Short-term mortality of patients ≥80 years old admitted to European intensive care units: an international observational study.

Background: Limited evidence suggests variation in mortality of older critically ill adults across Europe. We aimed to investigate regional differences in mortality among very old ICU patients.

Methods: Multilevel analysis of two international prospective cohort studies.

Management and outcomes in critically ill nonagenarian versus octogenarian patients.

Background: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients age 90 years or older represent a growing subgroup and place a huge financial burden on health care resources despite the benefit being unclear. This leads to ethical problems. The present investigation assessed the differences in outcome between nonagenarian and octogenarian ICU patients.

Intubation Practices and Adverse Peri-intubation Events in Critically Ill Patients From 29 Countries.

Importance: Tracheal intubation is one of the most commonly performed and high-risk interventions in critically ill patients. Limited information is available on adverse peri-intubation events.

Objective: To evaluate the incidence and nature of adverse peri-intubation events and to assess current practice of intubation in critically ill patients.

Sex-specific outcome disparities in very old patients admitted to intensive care medicine: a propensity matched analysis.

Female and male very elderly intensive patients (VIPs) might differ in characteristics and outcomes. We aimed to compare female versus male VIPs in a large, multinational collective of VIPs with regards to outcome and predictors of mortality. In total, 7555 patients were included in this analysis, 3973 (53%) male and 3582 (47%) female patients.

Characteristics and outcomes of patients with COVID-19 admitted to ICU in a tertiary hospital in Stockholm, Sweden.

Background: Information on characteristics and outcomes of intensive care unit (ICU) patients with COVID-19 remains limited. We examined characteristics, clinical course and early outcomes of patients with COVID-19 admitted to ICU.

Methods: We included all 260 patients with COVID-19 admitted to nine ICUs at the Karolinska University Hospital (Stockholm, Sweden) between 9 March and 20 April 2020.

Mortality after Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock in Swedish Intensive Care Units 2008-2016-A nationwide observational study.

Background: Recent studies have reported substantially decreased hospital mortality for sepsis, but data are scarcer on outcomes after hospital discharge. We studied mortality up to 1 year in Swedish intensive care unit (ICU) patients with and without sepsis.

Methods: Demographic and medical data for all registered adult general ICU patients admitted between 01-01-2008 and 30-09-2016 were retrieved from the Swedish Intensive Care Registry and linked with the National Patient Register for comorbidity data and the Cause of Death Register for death dates.

Huge variation in obtaining ethical permission for a non-interventional observational study in Europe.

Background: Ethical approval (EA) must be obtained before medical research can start. We describe the differences in EA for an pseudonymous, non-interventional, observational European study.

Methods: Sixteen European national coordinators (NCs) of the international study on very old intensive care patients answered an online questionnaire concerning their experience getting EA.

Cumulative Prognostic Score Predicting Mortality in Patients Older Than 80 Years Admitted to the ICU.

Objectives: To develop a scoring system model that predicts mortality within 30 days of admission of patients older than 80 years admitted to intensive care units (ICUs).

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: A total of 306 ICUs from 24 European countries.

Developing definitions for invasive fungal diseases in critically ill adult patients in intensive care units. Protocol of the FUNgal infections Definitions in ICU patients (FUNDICU) project.

Background: The reliability of diagnostic criteria for invasive fungal diseases (IFD) developed for severely immunocompromised patients is questionable in critically ill adult patients in intensive care units (ICU).

Objectives: To develop a standard set of definitions for IFD in critically ill adult patients in ICU.

Methods: Based on a systematic literature review, a list of potential definitions to be applied to ICU patients will be developed by the ESCMID Study Group for Infections in Critically Ill Patients (ESGCIP) and the ESCMID Fungal Infection Study Group (EFISG) chairpersons.

[Long term efforts cut frequency of health care associated infections].

This article describes a long term infection control program (2002-2014) that has been conducted at Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge Intensive Care Unit. By using a combination of bundles for ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and central-lines associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) combined with on-line data from the Swedish Intensive Care Registry (SIR) concerning the infection rates for VAP and CLABSI, the ward has been able to keep a sustainable low frequency of these infections over the years. Key message is »to never stop improving« when it concerns quality improvement.

Invasive candidiasis in long-term patients at a multidisciplinary intensive care unit: Candida colonization index, risk factors, treatment and outcome.

The incidence of fungal infections in hospitalized patients has increased, and due to demographic changes and increasingly advanced medical methods, the intensive care units (ICU) have emerged as epicentres for fungal infections. The aim of the present study was to investigate Candida colonization pattern and colonization index (CI), in combination with other risk factors and its relation to invasive candida infection (ICI), in 59 consecutive patients with at least 7 d length of stay (LOS) at a multidisciplinary ICU. Surveillance samples were collected on d 7 and then weekly during the ICU stay.

ICU stay promotes enrichment and dissemination of multiresistant coagulase-negative staphylococcal strains.

Patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) are prone to be colonized and infected by multi-resistant bacteria. It is previously known that nosocomial infections are often preceded by cross-transmission events. The aim of the present investigation was to study the impact of the patient's length of ICU stay on the resistance patterns, diversity and dissemination of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) within and between patients.

Multiresistant coagulase-negative staphylococci disseminate frequently between intubated patients in a multidisciplinary intensive care unit.

Introduction: The intensive care unit is burdened with a high frequency of nosocomial infections often caused by multiresistant nosocomial pathogens. Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are reported to be the third causative agent of nosocomial infections and the most frequent cause of nosocomial bloodstream infections. CoNS are a part of the normal microflora of skin but can also colonize the nasal mucosa, the lower airways and invasive devices.

Frequent transmission of enterococcal strains between mechanically ventilated patients treated at an intensive care unit.

The objectives of this investigation were to study the respiratory tract colonization and transmission of enterococci between 20 patients treated with mechanical ventilation at an intensive care unit (ICU), to compare genotyping with phenotyping, and to determine the antibiotic susceptibilities of the isolated enterococci. Samples were collected from the oropharynx, stomach, subglottic space, and trachea within 24 h of intubation, every third day until day 18, and thereafter every fifth day until day 33. Enterococcal isolates (n = 170) were analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and with the PhenePlate (PhP) system.