Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Oct 2023
Multicenter Study Observational StudyMajor adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with severe COVID-19 registered in the ISARIC WHO clinical characterization protocol: A prospective, multinational, observational study.
To determine its cumulative incidence, identify the risk factors associated with Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (MACE) development, and its impact clinical outcomes. ⋯ Patients with severe COVID-19 frequently develop MACE, which is independently associated with worse clinical outcomes.
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Journal of critical care · Oct 2023
Multicenter StudyDisparities between randomized clinical trial participants and sepsis patients in real-world.
The external validity or "generalizability" of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) often needs be considered when making treatment decisions. We evaluate whether participants in large multicenter RCTs investigating sepsis were similar in age, disease severity, comorbidities, and mortality to the general population of sepsis patients. ⋯ On average, trial participants were younger than the general sepsis patient population. Commercial support influenced patient selection. Efforts to understand and address the above-described patient disparities are necessary to improve the generalizability of RCT results.
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Journal of critical care · Aug 2023
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudySafety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of kukoamine B in patients with sepsis: A randomized phase IIa trial.
To evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of kukoamine B (KB), an alkaloid compound with high affinity for both lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and oligodeoxynucle-otides containing CpG motifs (CpG DNA), in patients with sepsis-induced organ failure. ⋯ In patients with sepsis-induced organ failure, KB was safe and well tolerated. Further investigation is warranted.
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Journal of critical care · Aug 2023
Multicenter StudyLow dose vs high dose tocilizumab in COVID-19 patients with hypoxemic respiratory failure.
Tocilizumab has been shown to decrease mortality when used concomitantly with steroids in COVID-19 with 8 mg/kg (max 800 mg) being the standard dose. Our study sought to assess whether a low dose (400 mg) shows similar benefit compared to a high dose for COVID patients concurrently on the same median dose of steroids. ⋯ Compared to low dose tocilizumab, the high dose did not provide additional efficacy and mortality benefit but resulted in higher fungal and viral infections. This study illustrates that low dose tocilizumab can be an alternative to high dose during a drug shortage of tocilizumab without compensating for efficacy and safety, conserving resources for more patients.
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Journal of critical care · Aug 2023
Multicenter StudyIncidence, risk factors and pre-emptive screening for COVID-19 associated pulmonary aspergillosis in an era of immunomodulant therapy.
COVID-19 associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in ICU patients. We investigated the incidence of, risk factors for and potential benefit of a pre-emptive screening strategy for CAPA in ICUs in the Netherlands/Belgium during immunosuppressive COVID-19 treatment. ⋯ CAPA is an indicator of a protracted course of a COVID-19 infection. No benefit of pre-emptive screening was observed, but prospective studies comparing pre-defined strategies would be required to confirm this observation.