Dengue fever is considered the most prolific vector-borne disease in the world,with its transmission rate increasing more than eight times in the last two decades.While most cases present mild to moderate symptoms,5%of patients can develop severe disease.Although the mechanisms are yet not fully comprehended,immune-mediated activation leading to excessive cytokine expression is suggested as a cause of the two main findings in critical patients:increased vascular permeability that may shock and thrombocytopenia,and coagulopathy that can induce hemorrhage.The risk factors of severe disease include previous infection by a different serotype,specific genotypes associated with more efficient replication,certain genetic polymorphisms,and comorbidities such as diabetes,obesity,and cardiovascular disease.The World Health Organization recommends careful monitoring and prompt hospitalization of patients with warning signs or propensity for severe disease to reduce mortality.This review aims to update the diagnosis and management of patients with severe dengue in the intensive care unit.
Alexandre Mestre TejoDebora Toshie HamasakiLetícia Mattos MenezesYeh-Li Ho
Malaria is responsible for approximately three-quarters of a million deaths in humans globally each year.Most of the morbidity and mortality reported are from Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia,where the disease is endemic.In non-endemic areas,malaria is the most common cause of imported infection and is associated with significant mortality despite recent advancements and investments in elimination programs.Severe malaria often requires intensive care unit admission and can be complicated by cerebral malaria,respiratory distress,acute kidney injury,bleeding complications,and co-infection.Intensive care management includes prompt diagnosis and early initiation of effective antimalarial therapy,recognition of complications,and appropriate supportive care.However,the lack of diagnostic capacities due to limited advances in equipment,personnel,and infrastructure presents a challenge to the effective diagnosis and management of malaria.This article reviews the clinical classification,diagnosis,and management of malaria as relevant to critical care clinicians,highlighting the role of diagnostic capacity,treatment options,and supportive care.
Intensive care unit-acquired weakness(ICU-AW)is a common complication in critically ill patients and is associated with a variety of adverse outcomes.These include the need for prolonged mechanical ventilation and ICU stay;higher ICU,in-hospital,and 1-year mortality;and increased in-hospital costs.ICU-AW is associated with multiple risk factors including age,underlying disease,severity of illness,organ failure,sepsis,immobilization,receipt of mechanical ventilation,and other factors related to critical care.The pathological mechanism of ICUAW remains unclear and may be considerably varied.This review aimed to evaluate recent insights into ICU-AW from several aspects including risk factors,pathophysiology,diagnosis,and treatment strategies;this provides new perspectives for future research.
Context: Acute kidney injury (AKI) in intensive care unit (ICU) is common and associated with very high mortality. In Togo, a tropical country with limited resources and only one nephrology department in the north, acute kidney injury seems to be a real tragedy with high mortality. Aims: to determine risk factors for mortality in acute kidney injury in the intensive care units. Methods and Material: We made a multicentric cross sectional study during 6 months in the four referral centers in northern Togo. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with mortality. Data were analyzed using RStudio 2023.04.1. Results: A total of 12.6% of patients admitted to intensive care had presented with AKI. The mean age was 49.6 ± 17.9. The sex ratio (M/F) was 2.1. Community-acquired AKI was in the majority (67.7%). Oligo anuria was the most frequent functional sign (38.4%). In our series, 81.6% of patients were in KDIGO stages 2 to 3. AKI was organic in 56.2% of cases. Mortality was 44.3%. In multivariate analysis, the main factors predictive of death were: respiratory distress (OR = 2.36;p Conclusions: Acute kidney injury in intensive care is common in northern Togo, and mortality is high. Identification of associated factors should help anticipate prognosis.
Physical restraints are widely used and accepted as protective measures during treatment in intensive care unit (ICU). This review of the literature summarizes the adverse events and outcomes associated with physical restraint use, and the risk factors associated with their use during treatment in the ICU. The PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases were screened using predefined search terms to identify studies pertaining to adverse events and/or outcomes associated with physical restraint use, and the factors associated with their use in adult patients admitted to the ICU. A total of 24 articles (including 6126 patients) that were published between 2006 and 2022 were identified. The described adverse events associated with physical restraint use included skin injuries, subsequent delirium, neurofunctional impairment, and a higher rate of post-traumatic stress disorder. Subsequent delirium was the most frequent adverse event to be reported. No alternative measures to physical restraints were discussed, and only one study reported a standardized protocol for their use. Although physical restraint use has been reported to be associated with adverse events (including neurofunctional impairment) in the literature, the available evidence is limited. Although causality cannot be confirmed, a definite association appears to exist. Our findings suggest that it is essential to improve awareness regarding their adverse impact and optimize approaches for their detection, management, and prevention using protocols or checklists.
Sebastian BergerPascale GrzonkaSimon A.AmacherSabina HunzikerAnja I.FreiRaoul Sutter