Background: This study aimed to describe the clinical course, outcomes, and prognostic factors of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients with acute hypercapnic respiratory failure.Methods: This retrospective study involved patients with acute hypercapnic respiratory failure due to COPD of any cause admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for non-invasive or invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) support between December 2015 and February 2020. Results: One hundred patients were evaluated. The main causes of acute hypercapnic respiratory failure were bronchitis, pneumonia, and heart failure. The patients’ mean Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score was 23.0±7.2, and their IMV rate was 43%. ICU, in-hospital, and 90-day mortality rates were 21%, 29%, and 39%, respectively. Non-survivors had greater pneumonia, shock within the first 24 hours of admission, IMV, vasopressor use, and renal replacement therapy, along with higher APACHE II scores, lower admission albumin levels and PaO2/FiO2 ratios, and longer ICU and hospital stays than survivors. Logistic regression analysis identified APACHE II score (odds ratio [OR], 1.157; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.017–1.317; P=0.026), admission PaO2/FiO2 ratio (OR, 0.989; 95% CI, 0.978–0.999; P=0.046), and vasopressor use (OR, 8.827; 95% CI, 1.650–47.215; P=0.011) as predictors of ICU mortality. APACHE II score (OR, 1.099; 95% CI, 1.021–1.182; P=0.011) and admission albumin levels (OR, 0.169; 95% CI, 0.056–0.514; P=0.002) emerged as predictors of 90-day mortality.Conclusions: APACHE II scores, the PaO2/FiO2 ratio, vasopressor use, and albumin levels are significant short-term mortality predictors in severely ill COPD patients with acute hypercapnic respiratory failure.

Background: Pediatric intensive care units (PICUs), where children with critical illnesses are treated, require considerable manpower and technological infrastructure in order to keep children alive and free from sequelae. Methods: In this retrospective comparative cohort study, hospital records of patients aged 1 month to 18 years who died in the study PICU between January 2015 and December 2019 were reviewed. Results: A total of 2,781 critically ill children were admitted to the PICU. The mean±standard deviation age of 254 nonsurvivors was 64.34±69.48 months. The mean PICU length of stay was 17 days (range, 1–205 days), with 40 children dying early (<1 day of PICU admission). The majority of nonsurvivors (83.9%) had comorbid illnesses. Children with early mortality were more likely to have neurological findings (62.5%), hypotension (82.5%), oliguria (47.5%), acidosis (92.5%), coagulopathy (30.0%), and cardiac arrest (45.0%) and less likely to have terminal illnesses (52.5%) and chronic illnesses (75.6%). Children who died early had a higher mean age (81.8 months) and Pediatric Risk of Mortality (PRISM) III score (37). In children who died early, the first three signs during ICU admission were hypoglycemia in 68.5%, neurological symptoms in 43.5%, and acidosis in 78.3%. Sixty-seven patients needed continuous renal replacement therapy, 51 required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support, and 10 underwent extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Conclusions: We found that rates of neurological findings, hypotension, oliguria, acidosis, coagulation disorder, and cardiac arrest and PRISM III scores were higher in children who died early compared to those who died later.

Invasive mechanical ventilation is a frequent therapy in critically ill patients in critical care units. To achieve favorable outcomes, patient and ventilator interaction must be adequate. However, many clinical situations could attempt against this principle and generate a mismatch between these two actors. These asynchronies can lead the patient to worst outcomes; because of that is vital to recognize and treat these entities as soon as possible. Early detection and recognition of the different asynchronies could favor the reduction of the days of mechanical ventilation, the days of hospital stay, and in intensive care and improve clinical results.

Background: Early recognition of deterioration events is crucial to improve clinical outcomes. For this purpose, we developed a deep-learning-based pediatric early-warning system (pDEWS) and aimed to validate its clinical performance. Methods: This is a retrospective multicenter cohort study including five tertiary-care academic children’s hospitals. All pediatric patients younger than 19 years admitted to the general ward from January 2019 to December 2019 were included. Using patient electronic medical records, we evaluated the clinical performance of the pDEWS for identifying deterioration events defined as in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) and unexpected general ward-to-pediatric intensive care unit transfer (UIT) within 24 hours before event occurrence. We also compared pDEWS performance to those of the modified pediatric early-warning score (PEWS) and prediction models using logistic regression (LR) and random forest (RF). Results: The study population consisted of 28,758 patients with 34 cases of IHCA and 291 cases of UIT. pDEWS showed better performance for predicting deterioration events with a larger area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, fewer false alarms, a lower mean alarm count per day, and a smaller number of cases needed to examine than the modified PEWS, LR, or RF models regardless of site, event occurrence time, age group, or sex. Conclusions: The pDEWS outperformed modified PEWS, LR, and RF models for early and accurate prediction of deterioration events regardless of clinical situation. This study demonstrated the potential of pDEWS as an efficient screening tool for efferent operation of rapid response teams.

Background: Elderly patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have a high disease severity and mortality. However, the use of the frailty scale and severity score to predict in-hospital mortality in the elderly is not well established. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the use of these scores in COVID-19 cases in the elderly.Methods: This multicenter retrospective study included severe COVID-19 patients admitted to seven hospitals in Republic of Korea from February 2020 to February 2021. We evaluated patients’ Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score; confusion, urea nitrogen, respiratory rate, blood pressure, 65 years of age and older (CURB-65) score; modified early warning score (MEWS); Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score; clinical frailty scale (CFS) score; and Charlson comorbidity index (CCI). We evaluated the predictive value using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.Results: The study included 318 elderly patients with severe COVID-19 of whom 237 (74.5%) were survivors and 81 (25.5%) were non-survivors. The non-survivor group was older and had more comorbidities than the survivor group. The CFS, CCI, APACHE II, SOFA, CURB-65, and MEWS scores were higher in the non-survivor group than in the survivor group. When analyzed using the ROC curve, SOFA score showed the best performance in predicting the prognosis of elderly patients (area under the curve=0.766, P<0.001). CFS and SOFA scores were associated with in-hospital mortality in the multivariate analysis.Conclusions: The SOFA score is an efficient tool for assessing in-hospital mortality in elderly patients with severe COVID-19.

Background: Early intensive care unit (ICU) protocolized rehabilitative programs have been described previously, yet with differing starting time points and mostly on mechanically ventilated patients. We extended the concept to all admitted ICU patients and investigate the efficacy of early mobilization in improving mobility of the critically ill, address issues surrounding the timing and intensity of an early rehabilitative program.Methods: Prospective cohorts of patients admitted consecutively before-and-after (control, n=92; intervention, n=90) the introduction of an early mobilization program in a single center, general hospital ICU. Improvement in mobility as assessed by ICU mobility score, on ICU admission and upon ICU discharge, was measured as a primary outcome.Results: Those receiving early mobilization in the intensive care unit had higher ICU mobility score (2.63; 95% confidence interval, 0.65–4.61; P<0.001) upon discharge from the intensive care, with earlier out of bed mobilization on day 5 compared to the control group of day 21 (P<0.001). No differences were found in terms of mortality, intensive care hospitalization and subsequent hospitalization duration after discharge from ICU.Conclusions: Here, we report that improvement in mobility score earlier in the course of intensive care hospitalization with the introduction of a protocolized early rehabilitative program.

Background: In critically ill patients, the most common manifestation of brain dysfunction is delirium, which is independently associated with higher morbidity and mortality. While electrolyte imbalance is one of the precipitating factors, the impact of hypomagnesemia on the incidence of delirium remains unknown.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients admitted to the medical intensive care unit (ICU) of a tertiary referral center between January and June 2020. Patients with ICU stay ≥48 hours and aged 40–85 years were included. The primary outcome was cumulative incidence of delirium in the ICU. Patients were divided into two groups based on serum magnesium level at ICU admission. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed, and covariates were selected using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) method.Results: A total of 109 patients included 43 (39.4%) women and had a median age of 69.0 years (interquartile range [IQR], 60.0–76.0 years). The median magnesium level was 1.7 mg/dl (IQR, 1.5–1.9 mg/dl), and the cumulative incidence of delirium was 32.1% (35 patients). Hypomagnesemia was independently associated with delirium (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 2.12; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03–4.38), along with prior use of immunosuppressants (aHR, 3.08; 95% CI, 1.46–6.48) or benzodiazepines (aHR, 4.02; 95% CI, 1.54–10.50), body mass index (aHR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.84–1.02), and alcohol history (aHR, 1.68; 95% CI, 0.74–3.80).Conclusions: In critically ill adults, hypomagnesemia increases the risk of delirium by more than two-fold compared to patients with normal magnesium level.

Background: Neuroinflammation causing disruption of the blood-brain barrier and immune cell extravasation into the brain parenchyma may cause delirium; however, knowledge of the exact pathophysiologic mechanism remains incomplete. The purpose of our study was to determine whether cytokine profiles differ depending on whether delirium occurs in the setting of sepsis, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), or recent surgery.Methods: This prospective observational cohort study involved 119 critically ill patients admitted to a multidisciplinary intensive care unit (ICU) during 2019 and 2020. Delirium was identified using the validated confusion assessment method for the ICU. Multiple delirium risk factors were collected daily including clinical characteristics, hospital course, lab values, vital signs, surgical exposure, drug exposure, and COVID-19 characteristics. Serums samples were collected within 12 hours of ICU admission and cytokine levels were measured.Results: The following proinflammatory cytokines were elevated in our delirium population: tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-18, C-C motif ligand (CCL) 2, CCL3, C-X-C motif chemokine ligand (CXCL)1, CXCL10, IL-8, IL-1 receptor antagonist, and IL-10. Analysis of relative cytokine levels in those patients that developed delirium in the setting of sepsis, COVID-19, and recent surgery showed elevations of CCL2, CXCL10, and TNF-α in both the sepsis and COVID-19 group in comparison to the postsurgical population. In the postsurgical group, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor was elevated and CXCL10 was decreased relative to the opposing groups.Conclusions: We identify several cytokines and precipitating factors known to be associated with delirium. However, our study suggests that the cytokine profile associated with delirium is variable and contingent upon delirium precipitating factors.

Background: Unresponsive patients with toxic-metabolic encephalopathies often undergo endotracheal intubation for the primary purpose of preventing aspiration events. However, among patients with pre-existing systemic comorbidities, mechanical ventilation itself may be associated with numerous risks such as hypotension, aspiration, delirium, and infection. Our primary aim was to determine whether early mechanical ventilation for airway protection was associated with increased mortality in patients with cirrhosis and grade IV hepatic encephalopathy.Methods: The National Inpatient Sample was queried for hospital stays due to grade IV hepatic encephalopathy among patients with cirrhosis between 2016 and 2019. After applying our exclusion criteria, including cardiopulmonary failure, data from 1,975 inpatient stays were analyzed. Patients who received mechanical ventilation within 2 days of admission were compared to those who did not. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify clinical factors associated with in-hospital mortality.Results: Of 162 patients who received endotracheal intubation during the first 2 hospital days, 64 (40%) died during their hospitalization, in comparison to 336 (19%) of 1,813 patients in the comparator group. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, mechanical ventilation was the strongest predictor of in-hospital mortality in our primary analysis (adjusted odds ratio, 3.00; 95% confidence interval, 2.14–4.20; P<0.001) and in all sensitivity analyses.Conclusions: Mechanical ventilation for the sole purpose of airway protection among patients with cirrhosis and grade IV hepatic encephalopathy may be associated with increased in-hospital mortality. Future studies are necessary to confirm and further characterize our findings.

Background: Fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) has been recommended to assess aspiration in stroke. This study aimed to determine the diagnostic and prognostic roles of FEES in the early assessment of aspiration, intensive care unit (ICU) stay and mortality in acute stroke patients.Methods: Fifty-two patients with acute stroke admitted to the Alexandria Main University Hospital were included. Complete examinations and assessment of aspiration using the 8-point penetration-aspiration scale (PAS) with FEES protocol were performed.Results: The patients were classified into three groups: normal with no or low risk of aspiration (n=15, 27.3%; PAS level 1), low to moderate risk (n=8, 14.5%; PAS level 2–4), and high risk (n=32, 58.2%; PAS ≥5). There was high incidence of aspiration pneumonia, prolonged ICU stay, and mortality in both moderate- and high-risk groups (P=0.001, P<0.001, and P<0.001, respectively). The PAS score predicted aspiration pneumonia (hospital-acquired pneumonia) with sensitivity and specificity of 80.0% and 76.0%, respectively (negative predictive value [NPV], 76.0; positive predictive value [PPV], 80.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.706–0.940) and mortality with sensitivity and specificity of 88.46% and 68.97% (NPV, 87.0; PPV, 71.9; 95% CI, 0.749–0.951). The PAS score could predict the length of ICU stay with sensitivity and specificity of 70.21% and 87.50, respectively (NPV, 33.3; PPV, 97.1; 95% CI, 0.605–0.906).Conclusions: The standard FEES protocol using PAS score is a useful tool to assess aspiration in acute stroke patients and could be used to predict length of ICU stay and mortality.

Background: We aim to describe the demographics and outcomes of patients with severe disease with the Omicron variant. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus continues to mutate, and the availability of vaccines and boosters continue to rise, it is important to understand the health care burden of new variants. We analyze patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) in a large Academic Health System during New York City’s fourth surge beginning on November 27, 2021.Methods: All patients admitted to an ICU were included in the primary analysis. Key demographics and outcomes were retrospectively compared between patients stratified by vaccination status. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to identify risk factors for in-hospital mortality.Results: In-hospital mortality for all admitted patients during the fourth wave was significantly lower than in previous waves. However, among patients requiring intensive care, in-hospital mortality was high across all levels of vaccination status. In a multivariate model older age was associated with increased in-hospital mortality, vaccination status of overdue for booster was associated with decreased in hospital mortality, and vaccination status of up-to-date with vaccination showed a trend to reduced mortality.Conclusions: In-hospital mortality of patients with severe respiratory failure from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains high despite decreasing overall mortality. Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 was protective against mortality. Vaccination remains the best and safest way to protect against serious illness and death from COVID-19. It remains unclear that any other treatment will have success in changing the natural history of the disease.

Patients with sepsis have a wide range of respiratory disorders that can be treated with oxygen therapy. Experimental data in animal sepsis models show that oxygen therapy significantly increases survival, while clinical data on the use of different oxygen therapy protocols are ambiguous. Oxygen therapy, especially hyperbaric oxygenation, in patients with sepsis can aggravate existing oxidative stress and contribute to the development of disseminated intravascular coagulation. The purpose of this article is to compare experimental and clinical data on oxygen therapy in animals and humans, to discuss factors that can influence the results of oxygen therapy for sepsis treatment in humans, and to provide some recommendations for reducing oxidative stress and preventing disseminated intravascular coagulation during oxygen therapy.

Background: Arrhythmias are known complication after surgery for congenital heart disease (CHD). This study aimed to identify and discuss their immediate prevalence, diagnosis and management at a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan between January 2014 and December 2018. All pediatric (<18 years old) patients admitted to the intensive care unit and undergoing continuous electrocardiographic monitoring after surgery for CHD were included in this study. Data pertaining to the incidence, diagnosis, and management of postoperative arrhythmias were collected. Results: Amongst 812 children who underwent surgery for CHD, 185 (22.8%) developed arrhythmias. Junctional ectopic tachycardia (JET) was the most common arrhythmia, observed in 120 patients (64.9%), followed by complete heart block (CHB) in 33 patients (17.8%). The highest incidence of early postoperative arrhythmia was seen in patients with atrioventricular septal defects (64.3%) and transposition of the great arteries (36.4%). Patients were managed according to the Pediatric Advanced Life Support guidelines. JET resolved successfully within 24 hours in 92% of patients, while 16 (48%) patients with CHB required a permanent pacemaker. Conclusions: More than one in five pediatric patients suffered from early postoperative arrhythmias in our setting. Further research exploring predictive factors and the development of better management protocols of patients with CHB are essential for reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with postoperative arrhythmia.

Background: Hearing loss is a potentially serious complication that can occur after surviving a critical illness. Study on screening for hearing problems in pediatric critical care survivors beyond the neonatal period is lacking. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of abnormal hearing screening outcomes using transitory evoked otoacoustic emission (TEOAE) screening in children who survived critical illness and to find possible associating factors for abnormal hearing screening results.Methods: This study was a single-center, prospective, observational study. All children underwent otoscopy to exclude external and middle ear abnormalities before undergoing TEOAE screening. The screening was conducted before hospital discharge. Descriptive statistics, chi-square, and logistic regression tests were used for data analysis.Results: A total of 92 children were enrolled. Abnormal TEOAE responses were identified in 26 participants (28.3%). Children with abnormal responses were significantly younger than those with normal responses with a median age of 10.0 months and 43.5 months, respectively (P<0.001). Positive association with abnormal responses was found in children younger than 12 months of age (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 3.07; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06–8.90) and children with underlying genetic conditions (adjusted OR, 6.95; 95% CI, 1.49–32.54).Conclusions: Our study demonstrates a high prevalence of abnormal TEOAE screening responses in children surviving critical illness, especially in patients younger than 12 months of age. More extensive studies should be performed to identify the prevalence and associated risk factors of hearing problems in critically ill children.

Background: Limited research has explored early mortality among patients presenting with septic shock. The objective of this study was to determine the incidence and factors associated with early death following emergency department (ED) presentation of septic shock.Methods: A prospective registry of patients enrolled in an ED septic shock clinical pathway was used to identify patients. Patients were compared across demographic, comorbid, clinical, and treatment variables by death within 72 hours of ED presentation.Results: Among the sample of 2,414 patients, overall hospital mortality was 20.6%. Among patients who died in the hospital, mean and median time from ED presentation to death were 4.96 days and 2.28 days, respectively. Death at 24, 48, and 72 hours occurred in 5.5%, 9.5%, and 11.5% of patients, respectively. Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that the following factors were independently associated with early mortality: age (odds ratio [OR], 1.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03–1.05), malignancy (OR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.11–2.11), pneumonia (OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.02–1.88), urinary tract infection (OR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.44–0.89), first shock index (OR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.27–2.70), early vasopressor use (OR, 2.16; 95% CI, 1.60–2.92), initial international normalized ratio (OR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.07–1.27), initial albumin (OR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.44–0.69), and first serum lactate (OR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.16–1.26).Conclusions: Adult septic shock patients experience a high rate of early mortality within 72 hours of ED arrival. Recognizable clinical factors may aid the identification of patients at risk of early death.

Differential diagnosis of chest pain in the pediatric population is important but can be challenging. A 12-year-old boy with Duchenne muscular dystrophy presented with chest pain, cardiac enzyme elevation, and convex ST elevations in the inferior leads with reciprocal ST depression in the anterior leads on electrocardiogram. Echocardiography on admission revealed normal left ventricular function. Suspecting acute myocardial infarction, we performed invasive coronary angiography, which revealed normal coronary arteries. A follow-up electrocardiogram showed an acute pericarditis pattern with concave ST elevations in most leads and PR depression, and follow-up echocardiography revealed global left ventricular dysfunction, suggestive of acute perimyocarditis. Ibuprofen was administered for acute pericarditis, and a continuous milrinone infusion was commenced for myocardial dysfunction. The chest pain improved by the next day, and the ST segment elevations normalized on day 4. Echocardiography on day 9 revealed improved left ventricular function. The patient was discharged on day 11, and he is doing well without chest pain through 12 months of follow-up. The last electrocardiogram showed normal sinus rhythm without ST change. Differential diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction and acute perimyocarditis is important for proper treatment strategies and the different prognoses of these two conditions.

Background: Several recent studies have shown that preperitoneal pelvic packing (PPP) effectively produces hemostasis in patients with unstable pelvic fractures. However, few studies have examined the rate of surgical site infections (SSIs) in patients undergoing PPP following an unstable pelvic fracture. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate factors associated with SSI in such patients.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical charts of 188 patients who developed hemorrhagic shock due to pelvic fracture between April 2012 and May 2021. Forty-four patients were enrolled in this study.Results: SSI occurred in 15 of 44 patients (34.1%). The SSIs occurred more frequently in cases of repacking during the second-look surgery (0 vs. 4 [26.7%], P=0.010) and combined bladder-urethra injury (1 [3.4%] vs. 4 [26.7%], P=0.039). The incidence of SSIs was not significantly different between patients undergoing depacking within or after 48 hours (12 [41.4%] vs. 5 [33.3%], P=0.603). The mean time to diagnosis of SSI was 8.1±3.9 days from PPP. The most isolated organism was Staphylococcus epidermidis.Conclusions: Repacking and combined bladder-urethra injury are potential risk factors for SSI in patients with unstable pelvic fracture. Close observation is recommended for up to 8 days in patients with these risk factors. Further, 48 hours after PPP, removing the packed gauze on cessation of bleeding and not performing repacking can help prevent SSI. Additional analyses are necessary with a larger number of patients with the potential risk factors identified in this study.

Background: Mechanically ventilated patients experience anxiety for many reasons. Pharmacological treatments such as benzodiazepines are commonly employed to manage anxiety; however, these therapies often cause undesired side effects. Additional therapies for anxiety management are needed. We sought to determine whether cell phone-based virtual reality therapy could feasibly be used for anxiety management in mechanically ventilated patients.Methods: Mechanically ventilated subjects underwent at least one session of virtual reality therapy in which they were shown a cinematic video of an outdoor green space or blue space with 360° visual range of motion. Goal session duration was 5 minutes. The primary outcome was incidence of predefined patient safety events, including self-extubation and accidental removal of tubes or lines.Results: Ten subjects underwent a total of 18 virtual reality sessions. Fifteen sessions lasted the planned 5 minutes, one session was extended at participant request, and two sessions were terminated early at participant request. There were no occurrences of the predefined safety events, and no occurrences of cybersickness. Use of a visual analog scale to measure anxiety level was feasible for this pilot study, demonstrating feasibility of this scale for future, larger scale studies.Conclusions: Virtual reality therapy shows potential as a means of managing anxiety in patients undergoing mechanical ventilation, and further rigorous exploration with this protocol is feasible.

Background: The Life-Sustaining Treatment (LST) Decisions Act allows withholding and withdrawal of LST, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). In the present study, the incidence of CPR before and after implementation of the Act was compared.Methods: This was a retrospective review involving hospitalized patients who underwent CPR at a single center between February 2016 and January 2020 (pre-implementation period, February 2016 to January 2018; post-implementation period, February 2018 to January 2020). The primary outcome was monthly incidence of CPR per 1,000 admissions. The secondary outcomes were duration of CPR, return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) rate, 24-hour survival rate, and survival-to-discharge rate. The study outcomes were compared before and after implementation of the Act.Results: A total of 867 patients who underwent CPR was included in the analysis. The incidence of CPR per 1,000 admissions showed no significant difference before and after implementation of the Act (3.02±0.68 vs. 2.81±0.75, P=0.255). The ROSC rate (67.20±0.11 vs. 70.99±0.12, P=0.008) and survival to discharge rate (20.24±0.09 vs. 22.40±0.12, P=0.029) were higher after implementation of the Act than before implementation.Conclusions: The incidence of CPR did not significantly change for 2 years after implementation of the Act. Further studies are needed to assess the changes in trends in the decisions of CPR and other LSTs in real-world practice.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is one of the biggest pandemic causing acute respiratory failure (ARF) in the last century. Seasonal influenza carries high mortality, as well. The aim of this study was to compare features and outcomes of critically-ill COVID-19 and influenza patients with ARF.Methods: Patients with COVID-19 and influenza admitted to intensive care unit with ARF were retrospectively analyzed.Results: Fifty-four COVID-19 and 55 influenza patients with ARF were studied. Patients with COVID-19 had 32% of hospital mortality, while those with influenza had 47% (P=0.09). Patients with influenza had higher Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, Clinical Frailty Scale, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II and admission Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores than COVID-19 patients (P<0.01). Secondary bacterial infection, admission acute kidney injury, procalcitonin level above 0.2 ng/ml were the independent factors distinguishing influenza from COVID-19 while prone positioning differentiated COVID-19 from influenza. Invasive mechanical ventilation (odds ratio [OR], 42.16; 95% confidence interval [CI], 9.45–187.97), admission SOFA score more than 4 (OR, 5.92; 95% CI, 1.85–18.92), malignancy (OR, 4.95; 95% CI, 1.13–21.60), and age more than 65 years (OR, 3.31; 95% CI, 0.99–11.03) were found to be independent risk factors for hospital mortality.Conclusions: There were few differences in clinical features of critically-ill COVID-19 and influenza patients. Influenza cases had worse performance status and disease severity. There was no significant difference in hospital mortality rates between COVID-19 and influenza patients.

Remimazolam is a novel intravenous ultra-short acting benzodiazepine that has the potential of being a safe and effective new sedative for use in intensive care unit (ICU) settings. Because remimazolam metabolizes rapidly by being hydrolyzed to an inactive metabolite (CNS 7054) through non-specific tissue esterase activity, specific dosing adjustment for older adults and for patients with renal or hepatic impairment patients (except for those with severe hepatic impairment) is not required. In addition, research has shown that remimazolam may be reversed by administration of flumazenil, as its half time was sufficiently short compared to flumazenil. It shows a lower incidence of cardiorespiratory depression, less injection pain, and no fatal complications such as propofol infusion syndrome and malignant hyperthermia of inhalational anesthetics. Future studies to study the suitability of remimazolam for managing the sedation of ICU patients who need sedation for a long time over several days is required.