Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
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Patients undergoing cardiac surgery are subject to infectious complications that adversely affect outcomes. Rapid identification is essential for adequate treatment. Procalcitonin (PCT) is a noninvasive blood test that could serve this purpose, however its validity in the cardiac surgery population is still debated. We therefore performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the accuracy of PCT for the diagnosis of postoperative bacterial infection after cardiac surgery. ⋯ These results suggest that PCT may be used to help rule out infection after cardiac surgery. The optimal threshold of 3 ng/mL identified in this work should be confirmed with large, well-designed randomized trials that evaluate the test's impact on health outcomes and on the use of antibiotic therapy. PROSPERO Registration number CRD42023415773. Registered 22 April 2023.
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To assess the frequency, risk factors, consequences, and prevention of violence against healthcare workers in intensive care units. ⋯ The protocol for this review was registered with Prospero on January 15, 2023 (ID CRD42023388449).
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Meta Analysis
Ketamine versus etomidate as an induction agent for tracheal intubation in critically ill adults: a Bayesian meta-analysis.
Tracheal intubation is a high-risk intervention commonly performed in critically ill patients. Due to its favorable cardiovascular profile, ketamine is considered less likely to compromise clinical outcomes. This meta-analysis aimed to assess whether ketamine, compared with other agents, reduces mortality in critically ill patients undergoing intubation. ⋯ All of the included studies evaluated ketamine versus etomidate among critically ill adults requiring tracheal intubation. This meta-analysis showed a moderate probability that induction with ketamine is associated with a reduced risk of mortality.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Prevention of post-operative delirium using an overnight infusion of dexmedetomidine in patients undergoing cardiac surgery: a pragmatic, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
After cardiac surgery, post-operative delirium (PoD) is acknowledged to have a significant negative impact on patient outcome. To date, there is no valuable and specific treatment for PoD. Critically ill patients often suffer from poor sleep condition. There is an association between delirium and sleep quality after cardiac surgery. This study aimed to establish whether promoting sleep using an overnight infusion of dexmedetomidine reduces the incidence of delirium after cardiac surgery. ⋯ In patients recovering from an elective cardiac surgery, an overnight infusion of dexmedetomidine did not decrease postoperative delirium. Trial registration This trial was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (number: NCT03477344; date: 26th March 2018).
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Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) may reduce mortality and improve neurological outcomes in patients with cardiac arrest. We updated our existing meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis to further evaluate ECPR compared to conventional CPR (CCPR). ⋯ We found that ECPR reduces in-hospital mortality, improves neurological outcome, and 30-day survival. We additionally found a newly significant benefit in OHCA, suggesting that ECPR may be considered in both IHCA and OHCA.