A retrospective study analyzed data from 757 patients with spontaneous intraparenchymal hemorrhage.

Within the first 6 hours of admission, patients who had systolic blood pressure reduction between 40 – 60 mm Hg (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.1-3.5) or reduction ≥ 60 mm Hg (OR 1.9, 95%CI 1.01-3.8) were associated with almost double likelihood of poor discharge functional outcome (defined as modified Rankin Scale 3-6).

Additionally, large systolic blood pressure reduction ≥ 60 mm Hg in patients with large hematoma (≥ 30.47 ml) was associated with higher likelihood of very poor functional outcome (mRS 5-6).

Take home points: while more studies are still needed to confirm these observations, perhaps we may not want to drop blood pressure in patients with spontaneous intraparenchymal hemorrhage too much and too fast.

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Patient

·         A North America multicenter study involving 821 asymptomatic patients who had exposure to Covid-19-positive patients.  The study was double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial.

Intervention

·         Within 4 days of exposure, participants were randomized to receive hydroxychloroquine.  Dose of hydroxychloroquine was 800 mg once then 600 mg in 6-8 hours then 600 mg daily for 4 more days.

·         There were 414 patients in this arm. Median age 41 years [IQR 33-51]

Comparison:

·         Placebo treatment.  There were 407 patients in this arm. Median age 40years [IQR 32-50]

Outcome:

·         Incidence of either laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 or Covid-19 symptoms within 14 days.

Results:

·         49 (11.8%) patients with treatment had Covid-19 findings (positive tests or symptoms)

·         58 (14.3%) patients with placebo had Covid-19 findings (p=0.35). 

·         The absolute difference was -2.4%.  The number need to treat (NNT) to prevent one infection is 42 patients.  Number needed to harm is 50 patients.

·         Symptoms were fatigue (49.5%), cough (44.9%), sore throat (40.2%) myalgia (37.4%), fever (34.6%), anosmia (23.4%), shortness of breath (18.7%).

Conclusion:

Hydroxychloroquine prophylaxis did not prevent post-exposure Covid-19 infection.

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Title: Randomized Trial of Three Anticonvulsant Medications for Status Epilepticus

Settings:

• 57 US hospitals: 26 sites for adults only, 18 sites enrolling only children, 13 sites enroll both.

Patients:

• 384 patients whose ages were 2 years and older. 
• Patients who continued to have generalized seizure for at least 5 minutes after “accepted” cumulative dose of benzodiazepines.

Intervention:

• levetiracetam at a dose of 60 mg per kilogram (maximum, 4500 mg),
• Fosphenytoin at a dose of 20 mg PE per kilogram (maximum, 1500 mg PE),
• valproate at a dose of 40 mg per kilogram (maximum 3000 mg)

Comparison:

• Patients > 32 kg total body weight:  diazepam of 10 mg; Lorazepam 4mg Intravenously; midazolam 10 mg intravenously or intramuscularly.
• Patients < 32 kg total body weight: diazepam at a dose of 0.3 mg per kilogram (administered intravenously or rectally), lorazepam at a dose of 0.1 mg per kilogram (administered intravenously), or midazolam at a dose of 0.3 mg of per kilogram (administered intramuscularly) or 0.2 mg per kilogram (administered intravenously)

Outcome: absence of clinical seizure at 60 minutes after infusion of medication.

Study Results:

• Rates of cessation of status epilepticus were similar in all 3 groups: 47% of levetiracetam vs. 45% Fosphenytoin vs. 46% for valproate.
• Fosphenytoin was associated with non-significantly higher rate of hypotension (3.2%) vs other drugs.
• Levetiracetam was associated with non-significantly higher rate of death (4.7%) vs. other drugs.
• All three medication was associated with similar rate of intubation within 60 minutes of drug infusion.

Discussion:

• The median time interval from start to cessation of status epilepticus appeared to be shorter for valproate but there was no formal analysis yet,
• Valproate (7.0 minutes) vs. levetiracetam (11.7 minutes) vs. Fosphenytoin (11.7 minutes)

Conclusion:

• Three medications, Fosphenytoin, levetiracetam, valproate were equally effective.

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Settings: Multicenter randomized controlled trial

Patients: 710 patients

Intervention: 345 patients.  no sedative but only boluses of morphine as clinically indicated (Sedation group)

Comparison: 356 patients.  light sedation with daily interruption (Nonsedation group)

Outcome: all-cause mortality at 90 days after randomization

Study Results:

42.4% of nonsedation group died vs 37% of sedation group (95% confidence interval [CI], −2.2 to 12.2; P = 0.65). 

Number of ventilator-free days for nonsedation group was 27 days vs. 26 for sedation group. 

Discussion:

This study did not agree with previous studies that lighter sedation was associated with shorter length of stay on mechanical ventilation , ICU or hospital.  The authors attributed to the findings that RASS score was not significantly different between the 2 groups.

Conclusion:

Critically ill adult patients receiving mechanical ventilation, there was no difference in 90-day mortality between patients receiving light sedation or no sedation.

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Settings: multicenter, double-blind, phase 3 trial (apparently vitamin D worked in phase 2 trials).

• Patients:
  • 1059 patients were enrolled within 12 hours of ICU admission.  The patients had to have risk factors warranted ICU admisions (pneumonia, sepsis, mechanical ventilation, shock, pancreatitis, etc.).
  • Vitamin D deficiency was defined as plasma level < 20 ng/ml
• Intervention:
  • 531 patients received a single oral dose of 540,000 IU of vitamin D3 within 2 hours after randomization
• Comparison
  • 528 patients received placebo
• Outcome
  • 90-day all-cause mortality

Study Results:

• Total SOFA score was similar in both groups (5.6 vs. 5.4).               
• On day 3, mean plasma vitamin D was higher (47 ng/ml) in treatment group vs 11 ng/ml in placebo group
• 90-day all cause mortality was similar.  Treatment group was 23.5% vs. 20.6% for placebo (95% CI, −2.1 to 7.9; P = 0.26).
• Vitamin D-related adverse events were similar in both groups.

Discussion:

• This trial enrolled patients early in their critical illness compared to phase 2 trial which enrolled patients after 3 days in the ICU.
• This phase 3 trial also enrolled mostly medical-related illness, whereas 75% of patients in phase 2 had either surgical or neurology-related illnesses.

Conclusion:

Early administration of high dose vitamin D did not improve 90-day all cause mortality.

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Settings

• Patients: mechanical ventilation in the ICU. Randomization of 1000 patients.
• Intervention: conservative oxygen therapy, if spO2 reached 97%, then FiO2 was lowered to 0.21
• Comparison: no specific limits for FiO2 or SpO2.
• Outcome: number of ventilator-free days at 28 days after randomization.

Study Results:

• 484 conservative-oxygen group vs  481 to the usual oxygen group
• Comparing to the conservative-oxygen group had:
• more time at FiO2 21 (29 hours vs. 28 hours),
• less time with SpO2 > 97% (27 hours vs. 49 hours)
• Similar ventilator-free days: 21 days vs. 22 days.

Discussion:

This study’s results differed from previous single center study (Girardis JAMA 2016) or meta analysis (Chu DK, Lancer 2018), which showed mortality benefit in patients with conservative oxygen (Girardis & Chu) and more ventilator-free days (Girardis).

Conclusion: Conservative oxygen did not significantly affect the ventilator free days of mechanically ventilated patients.

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Rationale: Data regarding temperature management in patients suffered from cardiac arrest with nonshockable rhythm was inconclusive.

Objective: whether moderate hypothermia at 33C, compared with normothermia at 37C would improve neurologic outcome in patients with coma after cardiac arrest with nonshockable rhythm.

Outcome: survival with favorable 90-day neurologic outcome (Cerebral Performance Category scale 1-2/5)

SummaryThere was higher percentage of patients achieving CPC 1-2 in the hypothermia group (10.2%) vs normothermia group (5.7%, Hazard Ratio 4.5, 95% CI 0.1-8.9, p=0.04)

This randomized multicenter trial involved 581 patients with cardiac arrest and nonshockable rhythm.  Hypothermia group included 284 patients vs. 297 in the normothermia group.  Median GCS at enrollment = 3.

Majority of patients was cooled with the use of a basic external cooling device: 37% for hypothermia and 50.8% for normothermia group.

There was higher percentage of patients achieving CPC 1-2 in the hypothermia group (10.2%) vs normothermia group (5.7%, Hazard Ratio 4.5, 95% CI 0.1-8.9, p=0.04)

Limitation:

A. The study used strict enrollment criteria:

1. CPR initiation within 10 minutes;
2. CPR to ROSC within 60 minutes;
3. epinephrine or norepinephrine infusion at < 1 ug/kg/min;
4. No Child-Pugh class C liver cirrhosis

B. normothermia group had higher proportion of patients with temperature at 38C.

C. Hypothermia group underwent temperature management of 56 hours vs. 48 hours for normothermia patients.

Take home points:

In a selected group of patients with cardiac arrest and nonshockable rhythm, moderate hypothermia at 33C may improve neurologic outcome.

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A new study confirmed the previously-known antibiotics to be associated with Torsades de pointes and QT prolongation (Macrolides, Linezolid, Imipenem and Fluoroquinolones). However, this study found new association between amikacin and Torsades de pointes/QT prolongation.

Methods

The authors queried the United States FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) from 01/01/2015 to 12/31/2017 for reports of Torsade de points/QT prolongation (TdP/QT).

Reporting Odd Ratio (ROR) was calculated as the ratio of the odds of reporting TdP/QTP versus all other ADRs for a given drug, compared with these reporting odds for all other drugs present in FAERS

Results

FAERS contained 2,042,801 reports from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2017. There were 3,960 TdP/QTP reports from the study period (0.19%).

Macrolides               ROR 14 (95% CI 11.8-17.38)

Linezolid                  ROR 12 (95% CI 8.5-18)

Amikacin                 ROR 11.8 (5.57-24.97)

Imipenem-cilastatin ROR 6.6 (3.13-13.9)

Fluoroquinolones   ROR 5.68 (95% CI 4.78-6.76)

Limitations:

These adverse events are voluntary reports

There might be other confounded by concomitant drugs such as ondansetron, azole anti-fungals, antipsychotics.

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Torsades de pointes and QT prolongation Associated with Antibiotics

Methods

The authors queried the United States FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) from 01/01/2015 to 12/31/2017 for reports of Torsade de points/QT prolongation (TdP/QT).

Reporting Odd Ratio (ROR) was calculated as the ratio of the odds of reporting TdP/QTP versus all other ADRs for a given drug, compared with these reporting odds for all other drugs present in FAERS

Results

FAERS contained 2,042,801 reports from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2017. There were 3,960 TdP/QTP reports from the study period (0.19%).

Macrolides               ROR 14 (95% CI 11.8-17.38)

Linezolid                  ROR 12 (95% CI 8.5-18)

Amikacin                 ROR 11.8 (5.57-24.97)

Imipenem-cilastatin ROR 6.6 (3.13-13.9)

Fluoroquinolones   ROR 5.68 (95% CI 4.78-6.76)

Limitations:

These adverse events are voluntary reports

There might be other confounded by concomitant drugs such as ondansetron, azole anti-fungals, antipsychotics.

Bottom Line:

This study confimed the previously-known antibiotics to be associated with Torsades de pointes and QT prolongation (Macrolides, Linezolid, Imipenem and Fluoroquinolones). However, this study  found new association between amikacin and Torsades de pointes/QT prolongation.

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