Publications by authors named "Contou D"

Background: We aimed to investigate the association of intracranial complications diagnosed on neuroimaging with neurological outcomes of adults with severe pneumococcal meningitis.

Methods: We performed a retrospective multicenter study on consecutive adults diagnosed with pneumococcal meningitis requiring at least 48 h of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) and undergoing neuroimaging, between 2005 and 2021. All neuroimaging were reanalyzed to look for intracranial complications which were categorized as (1) ischemic lesion, (2) intracranial hemorrhage (3) abscess/empyema, (4) ventriculitis, (5) cerebral venous thrombosis, (6) hydrocephalus, (7) diffuse cerebral oedema.

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Introduction: First-line oxygenation strategy in patients with acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure consists in standard oxygen or high-flow nasal oxygen therapy. Clinical practice guidelines suggest the use of high-flow nasal oxygen rather than standard oxygen. However, findings remain contradictory with a low level of certainty.

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  • Severe thrombotic antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) significantly affects critical organs and has not been thoroughly studied in ICU patients, particularly regarding hematological issues.
  • A retrospective study in France tracked 134 APS patients in ICUs, revealing high rates of anemia (95%) and thrombocytopenia (93%), with low platelet counts linked to increased mortality.
  • The findings highlight the importance of understanding the causes of thrombocytopenia in APS patients, as conditions like thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA), heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) are prevalent in this population.
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Background: A notable increase in severe cases of COVID-19, with significant hospitalizations due to the emergence and spread of JN.1 was observed worldwide in late 2023 and early 2024. However, no clinical data are available regarding critically-ill JN.

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  • This study investigates COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) among critically ill patients during the Omicron variant wave, finding it affects 5.1% of patients and 9.1% of those on invasive mechanical ventilation.
  • CAPA patients showed higher rates of immunosuppression and required more intensive care measures, like vasopressors and renal therapy, compared to non-CAPA patients.
  • While CAPA did not significantly impact day-28 mortality, it was linked to longer mechanical ventilation and ICU stays, suggesting a shift in outcomes with emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.
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Introduction: Physical restraint (PR) is prescribed in patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit (ICU) to avoid unplanned removal of medical devices. However, it is associated with an increased risk of delirium. We hypothesise that a restrictive use of PR, as compared with a systematic use, could reduce the duration of delirium in ICU patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation.

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Introduction: Primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) is the presence of air in the pleural space, occurring in the absence of trauma and known lung disease. Standardized expert guidelines on PSP are needed due to the variety of diagnostic methods, therapeutic strategies and medical and surgical disciplines involved in its management.

Methods: Literature review, analysis of the literature according to the GRADE (Grading of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) methodology; proposals for guidelines rated by experts, patients and organizers to reach a consensus.

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  • A study was conducted on 158 adult patients with acute respiratory failure due to SARS-CoV-2, focusing on the impact of various Omicron sublineages, including BA.2, BA.4/BA.5, and BQ.1.1.
  • Patients infected with the recent BQ.1.1 variant displayed a higher rate of obesity and a lower rate of immunosuppression compared to those with earlier sublineages.
  • Despite these differences in patient characteristics, there was no significant variation in disease severity at ICU admission, organ support needs, or 28-day mortality across the different sublineage groups.
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Background: Neisseria meningitidis is the leading responsible bacterium of Purpura Fulminans (PF) accounting for two thirds of PF. Skin biopsy is a simple and minimally invasive exam allowing to perform skin culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect Neisseria meningitidis. We aimed to assess the sensitivity of skin biopsy in adult patients with meningococcal PF.

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  • This study aimed to understand the outcomes of patients with severe meningoencephalitis in intensive care, analyzing data from 599 adults across 68 medical centers in 7 countries from 2017 to 2020.
  • Results showed that more than half of the patients (50.5%) had poor functional outcomes at three months, with 25.8% resulting in death; causes of meningoencephalitis were varied, with acute bacterial meningitis being the most common.
  • Key factors linked to worse outcomes included being older than 60, having a weakened immune system, delays in ICU admission, and severe neurological impairments, highlighting the need for timely care and monitoring.
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Introduction: Primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) is the presence of air in the pleural space, occurring in the absence of trauma and known lung disease. Standardized expert guidelines on PSP are needed due to the variety of diagnostic methods, therapeutic strategies and medical and surgical disciplines involved in its management.

Methods: Literature review, analysis of literature according to the GRADE (Grading of Recommendation Assessment, Development and Evaluation) methodology; proposals for guidelines rated by experts, patients, and organizers to reach a consensus.

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  • The study focused on determining the best type of anticoagulation therapy for COVID-19 pneumonia patients to reduce mortality and disease duration, comparing therapeutic anticoagulation (TA), high-dose prophylactic anticoagulation (HD-PA), and standard-dose prophylactic anticoagulation (SD-PA).
  • Conducted in France, the ANTICOVID trial involved 334 patients with hypoxemic COVID-19 pneumonia, all requiring supplemental oxygen, and aimed to understand the effects of these treatments over a 14-day period.
  • Results indicated that HD-PA and SD-PA had similar outcomes, as did TA when compared to SD-PA, suggesting no significant advantage for either anticoagulation strategy in improving patient outcomes by day
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Background: Severe hypothyroidism (SH) is a rare but life-threatening endocrine emergency. Only a few data are available on its management and outcomes of the most severe forms requiring ICU admission. We aimed to describe the clinical manifestations, management, and in-ICU and 6-month survival rates of these patients.

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PURPURA FULMINANS IN ADULT PATIENTS. Purpura fulminans is a rare life-threatening infectious disease characterized by the association of a sudden and extensive purpuric rash together with an acute circulatory failure. PF commonly affects young patients with no previous comorbidities.

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Objectives: We aimed at assessing the efficacy and safety on antibiotic exposure of a strategy combining a respiratory multiplex PCR (mPCR) with enlarged panel and daily procalcitonin (PCT) measurements, as compared with a conventional strategy, in adult patients who were critically ill with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia.

Methods: This multicentre, parallel-group, open-label, randomized controlled trial enrolled patients admitted to 13 intensive care units (ICUs) in France. Patients were assigned (1:1) to the control strategy, in which antibiotic streamlining remained at the discretion of the physicians, or interventional strategy, consisting of using mPCR and daily PCT measurements within the first 7 days of randomization to streamline initial antibiotic therapy, with antibiotic continuation encouraged when PCT was >1 ng/mL and discouraged if < 1 ng/mL or decreased by 80% from baseline.

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Spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SP) has been described early during the COVID-19 pandemic in large series of patients with severe pneumonia, but most patients were receiving invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) at the time of SP diagnosis. In this retrospective multicenter observational study, we aimed at describing the prevalence and outcomes of SP during severe COVID-19 with pneumonia before any IMV, to rule out mechanisms induced by IMV in the development of pneumomediastinum.Among 549 patients, 21 patients (4%) developed a SP while receiving non-invasive respiratory support, after a median of 6 days [4-12] from ICU admission.

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Background: Spontaneous-breathing trials can be performed with the use of either pressure-support ventilation (PSV) or a T-piece. Whether PSV trials may result in a shorter time to tracheal extubation than T-piece trials, without resulting in a higher risk of reintubation, among patients who have a high risk of extubation failure is unknown.

Methods: In this multicenter, open-label trial, we randomly assigned patients who had a high risk of extubation failure (i.

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Purpose: Identifying patients who will receive renal replacement therapy (RRT) during intensive care unit (ICU) stay is a major challenge for intensivists. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of physicians in predicting the need for RRT at ICU admission and at acute kidney injury (AKI) diagnosis.

Methods: Prospective, multicenter study including all adult patients hospitalized in 16 ICUs in October 2020.

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  • * A study of 259 patients revealed distinct clinical profiles between those infected with Omicron and those with Delta, but no significant impact of variant sublineages on 28-day mortality rates.
  • * Immunocompromised patients infected with Omicron experienced higher mortality rates compared to non-immunocompromised individuals, despite many having received at least two vaccine doses and showing poor immune responses.
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  • * The study analyzed data from 136 APS patients from January 2000 to September 2018, finding that over half (53%) had new cardiac problems, with many showing reduced heart function and elevated heart-related biomarkers.
  • * Although cardiac involvement in these patients slightly increased the risk of mortality, most patients' heart function improved after one year, highlighting the need for better recognition and management of cardiac complications in APS.
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was initially isolated from the intestine of poultry and is an uncommon cause of human infection. We report here what we believe to be the first case of overwhelming post-splenectomy infection (OPSI) with purpura fulminans due to in a 51-year-old man. As opposed to other enterococci, remains susceptible to third-generation cephalosporin which is the first line empirical antibiotic therapy for both patients with purpura fulminans and asplenic patients with sepsis.

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