Publications by authors named "Annika Reintam-Blaser"

Purpose: Gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction is common in critically ill patients and associated with poor outcomes. There is a lack of standardised methods for daily monitoring of GI function. COSMOGI aimed to develop a Core Outcome Set (COS) for daily monitoring of GI function to improve consistency and comparability in future studies in critically ill patients.

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Background: There are no clinical or laboratory markers that can diagnose acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) accurately. This study aimed to find differences in clinical and laboratory markers between arterial occlusive AMI and other acute abdominal diseases where AMI was initially suspected.

Methods: This was a post hoc study of an international prospective multicenter study where data on patients with suspected AMI were collected.

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Article Synopsis
  • Clinical guidelines recommend using buffered crystalloid solutions for critically ill patients, but do not specify which type, prompting a survey of physicians' preferences between acetate- and lactate-buffered solutions.* -
  • An international survey of 1321 anesthesiologists and ICU physicians found that the majority used these solutions frequently, with varying availability of both types across different countries.* -
  • Most physicians supported a randomized trial comparing the two solutions, rating its clinical importance as significant, but not urgent, with a median score of 5 out of 9.*
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Background: The Abdominal Compartment Society (WSACS) established consensus definitions and recommendations for the management of intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) and abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) in 2006, and they were last updated in 2013. The WSACS conducted an international survey between 2022 and 2023 to seek the agreement of healthcare practitioners (HCPs) worldwide on current and new candidate statements that may be used for future guidelines.

Methods: A self-administered, online cross-sectional survey was conducted under the auspices of the WSACS to assess the level of agreement among HCPs over current and new candidate statements.

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Background: Acute mesenteric venous thrombosis (MVT) is rarely suspected as primary diagnosis in emergency departments and still carries an in-hospital mortality rate of above 20%.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to find differences in clinical and laboratory markers between patients with acute MVT and a control group of suspected but confirmed as not having any type of acute mesenteric ischaemia (AMI).

Design: Data was retrieved from the AMESI (Acute MESenteric Ischaemia) study.

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Objective: To analyze in-hospital and 1-year morbidity and mortality associated with acute gastrointestinal dysfunction in critically ill patients with COVID-19 via a prespecified scoring system.

Methods: Between March and July 2020, consecutive hospitalized patients with COVID-19 from a single institution were retrospectively analyzed by medical chart review. Only those who remained in the intensive care unit for more than 24 hours were included.

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Article Synopsis
  • Critically ill patients often experience gastrointestinal dysfunction, which is hard to diagnose due to vague symptoms and lack of reliable biomarkers; ultrasound could be a potential tool for better assessment.* -
  • The review discusses four ultrasound protocols that evaluate different gastrointestinal aspects, linking their outputs to clinical measures of dysfunction and mortality.* -
  • The authors propose a structured ultrasound protocol for a thorough abdominal examination, while also noting the challenges of using ultrasound in critically ill patients and suggesting further research to validate its effectiveness.*
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Background: Feeding intolerance is common in critically ill patients and can lead to malnutrition. Prokinetic agents may be used to enhance the uptake of nutrition. However, the evidence on the effectiveness and safety of prokinetic agents is sparse, and there is a lack of data on their use in intensive care units (ICU).

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Introduction: Use of albumin is suggested for some patients with shock, but preferences for its use may vary among intensive care unit (ICU) physicians.

Methods: We conducted an international online survey of ICU physicians with 20 questions about their use of albumin and their opinion towards a randomised trial among adults with shock comparing the use versus no use of albumin.

Results: A total of 1248 respondents participated, with a mean response rate of 37%, ranging from 18% to 75% across 21 countries.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to establish clear cutoff points for low, intermediate, and high doses of norepinephrine (noradrenaline), a key vasopressor in intensive care, to better assess patient mortality linked to cardiovascular support.
  • Researchers analyzed data from over 8,000 ICU patients in Finland and validated the findings with a larger dataset from the U.S., focusing on the highest norepinephrine doses administered within the first 24 hours.
  • The identified dose ranges were low (<0.2 μg/kg/min), intermediate (0.2-0.4 μg/kg/min), and high (>0.4 μg/kg/min), with increasing mortality rates correlating with higher doses, demonstrating a significant relationship between norepine
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Background: Aberrations in blood phosphate (Pi) levels, whether presenting as hypo- or hyperphosphatemia, appear to be associated with clinical complications and adverse outcomes in patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU). However, the prevalence of Pi disorders and the association with subsequent factors and organ failures leading to death in ICU patients are poorly described. Despite endeavors to understand the etiology and treatment of low Pi levels from systematic reviews and meta-analyses, the literature lacks comprehensive guidance for managing hypophosphatemia.

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Background: While gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction is commonly encountered among critically ill patients, a uniform prospectively validated scoring system is lacking. The present study aims to validate the recently developed Gastrointestinal Dysfunction Score (GIDS) in a multicenter, prospective cohort of consecutive adult patients admitted to intensive care units (ICU).

Methods: GUTPHOS is a prospective, multicenter, non-interventional cohort study in which at least 1400 consecutive adult patients (age ≥18 years) admitted to the ICU will be monitored daily for abdominal signs and symptoms of GI dysfunction.

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Background: Acute mesenteric ischaemia (AMI) is a life-threatening disease where early diagnosis is critical to avoid morbidity and mortality from extensive irreversible bowel necrosis. Appropriate prediction of presence of bowel necrosis is currently not available but would help to choose the optimal method of treatment. The study aims to identify combinations of biomarkers that can reliably identify AMI and distinguish between potentially reversible and irreversible bowel ischaemia.

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Recent randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have shown no benefit but  dose-dependent harm by early full nutritional support in critically ill patients. Lack of benefit may be explained by anabolic resistance, suppression of cellular repair processes, and aggravation of hyperglycemia and insulin needs. Also early high amino acid doses did not provide benefit, but instead associated with harm in patients with organ dysfunctions.

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Background: The aim of this multicentre prospective observational study was to identify the incidence, patient characteristics, diagnostic pathway, management and outcome of acute mesenteric ischaemia (AMI).

Methods: All adult patients with clinical suspicion of AMI admitted or transferred to 32 participating hospitals from 06.06.

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Article Synopsis
  • Acute mesenteric ischaemia (AMI) is a serious condition difficult to diagnose without effective biomarkers, necessitating a review of studies on available biomarkers for improved diagnosis.
  • A systematic search was conducted for studies on biomarkers in adult patients, leading to meta-analyses of 18 biomarkers based on sensitivity and specificity metrics.
  • While no biomarker provided conclusive prediction, Ischaemia-modified albumin and interleukin-6 showed the best predictive values, but the overall risk of bias in the studies was high.
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Postoperative delirium (POD) remains a common, dangerous and resource-consuming adverse event but is often preventable. The whole peri-operative team can play a key role in its management. This update to the 2017 ESAIC Guideline on the prevention of POD is evidence-based and consensus-based and considers the literature between 01 April 2015, and 28 February 2022.

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Following the new ESPEN Standard Operating Procedures, the previous 2019 guideline to provide best medical nutritional therapy to critically ill patients has been shortened and partially revised. Following this update, we propose this publication as a practical guideline based on the published scientific guideline, but shortened and illustrated by flow charts. The main goal of this practical guideline is to increase understanding and allow the practitioner to implement the Nutrition in the ICU guidelines.

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