George L. Drusano,a Michael L. Corrado,b Gino Girardi,c Evelyn J. Ellis-Grosse,d Richard G. Wunderink,e Helen Donnelly,e Kenneth V. Leeper,f Mona Brown,f Tasnova Malek,f Robert Duncan Hite,g Michelle Ferrari,g Danijela Djureinovic,g Marin H. Kollef,h Lisa Mayfield,h Ann Doyle,h Jean Chastre,i Alain Combes,i Thomas J. Walsh,j Krisztina Dorizas,j Hassan Alnuaimat,k Brooks Edward Morgan,k Jordi Rello,l Cristopher A. Mazo,l Ronald N. Jones,m Robert K. Flamm,m Leah Woosley,m Paul G. Ambrose,n Sujata Bhavnani,n Christopher M. Rubino,n Catharine C. Bulik,n Arnold Louie,a Michael Vicchiarelli,a Colleen Bermana

ABSTRACT Ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia (VABP) is a difficult therapeutic problem. Considerable controversy exists regarding the optimal chemotherapy for this entity. The recent guidelines of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the American Thoracic Society recommend a 7-day therapeutic course for VABP based on the balance of no negative impact on all-cause mortality, less resistance emergence, and fewer antibiotic treatment days, counterbalanced with a higher relapse rate for patients whose pathogen is a nonfermenter. The bacterial burden causing an infection has a substantial impact on treatment outcome and resistance selection. We describe the baseline bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid burden of organisms in suspected VABP patients screened for inclusion in a clinical trial. We measured the urea concentrations in plasma and BAL fluid to provide an index of the dilution of the bacterial and drug concentrations in the lung epithelial lining fluid introduced by the BAL procedure. We were then able to calculate the true bacterial burden as the diluted colony count times the dilution factor. The median dilution factor was 28.7, with the interquartile range (IQR) being 11.9 to 53.2. Median dilution factor-corrected colony counts were 6.18 log 10 (CFU/ml) [IQR, 5.43 to 6.46 log 10 (CFU/ml)]. In a subset of patients, repeat BAL on day 5 showed a good stability of the dilution factor. We previously showed that large bacterial burdens reduce or stop bacterial killing by granulocytes. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under registration no. NCT01570192.)

Background: Each year, 200,000 patients undergo an in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA), with approximately 15-20% surviving to discharge. Little is known, however, about the long-term prognosis of these patients after discharge. Previous efforts to describe out-of-hospital survival of IHCA patients have been limited by small sample sizes and narrow patient populationsMethods: A single institution matched cohort study was undertaken to describe mortality following IHCA. Patients surviving to discharge following an IHCA between 2008 and 2010 were matched on age, sex, race and hospital admission criteria with non-IHCA hospital controls and follow-up between 9 and 45 months. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox PH models assessed differences in survival.Results: Of the 1262 IHCAs, 20% survived to hospital discharge. Of those discharged, survival at 1 year post-discharge was 59% for IHCA patients and 82% for controls (p < 0.0001). Hazard ratios (IHCA vs. controls) for mortality were greatest within the 90 days following discharge (HR = 2.90, p < 0.0001) and decreased linearly thereafter, with those surviving to one year post-discharge having an HR for mortality below 1.0. Survival after discharge varied amongst IHCA survivors. When grouped by discharge destination, out of hospital survival varied; in fact, IHCA patients discharged home without services demonstrated no survival difference compared to their non-IHCA controls (HR 1.10, p = 0.72). IHCA patients discharged to long-term hospital care or hospice, however, had a significantly higher mortality compared to matched controls (HR 3.91 and 20.3, respectively; p < 0.0001).Conclusion: Among IHCA patients who survive to hospital discharge, the highest risk of death is within the first 90 days after discharge. Additionally, IHCA survivors overall have increased long-term mortality vs. controls. Survival rates were varied widely with different discharge destinations, and those discharged to home, skilled nursing facilities or to rehabilitation services had survival rates no different than controls. Thus, increased mortality was primarily driven by patients discharged to long-term care or hospice. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prolonged ventilator support, pulmonary infections and the need for tracheostomies after cardiac operations are associated with increased hospital mortality, length of stay, cost of hospitalization and reduced long term survival. The objective of this study is to review the literature and develop and present an understanding of the potential role of specific pre-operatively or intraoperatively collected inflammatory biomarkers and their role as predictors of pulmonary outcomes in cardiac surgery.

Current treatment of life threatening venous thrombo-embolism (VTE) has been based on general concepts dating to the early 1900s. In this manuscript a general overview of current diagnostic and therapeutic methods of VTE is presented along with the Emory University Affiliated Hospitals’ experience of the surgical treatment of life threatening VTE. We retrospectively analyzed the data of twenty-seven consecutive patients who underwent pulmonary embolectomy on cardiopulmonary bypass from January 1998 through April 2010. Our results showed successful outcomes after urgent or emergent surgical pulmonary embolectomy. It encourages the choice of an early and aggressive surgical approach for large pulmonary emboli in hemodynamically unstable patients.

SESSION TYPE: Miscellaneous Cases II

Objective: In a recent multi-center trial of gadolinium contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (Gd-MRA) for diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism (PE), two centers utilized a common MRI platform though at different field strengths (1.5T and 3T) and realized a signal-to-noise gain with the 3T platform. This retrospective analysis investigates this gain in signal-to-noise of pulmonary vascular targets. Methods: Thirty consecutive pulmonary MRA examinations acquired on a 1.5T system at one institution were compared to 30 consecutive pulmonary MRA examinations acquired on a 3T system at a different institution. Both systems were from the same MRI manufacturer and both used the same Gd-MRA pulse sequence, although there were some protocol adjustments made due to field strength differences. Region-of-interests were manually defined on the main pulmonary artery, 4 pulmonary veins, thoracic aorta, and background lung for objective measurement of signal-to-noise, contrast-to-noise, and bolus timing bias between centers. Results: The 3T pulmonary MRA protocol achieved higher spatial resolution yet maintained significantly higher signal-to-noise ratio (≥13%, p = 0.03) in the main pulmonary vessels relative to 1.5T. There was no evidence of operator bias in bolus timing or patient hemodynamic differences between groups. Conclusion: Relative to 1.5T, higher spatial resolution Gd-MRA can be achieved at 3T with a sustained or greater signal-to-noise ratio of enhanced vasculature.

BACKGROUND A shortage of critical care specialists or intensivists, coupled with expanding United States critical care needs, mandates identification of alternate qualified physicians for intensive care unit (ICU) staffing. OBJECTIVE To compare mortality and length of stay (LOS) of medical ICU patients cared for by a hospitalist or an intensivist-led team. DESIGN Prospective observational study. SETTING Urban academic community hospital affiliated with a major regional academic university. PATIENTS Consecutive medical patients admitted to a hospitalist ICU team (n = 828) with selective intensivist consultation or an intensivist-led ICU teaching team (n = 528). MEASUREMENTS Endpoints were ICU and in-hospital mortality and LOS, adjusted for patient differences with logistic and linear regression models and propensity scores. RESULTS The odds ratio adjusted for disease severity for in-hospital mortality was 0.8 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.49, 1.18; P = 0.23) and ICU mortality was 0.8 (95% CI: 0.51, 1.32; P = 0.41), referent to the hospitalist team. The adjusted LOS was similar between teams (hospital LOS difference 0.9 days, P = 0.98; ICU LOS difference 0.3 days, P = 0.32). Mechanically ventilated patients with intermediate illness severity had lower hospital LOS (10.6 vs 17.8 days, P < 0.001) and ICU LOS (7.2 vs 10.6 days, P = 0.02), and a trend towards decreased in-hospital mortality (15.6% vs 27.5%, P = 0.10) in the intensivist-led group. CONCLUSIONS The adjusted mortality and LOS demonstrated no statistically significant difference between hospitalist and intensivist-led ICU models. Mechanically ventilated patients with intermediate illness severity showed improved LOS and a trend towards improved mortality when cared for by an intensivist-led ICU teaching team.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to descriptively report the outcomes of cardiothoracic surgical patients (CTS) patients who were transferred to an Atlanta LTAC facility.

Purpose. Gastric fundoplication (GF) for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) may protect against the progression of chronic rejection in lung transplant (LT) recipients. However, the association of GERD with acute rejection episodes (ARE) is uncertain. This study sought to identify if ARE were linked to GERD in LT patients.Methods. This single-center retrospective observational study, of patients transplanted from January 11, 2000, to January 31, 2009, correlated results of pH probe testing for GERD with ARE (>= International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation A1 or B1). We compared the rates of ARE among patients with GERD (DeMeester Score > 14.7) versus without GERD as number of ARE per 1,000 patient-days after LT. Patients undergoing GF prior to LT were excluded.Results. The analysis included 60 LT subjects and 9,249 patient-days: 33 with GERD versus 27 without GERD. We observed 51 ARE among 60 LT recipients. The rate of ARE was highest among patients with GERD: 8.49 versus 2.58, an incidence density ratio (IDR) of 3.29 (P = .00016). Upon multivariate negative binomial regression modeling, only GERD was associated with ARE (IDR 2.15; P = .009). Furthermore, GERD was associated with multiple ARE (36.4% vs 0%; P < .0001) and earlier onset compared with patients without GERD: ARE proportion at 2 months was 0.55 versus 0.26 P = .004).Conclusion. In LT recipients, GERD was associated with a higher rate, multiple events, and earlier onset of ARE. The efficacy of GF to reduce ARE among patients with GERD needs further evaluation.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the role of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels during the weaning process in cardiothoracic surgical (CTS) patients admitted to an Atlanta LTAC requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation.

of Pulmonary Embolism Diagnosis III (PIOPED III) Paul D. Stein, MD,* Alexander Gottschalk, MD, H. Dirk Sostman, MD, Thomas L. Chenevert, PhD, Sarah E. Fowler, PhD, Lawrence R. Goodman, MD, Charles A. Hales, MD,** Russell D. Hull, MBBS, MSc, Emanuel Kanal, MD, Kenneth V. Leeper, Jr, MD, David P. Nadich, MD, Daniel J. Sak, DO, Victor F. Tapson, MD,*** Thomas W. Wakefield, MD, John G. Weg, MD, and Pamela K. Woodard, MD

The clinical diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) is difficult in coronary care units (CCUs) because many findings of PE are similar to those of acute coronary syndromes and heart failure. Immobilization of only 1 or 2 days may predispose to PE. Heart failure and acute myocardial infarction add to the risk. Dyspnea may be absent or occur only with exertion. The onset of dyspnea may occur over seconds to days. Orthopnea occurs with PE as well as heart failure. When the clinical probability and results of objective testing are discordant, the posttest probability of PE may be neither sufficiently high nor sufficiently low to permit therapeutic decisions. Objective scoring systems for clinical assessment have not been developed for patients in a CCU. D-dimer is likely to be of little value for the exclusion of PE in CCUs, because elevations occur with heart failure, unstable angina, and myocardial infarction. Computed tomographic pulmonary angiography with venous phase imaging of the low pelvic and proximal leg veins (computed tomographic venography) is recommended for imaging. Scintigraphy in women aged <50 years with normal or nearly normal results on chest x-ray may be the preferred imaging test to reduce the risk for radiation. Echocardiography with leg ultrasonography is a rapidly obtainable combination of bedside tests that may be useful for young patients and patients in extremis. In conclusion, the choice of diagnostic test depends on the clinical probability of PE, the condition of the patient, the availability of diagnostic tests, the risks of iodinated contrast material, radiation exposure, and cost. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. (Am J Cardiol 2009;103: 881-886)

Purpose To test the hypothesis that right enlargement assessed from right ventricular/left ventricular (RV/LV) dimension ratios of computed tomographic (CT) angiograms are equivalent irrespective of whether measured on axial views or reconstructed 4-chamber views. Methods RV/LV dimension ratios were calculated from measurements on axial views, manually reconstructed 4-chamber views and computer generated reconstructed 4-chamber views of CT angiograms in 152 patients with PE. Results Paired readings of the axial view and manually reconstructed 4-chamber view showed agreement with RV/LV ≥1 or RV/LV <1 in 114 of 127 (89.8%). Paired readings also showed agreement in 119 of 127 (93.7%) with axial views and computer generated reconstructed 4-chamber views. The McNemar test showed no statistically significant difference between assessments of RV enlargement (RV/LV ≥ 1) with any method. Conclusion Right ventricular enlargement can be determined from axial views on CT angiograms, which are readily and immediately available, without obtaining 4-chamber reconstructed views.

The purpose of this review was to evaluate the accuracy of SPECT in acute pulmonary embolism. Sparse data are available on the accuracy of SPECT based on an objective reference test. Several investigations were reported in which the reference standard for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism was based in part on the results of SPECT or planar ventilation-perfusion (V/Q) imaging. The sensitivity of SPECT in all but one investigation was at least 90%, and specificity also was generally at least 90%. The sensitivity of SPECT in 4 of 5 investigations was higher than that of planar V/Q imaging. The specificity of SPECT was generally higher, equal, or only somewhat lower than that of planar V/Q imaging. Most investigators reported nondiagnostic SPECT V/Q scans in no more than 3% of cases. Methods of obtaining SPECT images, methods of obtaining planar V/Q images, and the criteria for interpretation varied. The general impression is that SPECT is more advantageous than planar V/Q imaging.

The state of the art of diagnostic evaluation of hemodynamically stable patients with suspected acute pulmonary embolism was reviewed. Diagnostic evaluation should begin with clinical assessment using a validated prediction rule in combination with measurement of D-dimer when appropriate. Imaging should follow only when necessary. Although with 4-slice computed tomography (CT) and 16-slice CT, the sensitivity for detection of pulmonary embolism was increased by combining CT angiography with CT venography, it is not known whether CT venography increases the sensitivity of 64-slice CT angiography. Methods to reduce the radiation exposure of CT venography include imaging only the proximal leg veins (excluding the pelvis) and obtaining discontinuous images. Compression ultrasound can be used instead. In young women, radiation of the breasts produces the greatest risk of radiation-induced cancer. It may be that scintigraphy is the imaging test of choice in such patients, but this pathway should be tested prospectively. A patient-specific approach to the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism can be taken safely in hemodynamically stable patients to increase efficiency and decrease cost and exposure to radiation.