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BACKGROUND: Intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) is frequently encountered in critically ill surgical patients. We aimed to evaluate the incidence of IAH after orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) and its impact on organ function, hospital length-of-stay (LOS), and death. METHODS: This prospective, observational, cohort study evaluated consecutive adult patients admitted in the ICU after undergoing OLT. Intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) was measured every 4-6 h for 3 days. Worsening IAP was defined as a gradual increase in IAP over a period of time. Daily fluid balance was the daily sum of all intakes minus the output. RESULTS: IAH was observed in 48% of the patients within the first 3 days after ICU admission, while ACS was diagnosed in 15%. Patients with IAH had a higher positive fluid balance at day 1 (1764 mL [812-2733 mL] vs. 1301 mL [241-1904 mL], p = 0.025). Worsening IAH was associated with fewer days free of organ dysfunction. IAH within 72 h after ICU admission was independently associated with a composite outcome of death or a longer ICU LOS (odds ratio 2.9; CI 95% 1.02-8.25, p = 0.043). CONCLUSION: After OLT, nearly half of the patients presented IAH, that was associated with unfavorable outcomes.

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Background and objectives: The use of delirium screening instruments (DSIs) is recommended in critical care practice for a timely detection of delirium. We hypothesize that the patient-related factors "level of sedation" and "mechanical ventilation" impact test validity of DSIs. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective, bi-center observational study (clinicaltrials.gov: NCT01720914). Critically ill patients were screened for delirium daily for up to seven days after enrollment using the Nursing Delirium Screening Scale (Nu-DESC), Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist (ICDSC), and Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU). Reference standard for delirium diagnosis was the neuropsychiatric examination using the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). Immediately before delirium assessment, ventilation status and sedation levels were documented. Results: 160 patients were enrolled and 151 patients went into final analysis. Delirium incidence was 23.2%. Nu-DESC showed a sensitivity and specificity of 88.5%, a positive predictive value (PPV) of 71.9%, and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 95.8%. ICDSC had a sensitivity of 62.5%, a specificity of 92.4%, a PPV of 71.4%, and a NPV of 89.0%. CAM-ICU showed a sensitivity of 75.0%, a specificity of 94.7%, a PPV of 85.7%, and a NPV of 90.0%. For Nu-DESC and ICDSC, test validity was significantly better for non-sedated patients (Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale (RASS) 0/-1), whereas test validity for CAM-ICU in a severity scale version showed no significant differences for different sedation levels. No DSI showed a significant difference in test validity between noninvasively and invasively ventilated patients. Conclusions: Test validities of DSIs were comparable to previous studies. The observational scores ICDSC and Nu-DESC showed a significantly better performance in awake and drowsy patients (RASS 0/-1) when compared with other sedation levels. Physicians should refrain from sedation whenever possible to avoid suboptimal performance of DSIs.

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BACKGROUND: Prediction of perioperative cardiac complications is important in the medical management of patients undergoing noncardiac surgery. However, these patients frequently die as a consequence of primary or secondary multiple organ failure (MOF), often as a result of sepsis. We investigated the early perioperative risk factors for in-hospital death due to MOF in surgical patients. METHODS: This was a prospective, multicenter, observational cohort study performed in 21 Brazilian intensive care units (ICUs). Adult patients undergoing noncardiac surgery who were admitted to the ICU within 24 hours after operation were evaluated. MOF was characterized by the presence of at least 2 organ failures. To determine the relative risk (RR) of in-hospital death due to MOF, we performed a logistic regression multivariate analysis. RESULTS: A total of 587 patients were included (mean age, 62.4 ± 17 years). ICU and hospital mortality rates were 15% and 20.6%, respectively. The main cause of death was MOF (53%). Peritonitis (RR 4.17, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.38-12.6), diabetes (RR 3.63, 95% CI 1.17-11.2), unplanned surgery (RR 3.62, 95% CI 1.18-11.0), age (RR 1.04, 95% CI 1 0.01-1.08), and elevated serum lactate concentrations (RR 1.52, 95% CI 1.14-2.02), a high central venous pressure (RR 1.12, 95% CI 1.04-1.22), a fast heart rate (RR 3.63, 95% CI 1.17-11.2) and pH (RR 0.04, 95% CI 0.0005-0.38) on the day of admission were independent predictors of death due to MOF. CONCLUSIONS: MOF is the main cause of death after surgery in high-risk patients. Awareness of the risk factors for death due to MOF may be important in risk stratification and can suggest routes for therapy.

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BACKGROUND: The use of vasoactive drugs to restore arterial blood pressure in patients with septic shock remains a cornerstone of intensive care medicine. However, vasopressors can accentuate the hypoperfusion of the gut during septic shock, allowing bacterial translocation and endotoxemia. In this study, we compared the effects of different vasoactive drugs on intestinal microcirculation and tissue oxygenation, independent of the effects of fluid therapy, in a rat model of endotoxemic shock. METHODS: Pentobarbital-anesthetized Wistar Kyoto rats were submitted to endotoxemic shock induced by Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (2 mg/kg IV). Arterial blood pressure was normalized by a continuous infusion of different vasoactive drugs, including epinephrine, norepinephrine, phenylephrine, dopamine, dobutamine, or a combination of dobutamine and norepinephrine. The functional capillary density (FCD) of the muscular layer of the small intestine was evaluated by intravital video-microscopy. Mesenteric venous blood gases and lactate concentrations were also analyzed. RESULTS: FCD decreased by approximately 25% to 60% after the IV infusion of epinephrine, norepinephrine, and phenylephrine. Administration of dopamine, dobutamine, and the combination of dobutamine and norepinephrine did not induce significant alterations in gut FCD. In addition, the mesenteric venous lactate concentration increased in the presence of phenylephrine and showed a tendency to increase after the administration of epinephrine and norepinephrine, whereas there was no observable increase after the administration of dopamine, dobutamine, and the combination of dobutamine with norepinephrine. CONCLUSION: This study confirms dissociation of the systemic hemodynamic and microvascular alterations in an experimental model of septic shock. Moreover, the results indicate that the use of dopamine, dobutamine, and dobutamine in combination with norepinephrine yields a protective effect on the microcirculation of the intestinal muscular layer in endotoxemic rats.

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A 58-year-old woman was brought to our emergency department with massive nasal bleeding and hemodynamic instability. The patient had been on clopidogrel treatment (75 mg/day) for 2 years, which was started after an episode of transitory ischemic attack. Blood pressure normalized following the administration of intravenous fluids, and the bleeding stopped after nasal tamponade and desmopressin therapy.

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A 39-year-old man presented with 80% body surface area burned following a thermal accident. The patient showed hemodynamic instability and low response to intravenous fluids or vasopressors for 20 days in the intensive care unit (ICU). The adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) test was consistent with adrenal insufficiency. After a 3-day steroid treatment, the patient's blood pressure was normal without the administration of any vasopressor.

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