Heart Rate Variability During Weaning from Invasive Mechanical Ventilation: A Systematic Review.

The role of Heart Rate Variability (HRV) indices in predicting the outcome of the weaning process remains a subject of debate. The aim of this study is to investigate HRV analysis in critically ill adult patients undergoing weaning from invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). The protocol of this systematic review was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42024485800).

Analyzing digital societal interactions and sentiment classification in Twitter (X) during critical events in Chile.

This study explores the influence of social media content on societal attitudes and actions during critical events, with a special focus on occurrences in Chile, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2019 protests, and the wildfires in 2017 and 2023. By leveraging a novel tweet dataset, this study introduces new metrics for assessing sentiment, inclusivity, engagement, and impact, thereby providing a comprehensive framework for analyzing social media dynamics. The methodology employed enhances sentiment classification through the use of a Deep Random Vector Functional Link (D-RVFL) neural network, which demonstrates superior performance over traditional models such as Support Vector Machines (SVM), naive Bayes, and back propagation (BP) neural networks, achieving an overall average accuracy of 78.

Reassessing the Risk of Severe Parvovirus B19 Infection in the Immunocompetent Population: A Call for Vigilance in the Wake of Resurgence.

Despite Parvovirus B19 (B19V) generally causing mild or asymptomatic infections, and only certain high-risk groups such as hematological or immunocompromised patients and pregnant women tending to develop complications, several factors challenge the assumption of a "benign" clinical course in immunocompetent adults and adolescents. A significant proportion of the population may harbor undiagnosed health conditions or genetic predispositions that could render them more susceptible to severe B19V complications. These could include mild hematological disorders, immune dysregulation not resulting in overt immunodeficiency, or underlying cardiac conditions.

Lung-Protective Mechanical Ventilation in Patients with Severe Acute Brain Injury: A Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial (PROLABI).

Lung-protective strategies using low Vt and moderate positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) are considered best practice in critical care, but interventional trials have never been conducted in patients with acute brain injuries because of concerns about carbon dioxide control and the effect of PEEP on cerebral hemodynamics. To test the hypothesis that ventilation with lower VT and higher PEEP compared to conventional ventilation would improve clinical outcomes in patients with acute brain injury. In this multicenter, open-label, controlled clinical trial, 190 adult patients with acute brain injury were assigned to receive either a lung-protective or a conventional ventilatory strategy.

Clinical effectiveness of cefiderocol for the treatment of bloodstream infections due to carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii during the COVID-19 era: a single center, observational study.

Background: We assessed the clinical effectiveness of cefiderocol (CFDC) in comparison with colistin (COL) for the treatment of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) bloodstream infections (BSI).

Materials/methods: Retrospective cohort study including adults with CRAB-BSI. Outcomes were mortality, clinical cure and adverse events during therapy.

Nutritional support and prevention of post-intensive care syndrome: the Italian SIAARTI survey.

Background: Malnutrition and muscle wasting are common in ICU patients and predict adverse patient-centered outcomes. The Italian Society of Anesthesia Analgesia Resuscitation and Intensive Care (SIAARTI) conducted a nationwide survey to identify the nutritional practices in the Italian ICUs and to plan future, training interventions to improve the national clinical practice.

Methods: Nationwide online survey, involving Italian ICUs, developed by experts affiliated with SIAARTI.

Reduced Reliability of Procalcitonin (PCT) as a Biomarker of Bacterial Superinfection: Concerns about PCT-Driven Antibiotic Stewardship in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients-Results from a Retrospective Observational Study in Intensive Care Units.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess whether procalcitonin levels is a diagnostic tool capable of accurately identifying sepsis and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) even in critically ill COVID-19 patients.

Methods: In this retrospective, observational study, all critically ill COVID-19 patients who survived for ≥2 days in a single university hospital and had at least one serum procalcitonin (PCT) value and associated blood culture and/or culture from a lower respiratory tract specimen available were eligible for the study.

Results: Over the research period, 184 patients were recruited; 67 VAP/BSI occurred, with an incidence rate of 21.

Risk factors for carbapenem-resistant (CRAB) bloodstream infections and related mortality in critically ill patients with CRAB colonization.

Background: Among MDR bacteria, carbapenem-resistant (CRAB) is a major concern due to the limited therapeutic options. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a worrying increase in the spread of CRAB infections was reported.

Objectives: The study assessed the risk factors for CRAB bloodstream infection (BSI) in patients admitted to the ICU with CRAB colonization, and the related mortality risk factors.

Chest CT features of COVID-19 in vaccinated versus unvaccinated patients: use of CT severity score and outcome analysis.

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of vaccination on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and moreover on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia, by assessing the extent of lung disease using the CT severity score (CTSS).

Methods: Between September 2021 and February 2022, SARS-CoV-2 positive patients who underwent chest CT were retrospectively enrolled. Anamnestic and clinical data, including vaccination status, were obtained.

Cellular Immune Profiling of Lung and Blood Compartments in Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

Background: SARS-CoV-2 related immunopathology may be the driving cause underlying severe COVID-19. Through an immunophenotyping analysis on paired bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and blood samples collected from mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19-associated Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (CARDS), this study aimed to evaluate the cellular immune responses in survivors and non-survivors of COVID-19.

Methods: A total of 36 paired clinical samples of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) mononuclear cells (BALF-MC) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were collected from 18 SARS-CoV-2-infected subjects admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University Hospital in Rome (Italy) for severe interstitial pneumonia.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for COVID-19-related acute respiratory distress syndrome: a narrative review.

A growing body of evidence supports the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) refractory to maximal medical therapy. ARDS may develop in a proportion of patients hospitalized for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and ECMO may be used to manage patients refractory to maximal medical therapy to mitigate the risk of ventilator-induced lung injury and provide lung rest while awaiting recovery. The mortality of COVID-19-related ARDS was variously reassessed during the pandemic.

Pre-operative ultrasound prediction of difficult airway management in adult patients: A systematic review of clinical evidence.

Background: Predicting a difficult airway, including difficult laryngoscopy, intubation or mask ventilation, is paramount in peri-operative management. As clinical predictors are only partially reliable, ultrasound-based measurements might be useful in evaluating anterior neck fat tissues depth.

Objectives: The aim of this systematic review is to report clinical evidence on pre-operative ultrasound as a predictor of difficult laryngoscopy, difficult intubation or difficult mask ventilation.

High Incidence of Candidemia in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients Supported by Veno-Venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Retrospective Study.

Background: The incidence of candidemia in severe COVID-19 patients (0.8-14%) is two- to ten-fold higher than in non-COVID-19 patients.

Methods: This retrospective analysis aimed to analyse the incidence of bloodstream infections (BSI) due to Candida in a cohort of COVID-19 patients supported with ECMO.

Adolescents' academic self-efficacy and emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic: A latent profile analysis of family and school risk factors.

The study sought to identify family conditions and school actions associated with academic self-efficacy and emotional well-being of adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile. School closures are likely to have affected students' sense of academic efficacy and emotional well-being by removing support factors such as teacher and peer support for both academic and social tasks. At the same time, family stressors caused by the pandemic are also likely to have affected children.

Clinical Impact of Colonization with Carbapenem-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria in Critically Ill Patients Admitted for Severe Trauma.

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) have raised concerns as common, frequent etiologic agents of nosocomial infections, and patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) present the highest risk for colonization and infection. The incidence of colonization and infection in trauma patients remains poorly investigated. The aim of this study was to assess the risk factors for Carbapenem-resistant (CR)-GNB colonization and the clinical impact of colonization acquisition in patients with severe trauma admitted to the ICU in a CR-GNB hyperendemic country.