHE II and sequential organ failure assessment scores (p < 0.05). The odds ratio for the 28-day mortality among those who had received two doses of CoronaVac was 0.591 (95% confidence interval: 0.413-0.848) (p = 0.004).Conclusion: Vaccination with at least two doses of CoronaVac within six months significantly decreased mortality in vaccinated patients than in unvaccinated patients.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a disease that affects many organs, especially the lung, and may lead to multiorgan failure. Studies describing neurological dysfunctions involving the central and peripheral nervous systems have emerged. In our study, we aimed to evaluate the neurological signs and symptoms in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Methods: The data of 290 patients admitted to our center (ward and intensive care unit) who received a diagnosis of COVID-19 were analyzed retrospectively. Patients’ demographic, clinical and laboratory data, and their neurological diseases, symptoms, and complications were compared. Results: Male sex, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and having a history of neurological disease were associated with increased mortality in patients with COVID-19. Seizures and altered consciousness were also found to be more common in patients who died. In addition, lower platelet counts (P=0.001), higher C-reactive protein levels (P<0.001) and higher D-dimer levels (P=0.003) were associated with increased risk of mortality. Conclusions: We believe that close monitoring of any possible neurological manifestations is mandatory in hospitalized patients at the onset of COVID-19 and during disease progression. Clinical findings such as neurological symptoms and acute phase reactants are important in the follow-up and treatment of the disease.

Introduction: This study aims to evaluate presenting symptoms, clinical and laboratory findings, and treatment modalities of adult patients presenting with mushroom poisoning treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) with special consideration of extracorporeal liver support systems. Materials and methods: Records of patients with mushroom poisoning treated in the ICU between January 2007 and December 2014 were analyzed retrospectively. Results: Sixteen adult patients were treated in the ICU for mushroom poisoning during the designated study period. Presentation to the hospital was most common during October of each year. Average time from ingestion of mushrooms to first symptoms was 17.81 hours, and to ICU admission was 2.38 days. The most common symptoms were nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. The most common laboratory finding was elevation of liver transaminases. In cases with elevated liver transaminases, penicillin G, silibinin and N-acetyl cysteine were used. Extracorporeal support systems were used in 9 cases. Two cases underwent emergency liver transplantation. Conclusion: Liver transplantation is the most definitive and effective treatment in indicated cases of mushroom poisoning. Extracorporeal support systems should be considered in the early period both as a treatmet modality on their own or to save time until the definitive treatment is possible. The question of which extracorporeal detoxification technique to use is difficult to answer and controlled clinical trials which compare their efficacy are needed.

Objective: Delirium is a common and often misdiagnosed condition associated with increased mortality and cognitive dysfunction in intensive care units. Critical care nurses have a unique opportunity as healthcare providers to assess for and early identify delirium. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge of critical care nurses about delirium care. Materials and Methods: The study were conducted between April 2022-July 2022 with critical care nurses who had at least one year of experience working in three hospitals. The study data were collected with the “Nurse Characteristic Form” and “Delirium Care Knowledge Questionnaire”. Results: In total, 253 nurses completed the test. The overall mean score was 10.66±2.29 (possible range 0-16). Correct answers for the subject areas were as follows: (a) 71.1% in symptoms, types, and outcomes; (b) 71.4% in high-risk groups; (c) 81.5% in predisposing and precipitating factors; and (d) 42.7% in assessment and detection. The questions with a high percentage of wrong answers were related to delirium subtypes and assessment. Delirium knowledge scores increased significantly with increasing age and with greater work experience (p