Publications by authors named "Asterios Tzalavras"

Article Synopsis
  • Thrombocytopenia, defined as a low platelet count, is a frequent issue in ICU patients and is linked to poorer health outcomes, including higher mortality rates.
  • A study involving 1166 ICU patients across 52 ICUs in 10 countries found that 43.2% had thrombocytopenia, with nearly one-quarter presenting with it upon admission.
  • Thrombocytopenia at ICU admission was statistically associated with increased 90-day mortality, and while 22.6% of those affected received platelet transfusions, the majority were given as a precautionary measure.
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A growing number of patients are living with cancer or have a history of cancer leading to increasing adverse effects of treatment or disease necessitating emergency department (ED) consultation. Long-term cancer survivors are at higher risk of comorbidities causing a substantial increase in health care resource utilization. The most frequent reasons for cancer-related ED visits are dyspnea, fever, pain, gastrointestinal or neurological symptoms leading to high hospital and intensive care unit admission rates.

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Chronic graft-vs-host-disease (cGvHD) is the most relevant long-term complication after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) with major impact on non-relapse mortality, but data on intensive care unit (ICU) outcome are missing. In this retrospective, multicenter study we analyzed 174 adult HSCT recipients with cGvHD requiring intensive care treatment. Skin, pulmonary, liver, and intestinal involvement were present in 76.

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Acute respiratory failure (ARF) is the main reason for ICU admission following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Extracorporeal CO removal (ECCO R) can be used as an adjunct to mechanical ventilation in patients with severe hypercapnia but has not been assessed in HSCT recipients. Retrospective analysis of all allogeneic HSCT recipients ≥18 years treated with ECCO R at two HSCT centers.

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Acute chest syndrome (ACS) in adult patients with sickle cell disease represents a leading cause of death. It is characterized by a new density on chest X-ray accompanied by fever and/or respiratory symptoms. Currently, 49 adult patients with sickle cell disease are registered at our department.

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Background: With Sepsis-3, the increase in sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) as a clinical score for the identification of patients with sepsis and quickSOFA (qSOFA) for the identification of patients at risk of sepsis outside the intensive care unit (ICU) were introduced in 2016. However, their validity has been questioned, and their applicability in different settings and subgroups, such as hematological cancer patients, remains unclear. We therefore assessed the validity of SOFA, qSOFA, and the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria regarding the diagnosis of sepsis and the prediction of in-hospital mortality in a multicenter cohort of hematological cancer patients treated on ICU and non-ICU settings.

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Article Synopsis
  • Steroid-resistant acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in the gastrointestinal tract leads to high morbidity and mortality, and while high-dose steroids are the first-line treatment, there isn't a widely accepted second-line option.
  • A study of 65 patients revealed that additional ileostomy surgery significantly improved overall survival (16 months vs. 4 months) and reduced both infectious and GVHD-associated mortality (40% vs. 77%).
  • The surgery was associated with reduced fecal volumes and alterations in immune cell populations, indicating a potential immune-modulating effect, suggesting that ileostomy could be a beneficial treatment for steroid-resistant acute GVHD, warranting further research.
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