Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
-
Observational Study
Plasma neurofilament light is a predictor of neurological outcome 12 h after cardiac arrest.
Previous studies have reported high prognostic accuracy of circulating neurofilament light (NfL) at 24-72 h after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), but performance at earlier time points and after in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) is less investigated. We aimed to assess plasma NfL during the first 48 h after OHCA and IHCA to predict long-term outcomes. ⋯ The prognostic accuracy of NfL for predicting good and poor outcomes is excellent as early as 12 h after OHCA. NfL is less reliable for the prediction of outcome after IHCA.
-
Multicenter Study Observational Study
Severe community-acquired Streptococcus pneumoniae bacterial meningitis: clinical and prognostic picture from the intensive care unit.
Severe community-acquired pneumococcal meningitis is a medical emergency. The aim of the present investigation was to evaluate the epidemiology, management and outcomes of this condition. ⋯ Mortality rate in critically ill patients with pneumococcal meningitis is lower than previously reported. Delay in antibiotic treatment following admission is the only amendable factor associated with mortality.
-
Gut microbiota alterations have been reported in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, with reduced alpha diversity and altered microbiota composition related to respiratory failure. However, data regarding gut microbiota and mortality are scarce. ⋯ Although our data should be regarded as exploratory due to low number of clinical end points, they suggest that gut microbiota alterations during hospitalization could be related to poor prognosis after severe COVID-19. Larger studies of gut involvement during COVID-19 in relation to long-term clinical outcome are warranted. Trial registration NCT04381819 . Retrospectively registered May 11, 2020.