Development and Usability Evaluation of a Mhealth Application for Health-Care Associated Infections among Health-Care Providers in Malaysia.

Background: The effectiveness of reducing healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) depends on increasing healthcare providers' awareness, skills, and adherence to standard practices. Mhealth applications provide an innovative approach to enhancing access to information and resources while reducing time and expenses.

Objective: The study aimed to develop and evaluate a mhealth application for healthcare providers that offers quick access to updated recommendations, evidence-based guidelines, and protocols for managing patients with HCAIs.

Examining the impact of a 9-component bundle and the INICC multidimensional approach on catheter-associated urinary tract infection rates in 32 countries across Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Background: Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTIs) frequently occur in the intensive care unit (ICU) and are correlated with a significant burden.

Methods: We implemented a strategy involving a 9-element bundle, education, surveillance of CAUTI rates and clinical outcomes, monitoring compliance with bundle components, feedback of CAUTI rates and performance feedback. This was executed in 299 ICUs across 32 low- and middle-income countries.

International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) report of health care associated infections, data summary of 45 countries for 2015 to 2020, adult and pediatric units, device-associated module.

Background: Reporting on the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium study results from 2015 to 2020, conducted in 630 intensive care units across 123 cities in 45 countries spanning Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Methods: Prospective intensive care unit patient data collected via International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium Surveillance Online System. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Health Care Safety Network definitions applied for device-associated health care-associated infections (DA-HAI).

Decreasing central line-associated bloodstream infections rates in intensive care units in 30 low- and middle-income countries: An INICC approach.

Background: Central line (CL)-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) occurring in the intensive care unit (ICU) are common and associated with a high burden.

Methods: We implemented a multidimensional approach, incorporating an 11-element bundle, education, surveillance of CLABSI rates and clinical outcomes, monitoring compliance with bundle components, feedback of CLABSI rates and clinical outcomes, and performance feedback in 316 ICUs across 30 low- and middle-income countries. Our dependent variables were CLABSI per 1,000-CL-days and in-ICU all-cause mortality rates.

Assessing the impact of a multidimensional approach and an 8-component bundle in reducing incidences of ventilator-associated pneumonia across 35 countries in Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe.

Background: Ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) occurring in the intensive care unit (ICU) are common, costly, and potentially lethal.

Methods: We implemented a multidimensional approach and an 8-component bundle in 374 ICUs across 35 low and middle-income countries (LMICs) from Latin-America, Asia, Eastern-Europe, and the Middle-East, to reduce VAP rates in ICUs. The VAP rate per 1000 mechanical ventilator (MV)-days was measured at baseline and during intervention at the 2nd month, 3rd month, 4-15 month, 16-27 month, and 28-39 month periods.

Protocol and statistical analysis plan for the mega randomised registry trial comparing conservative vs. liberal oxygenation targets in adults with nonhypoxic ischaemic acute brain injuries and conditions in the intensive care unit (Mega-ROX Brains).

Background: The effect of conservative vs. liberal oxygen therapy on 90-day in-hospital mortality in adults who have nonhypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy acute brain injuries and conditions and are receiving invasive mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit (ICU) is uncertain.

Objective: The objective of this study was to summarise the protocol and statistical analysis plan for the Mega-ROX Brains trial.

A protocol for an international, multicentre pharmacokinetic study for Screening Antifungal Exposure in Intensive Care Units: The SAFE-ICU study.

Objective: To describe whether contemporary dosing of antifungal drugs achieves therapeutic exposures in critically ill patients that are associated with optimal outcomes. Adequate antifungal therapy is a key determinant of survival of critically ill patients with fungal infections. Critical illness can alter an antifungal agents' pharmacokinetics, increasing the risk of inappropriate antifungal exposure that may lead to treatment failure and/or toxicity.

The Combined Use of Interleukin-6 with Serum Albumin for Mortality Prediction in Critically Ill Elderly Patients: The Interleukin-6-to-albumin Ratio.

Background: The association between interleukin-6 (IL-6) and serum albumin (ALB) with mortality in critically ill elderly patients, either as stand-alone biomarkers or in combination, has been scarcely reported. We, therefore, aimed to investigate the prognostic value of the IL-6-to-albumin ratio in this special population.

Patients And Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the mixed intensive care unit (ICU) of two university-affiliated hospitals in Malaysia.

Multinational prospective cohort study of rates and risk factors for ventilator-associated pneumonia over 24 years in 42 countries of Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East: Findings of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC).

Objective: Rates of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) are several times above those of high-income countries. The objective of this study was to identify risk factors (RFs) for VAP cases in ICUs of LMICs.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

The Utility of the Creatinine Excretion to Production Ratio and the Plasma Creatinine and Cystatin C Based Kinetic Estimates of Glomerular Filtration Rates in Critically Ill Patients with Sepsis.

Introduction: Creatinine kinetics denotes that under steady-state conditions, creatinine production (G) will equal creatinine excretion rate (E). The glomerular filtration (GFR) is impaired when excretion is less than production. The kinetic estimate of GFR (keGFR) and E/G ratio were proposed as a more accurate estimate of GFR in acute settings with rapidly changing kidney function.

Multinational prospective cohort study over 18 years of the risk factors for ventilator-associated pneumonia in 9 Asian countries: INICC findings.

Background: Ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) rates in Asia are several times above those of US. The objective of this study is to identify VAP risk factors.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study, between March 27, 2004 and November 2, 2022, in 279 ICUs of 95 hospitals in 44 cities in 9 Asian countries (China, India, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam).

Predicting mechanically ventilated patients future respiratory system elastance - A stochastic modelling approach.

Background And Objective: Respiratory mechanics of mechanically ventilated patients evolve significantly with time, disease state and mechanical ventilation (MV) treatment. Existing deterministic data prediction methods fail to comprehensively describe the multiple sources of heterogeneity of biological systems. This research presents two respiratory mechanics stochastic models with increased prediction accuracy and range, offering improved clinical utility in MV treatment.

Risk factors for mortality over 18 years in 317 ICUs in 9 Asian countries: The impact of healthcare-associated infections.

Objective: To identify risk factors for mortality in intensive care units (ICUs) in Asia.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: The study included 317 ICUs of 96 hospitals in 44 cities in 9 countries of Asia: China, India, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.

An international observational study to assess the impact of the Omicron variant emergence on the clinical epidemiology of COVID-19 in hospitalised patients.

Background: Whilst timely clinical characterisation of infections caused by novel SARS-CoV-2 variants is necessary for evidence-based policy response, individual-level data on infecting variants are typically only available for a minority of patients and settings.

Methods: Here, we propose an innovative approach to study changes in COVID-19 hospital presentation and outcomes after the Omicron variant emergence using publicly available population-level data on variant relative frequency to infer SARS-CoV-2 variants likely responsible for clinical cases. We apply this method to data collected by a large international clinical consortium before and after the emergence of the Omicron variant in different countries.

The impact of healthcare-associated infections on mortality in ICU: A prospective study in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Background: The International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium has found a high ICU mortality rate. Our aim was to identify all-cause mortality risk factors in ICU-patients.

Methods: Multinational, multicenter, prospective cohort study at 786 ICUs of 312 hospitals in 147 cities in 37 Latin American, Asian, African, Middle Eastern, and European countries.

Sepsis and Its Impact on Outcomes in Elderly Patients Admitted to a Malaysian Intensive Care Unit.

Sepsis is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in elderly patients, but there is a scarcity of data on sepsis in this specific cohort. We performed this study to review the impact of sepsis on outcomes in elderly patients admitted to our local intensive care unit (ICU). This was a secondary analysis of prospectively collected data of 159 consecutive adult patients with sepsis admitted to an ICU of a tertiary hospital in Malaysia over a three-year period.

Stochastic integrated model-based protocol for volume-controlled ventilation setting.

Background And Objective: Mechanical ventilation (MV) is the primary form of care for respiratory failure patients. MV settings are based on general clinical guidelines, intuition, and experience. This approach is not patient-specific and patients may thus experience suboptimal, potentially harmful MV care.

Assessing the Asynchrony Event Based on the Ventilation Mode for Mechanically Ventilated Patients in ICU.

Respiratory system modelling can assist clinicians in making clinical decisions during mechanical ventilation (MV) management in intensive care. However, there are some cases where the MV patients produce asynchronous breathing (asynchrony events) due to the spontaneous breathing (SB) effort even though they are fully sedated. Currently, most of the developed models are only suitable for fully sedated patients, which means they cannot be implemented for patients who produce asynchrony in their breathing.

Protocol conception for safe selection of mechanical ventilation settings for respiratory failure Patients.

Background And Objective: Mechanical ventilation is the primary form of care provided to respiratory failure patients. Limited guidelines and conflicting results from major clinical trials means selection of mechanical ventilation settings relies heavily on clinician experience and intuition. Determining optimal mechanical ventilation settings is therefore difficult, where non-optimal mechanical ventilation can be deleterious.

The story of critical care in Asia: a narrative review.

Background: Asia has more critically ill people than any other part of our planet. The aim of this article is to review the development of critical care as a specialty, critical care societies and education and research, the epidemiology of critical illness as well as epidemics and pandemics, accessibility and cost and quality of critical care, culture and end-of-life care, and future directions for critical care in Asia.

Main Body: Although the first Asian intensive care units (ICUs) surfaced in the 1960s and the 1970s and specialisation started in the 1990s, multiple challenges still exist, including the lack of intensivists, critical care nurses, and respiratory therapists in many countries.

Development and Validation of Creatinine-Based Estimates of the Glomerular Filtration Rate Equation from Tc-DTPA Imaging in the Malaysian Setting.

Introduction: Accurate assessment of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is very important for diagnostic and therapeutic intervention. Clinically, GFR is estimated from plasma creatinine using equations such as Cockcroft-Gault, Modification of Diet in Renal Disease, and Chronic Kidney Disease-Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations. However, these were developed in the Western population.