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BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Commercially available high-calorie drinks containing fat and protein can be used as dietary supplements in surgical patients. According to preoperative fasting guidelines, high-calorie drinks are non-clear fluids and should not be consumed 6 h before elective procedures. The aim of this study was to evaluate the gastric emptying time of commercially available high-calorie drink formulations in healthy adults using gastric ultrasound. METHODS: 25 healthy adult volunteers were included in this double-blind, cross-over prospective study. On three study sessions, fasted volunteers ingested one of the three study products: a solution of 75 g of glucose in 200 ml of water, a fat-free liquid meal, and a nutritionally complete liquid meal with equal volume and energy content. Gastric ultrasound examinations were performed to evaluate the gastric contents qualitatively and the volume of the gastric contents was calculated from the cross-sectional area of the gastric antrum measured in right lateral position by using a validated model. Repeated gastric ultrasounds were performed at baseline and half-hourly after ingesting the products in supine and right lateral position until the criteria for an empty stomach were met. RESULTS: The glucose solution and the standard fat-free high-calorie drink with the same caloric content had a median gastric emptying time of 150 min. The nutritionally complete liquid meal had a median gastric emptying time of 180 min. Gastric emptying was complete in all participants before 6 h had elapsed since ingesting the study products. CONCLUSIONS: High calorie liquid meals have a gastric emptying time longer than the recommended fasting time for clear fluids, but shorter than the recommended fasting time for solids in healthy adults.

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BACKGROUND: The optimal indication, dose, and timing of corticosteroids in sepsis is controversial. Here, we used reinforcement learning to derive the optimal steroid policy in septic patients based on data on 3051 ICU admissions from the AmsterdamUMCdb intensive care database. METHODS: We identified septic patients according to the 2016 consensus definition. An actor-critic RL algorithm using ICU mortality as a reward signal was developed to determine the optimal treatment policy from time-series data on 277 clinical parameters. We performed off-policy evaluation and testing in independent subsets to assess the algorithm's performance. RESULTS: Agreement between the RL agent's policy and the actual documented treatment reached 59%. Our RL agent's treatment policy was more restrictive compared to the actual clinician behavior: our algorithm suggested withholding corticosteroids in 62% of the patient states, versus 52% according to the physicians' policy. The 95% lower bound of the expected reward was higher for the RL agent than clinicians' historical decisions. ICU mortality after concordant action in the testing dataset was lower both when corticosteroids had been withheld and when corticosteroids had been prescribed by the virtual agent. The most relevant variables were vital parameters and laboratory values, such as blood pressure, heart rate, leucocyte count, and glycemia. CONCLUSIONS: Individualized use of corticosteroids in sepsis may result in a mortality benefit, but optimal treatment policy may be more restrictive than the routine clinical practice. Whilst external validation is needed, our study motivates a 'precision-medicine' approach to future prospective controlled trials and practice.

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OBJECTIVES: In critically ill patients requiring mechanical ventilation for at least 21 days, 1-year mortality can be estimated using the ProVent score, calculated from four variables (age, platelet count, vasopressor use and renal replacement therapy). We aimed to externally validate discrimination and calibration of the ProVent score and, if necessary, to update its underlying regression model. DESIGN: Retrospective, observational, single-centre study. SETTING: 11 intensive care units at one tertiary academic hospital. PATIENTS: 780 critically ill adult patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation for at least 21 days. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE: 1-year mortality after intensive care unit discharge. RESULTS: 380 patients (49%) had died after 1 year. One-year mortality for ProVent scores from 0 to 5 were: 15%, 27%, 57%, 66%, 72% and 76%. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the ProVent probability model was 0.76 (95% CI 0.72 to 0.79), calibration intercept was -0.43 (95% CI -0.59 to -0.27) and calibration slope was 0.76 (95% CI 0.62 to 0.89). Model recalibration and extension by inclusion of three additional predictors (total bilirubin concentration, enteral nutrition and surgical status) improved model discrimination and calibration. Decision curve analysis demonstrated that the original ProVent model had negative net benefit, which was avoided with the extended ProVent model. CONCLUSIONS: The ProVent probability model had adequate discrimination but was miscalibrated in our patient cohort and, as such, could potentially be harmful. Use of the extended ProVent score developed by us could possibly alleviate this concern.

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BACKGROUND: Dysphagia remains the most significant concern after anti-reflux surgery, including magnetic sphincter augmentation (MSA). The aim of this study was to evaluate postoperative dysphagia rates, its risk factors, and management after MSA. METHODS: From a prospectively collected database of all 357 patients that underwent MSA at our institution, a total of 268 patients were included in our retrospective study. Postoperative dysphagia score, gastrointestinal symptoms, proton pump inhibitor intake, GERD-HRQL, Alimentary Satisfaction, and serial contrast swallow imaging were evaluated within standardized follow-up appointments. To determine patients' characteristics and surgical factors associated with postoperative dysphagia, a multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed. RESULTS: At a median follow-up of 23 months, none of the patients presented with severe dysphagia, defined as the inability to swallow solids or/and liquids. 1% of the patients underwent endoscopic dilatation, and 1% had been treated conservatively for dysphagia. 2% of the patients needed re-operation, most commonly due to recurrent hiatal hernia. Two patients underwent device removal due to unspecific discomfort and pain. No migration of the device or erosion by the device was seen. The LINX® device size ≤ 13 was found to be the only factor associated with postoperative dysphagia (OR 5.90 (95% CI 1.4-24.8)). The postoperative total GERD-HRQL score was significantly lower than preoperative total score (2 vs. 19; p = 0.001), and daily heartburn, regurgitations, and respiratory complains improved in 228/241 (95%), 131/138 (95%) and 92/97 (95%) of patients, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Dysphagia requiring endoscopic or surgical intervention was rare after MSA in a large case series. LINX® devices with a size < 13 were shown to be an independent risk factor for developing postoperative dysphagia.

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Sugammadex has been approved for reversal of neuromuscular blockade by vecuronium and rocuronium in adults undergoing surgery. Although widely used in the operating room, sugammadex has not been investigated in the intensive care unit setting. This study aimed to evaluate the use of sugammadex in critically ill patients with a focus on known drug-related adverse reactions. In this single-center, retrospective, observational study, 91 critically ill patients who were administered sugammadex while in the ICU were evaluated. Electronic health records were reviewed, and baseline data, as well as indication and incidence of complications possibly related to sugammadex, were retrospectively collected. The most common procedures requiring neuromuscular blockade followed by reversal with sugammadex were bronchoscopy, percutaneous dilatative tracheostomy, and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy. Within 2 h following administration of sugammadex, skin rash and use of antihistamines were reported in 4 patients (4.4%) in total; bradycardia was observed in 9 patients (9.9%), and respiratory adverse events were described in 3 patients (3.3%). New-onset bleeding up to 24 h after sugammadex was reported in 7 patients (7.7%), 3of whom received transfusions of packed red blood cells. Sugammadex was well tolerated in critically ill patients and could be considered for reversal of neuromuscular blockade in this population. Larger prospective studies are required to determine the safety profile and evaluate the potential benefit and indications of sugammadex in the critical care setting.

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BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disrupts routine care and alters treatment pathways in every medical specialty, including intensive care medicine, which has been at the core of the pandemic response. The impact of the pandemic is inevitably not limited to patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and their outcomes; however, the impact of COVID-19 on intensive care has not yet been analyzed. METHODS: The objective of this propensity score-matched study was to compare the clinical outcomes of non-COVID-19 critically ill patients with the outcomes of prepandemic patients. Critically ill, non-COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) during the first wave of the pandemic were matched with patients admitted in the previous year. Mortality, length of stay, and rate of readmission were compared between the two groups after matching. RESULTS: A total of 211 critically ill SARS-CoV­2 negative patients admitted between 13 March 2020 and 16 May 2020 were matched to 211 controls, selected from a matching pool of 1421 eligible patients admitted to the ICU in 2019. After matching, the outcomes were not significantly different between the two groups: ICU mortality was 5.2% in 2019 and 8.5% in 2020, p = 0.248, while intrahospital mortality was 10.9% in 2019 and 14.2% in 2020, p = 0.378. The median ICU length of stay was similar in 2019: 4 days (IQR 2-6) compared to 2020: 4 days (IQR 2-7), p = 0.196. The rate of ICU readmission was 15.6% in 2019 and 10.9% in 2020, p = 0.344. CONCLUSION: In this retrospective single center study, mortality, ICU length of stay, and rate of ICU readmission did not differ significantly between patients admitted to the ICU during the implementation of hospital-wide COVID-19 contingency planning and patients admitted to the ICU before the pandemic.

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We report a case of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) in a 22-year-old man, who was admitted to the Medical University of Vienna hospital with severe meningoencephalitis, unresponsive and dependent on a respirator. He had given a history of a recent tick bite, but because he had previously received a full course of vaccination against TBE, West Nile virus infection was suspected. Because the antiviral drug favipiravir has been reported to be active against WNV, therapy was initiated, and continued even after a diagnosis of TBE was confirmed, due to significant improvement of symptoms. Within days, the patient's symptoms resolved, and he was discharged after complete recovery at 15 days after onset. Although this single case does not permit any conclusion as to the role of favipiravir in the favorable outcome, it suggests that the drug should be further evaluated in laboratory animal models and in appropriate clinical settings.

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