Conflict of interest statement. PLM, AR, EC, MSM, OM, GLG, DS, CC, FF, YM, and PS declare that they have no conflicts of interest. SL has received consulting fees from Viforpharma. KA has received lecturing and consulting fees from Braun, Astellas, and Fresenius. AbstractPurpose: Frailty is a recent concept used for evaluating elderly individuals. Our study determined the prevalence of frailty in intensive care unit (ICU) patients and its impact on the rate of mortality. Methods:A multicenter, prospective, observational study performed in four ICUs in France included 196 patients aged ≥65 years hospitalized for >24 hours during a 6-month study period. Frailty was determined using the frailty phenotype (FP) and the clinical frailty score (CFS). The patients were separated as follows: FP score <3 or ≥3 and CFS < 5 or ≥ 5.Results: Frailty was observed in 41% and 23% of patients based on a FP score ≥3 and a CFS ≥5, respectively. At admission to the ICU, the Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS II) and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores did not differ between the frail and nonfrail patients. In the multivariate analysis, the risk factors for ICU mortality were FP score ≥3 (hazard ratio [HR], 3.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.6-6.6; p<0.001), male gender (HR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.1-5.3; p=0.026), cardiac arrest before admission (HR, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.1-7.4; p=0.036), SAPS II score ≥ 46 (HR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.2-5.3; p=0.011), and brain injury before admission (HR, 3.5; 95% CI, 1.6-7.7; p=0.002). The risk factors for 6-month mortality were a CFS ≥5 (HR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.49-3.87; p<0.001) and a SOFA score ≥7 (HR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.35-3.64; p=0.002). An increased CFS was associated with significant incremental hospital and 6-month mortalities. Conclusions:Frailty is a frequent occurrence and is independently associated with increased ICU and 6-month mortalities.Notably, the CFS predicts outcomes more effectively than the commonly used ICU illness scores.

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The measurement of ocular nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) via ocular ultrasound scanning is a recent non-invasive method for intracranial pressure (ICP) assessment. Few clinical studies have assessed ONSD variations during osmotherapy for the treatment of sustained increased ICP episodes. The aim of our study was to determine the rate of ONSD variation after mannitol administration for increased ICP episodes. We consecutively included in a prospective, observational study, the patients who had severe acute brain injury and monitored with an invasive ICP monitor. For each episode of sustained elevated ICP, the ONSD was measured in the right and left eye with a 7.5-MHz echography probe, and the mean value was reported. Simultaneously, ICP and cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) were recorded. All measurements were performed just before and 20 minutes following a 20% mannitol infusion. Data were expressed as medians and interquartile ranges. Thirteen patients were included and analysed (traumatic brain injury, n=10; subarachnoid haemorrhage, n=3). The median value of the mannitol dose infused was 0.54 g/kg (0.49-0.80 g/kg). In all cases, the ONSD was greater than 5.8 mm before osmotherapy. The ONSD significantly decreased after mannitol infusion from 6.3 (6.1-6.7) to 5. mm (5.5-6.3) (p=0.0007). Concomitantly, the intracranial pressure decreased from 35 (32-41) to 25 (22-29) mmHg (p=0.001) and the CPP increased from 47 (50-60) to 66 (59-69) mmHg (p=0.003). The variations of ONSD appear to be an interesting parameter to evaluate the efficacy of osmotherapy for elevated ICP episodes in patients with acute brain injury.

Experience of the organ donation process varied between relatives of donor versus nondonor patients, with relatives of nondonors experiencing lower-quality communication, but the decision was not associated with subsequent grief symptoms. Importantly, understanding of brain death is a key element of the organ donation process for relatives.

In patients with septic shock, low-dose hydrocortisone was associated with a lower risk of developing AF during the acute phase.

Objectives: Family members of brain dead patients experience an unprecedented situation in which not only they are told that their loved one is dead but are also asked to consider organ donation. The objective of this qualitative study was to determine 1) what it means for family members to make the decision and to take responsibility, 2) how they interact with the deceased patient in the ICU, 3) how family members describe the impact of the process and of the decision on their bereavement process. Design: Qualitative study using interviews with bereaved family members who were approached for organ donation after the death of their relative in the ICU (brain death). Setting: Family members from 13 ICUs in France. Subjects: Bereaved family members who were approached for organ donation after the death of their relative in the ICU (brain death). Intervention: None. Measurements and Results: Twenty-four interviews were conducted with 16 relatives of organ donor patients and with eight relatives of nonorgan donor patients. Three themes emerged: 1) taking responsibility—relatives explain how they endorse decisional responsibility but do not experience it as a burden, on the contrary; 2) ambiguous perceptions of death—two groups of relatives emerge: those for whom ambiguity hinders their acceptance of the patient’s death; those for whom ambiguity is an opportunity to accept the death and say goodbye; and 3) donation as a comfort during bereavement. Conclusions: In spite of caregivers’ efforts to focus organ donation discussions and decision on the patient, family members feel a strong decisional responsibility that is not experienced as a burden but a proof of their strong connection to the patient. Brain death however creates ambivalent experiences that some family members endure whereas others use as an opportunity to perform separation rituals. Last, organ donation can be experienced as a form of comfort during bereavement provided family members remain convinced their decision was right.

Low doses of hydrocortisone (HC) and fludrocortisone (FC) administered together improve the prognosis after septic shock; however, there continues to be disagreement about the utility of FC for this indication. The biological and hemodynamic effects of HC (50 mg intravenously) and FC (50 microg orally) were assessed in 12 healthy male volunteers with saline-induced hypoaldosteronism in a placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind, crossover study performed according to a 2 x 2 factorial design. HC and FC significantly decreased urinary sodium and potassium levels (from -58% at 4 h to -28% at 10 h and from -35% at 8 h to -24% at 12 h, respectively) with additive effects. At 4 h after administration, HC significantly increased cardiac output (+14%), decreased systemic vascular resistances (-14%), and slightly increased heart rate (+4 beats/min), whereas FC had no hemodynamic effect. At doses used in septic shock, HC induced greater mineralocorticoid effect than FC did. HC also induced transient systemic hemodynamic effects, whereas FC did not. New studies are required to better define the optimal dose of FC in septic shock.

IntroductionProlonged fever occurs with infectious and noninfectious diseases but is poorly studied in intensive care units. The aims of this prospective multicenter noninterventional study were to determine the incidence and etiologies of prolonged fever in critically ill patients and to compare outcomes for prolonged fever and short-lasting fever.MethodsThe study involved two periods of 2 months each, with 507 patients hospitalized ≥ 24 hours. Fever was defined by at least one episode of temperature ≥ 38.3°C, and prolonged fever, as lasting > 5 days. Backward stepwise logistic regression was performed to identify the independent factors associated with prolonged fever versus short-lasting fever.ResultsProlonged or short-lasting fever occurred in 87 (17%) and 278 (55%) patients, respectively. Infectious and noninfectious causes were found in 54 (62%) and 27 (31%) of 87 patients, respectively; in six patients (7%), prolonged fever remained unexplained. The two most common sites of infection were ventilator-associated pneumonia (n = 25) and intraabdominal infection (n = 13). Noninfectious fever (n = 27) was neurogenic in 19 (70%) patients and mainly associated with cerebral injury (84%). Independent risk factors for prolonged fever were cerebral injury at admission (OR = 5.03; 95% CI, 2.51 to 10.06), severe sepsis (OR = 2.79; 95% CI, 1.35 to 5.79), number of infections (OR = 2.35; 95% CI, 1.43 to 3.86), and mechanical-ventilation duration (OR = 1.05; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.09). Older patients were less likely to develop prolonged fever. ICU mortality did not differ between the two groups.ConclusionsProlonged fever was common, mainly due to severe infections, particularly ventilator-associated pneumonia, and mixed infectious causes were frequent, warranting systematic and careful search for multiple causes. Neurogenic fever was also especially frequent.