Background and Aims: Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is an emerging popular concept, which includes bi-level positive airway pressure or continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). In settings with scarce resources for NIV machines, CPAP can be provided through various indigenous means and one such mode is flow inflating device - Jackson-Rees circuit (JR)/Bain circuit. The study analyses the epidemiology, various clinical indications, predictors of CPAP failure, and stresses the usefulness of flow inflating device as an indigenous way of providing CPAP. Methods: A prospective observational study was undertaken in the critical care unit of a Government Tertiary Care Hospital, from November 2013 to September 2014. All children who required CPAP in the age group 1 month to 12 years of both sexes were included in this study. They were started on indigenous CPAP through flow inflating device on clinical grounds based on the pediatric assessment triangle, and the duration and outcome were analyzed. Results: This study population included 214 children. CPAP through flow inflating device was successful in 89.7% of cases, of which bronchiolitis accounted for 98.3%. A prolonged duration of CPAP support of >96 h was required in pneumonia. CPAP failure was noted in 10.3% of cases, the major risk factors being children <1 year and pneumonia with septic shock. Conclusion: We conclude that flow inflating devices - JR/Bain circuit are effective as an indigenous CPAP in limited resource settings. Despite its benefits, CPAP is not a substitute for invasive ventilation, as when the need for intubation arises timely intervention is needed.

Background: The transport of critically ill patients for procedures or tests outside the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is potentially hazardous; hence, the transport process must be organized and efficient. Plenty of data is available on pre- and inter-hospital transport of patients; the data on intrahospital transport of patients are limited. We audited the complications and benefits of intrahospital transport of critically ill patients in our tertiary care center over 6 months. Materials and Methods: One hundred and twenty adult critically ill cancer patients transported from the ICU for either diagnostic or therapeutic procedure over 6 months were included. The data collected include the destination, the accompanying person, total time spent outside the ICU, and any adverse events and adverse change in vitals. Results: Among the 120 adult patients, 5 (4.1%) required endotracheal intubation, 5 (4.1%) required intercostal drain placement, and 20 (16.7%) required cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Dislodgement of central venous catheter occurred in 2 (1.6%) patients, drain came out in 3 (2.5%) patients, orogastric tube came out in 1 (0.8%) patient, 2 (1.6%) patients self-extubated, and in one patient, tracheostomy tube was dislodged. The adverse events were more in patients who spent more than 60 min outside the ICU, particularly requirement of CPR (18 [25%] vs. 2 [4.2%], ≤60 min vs. >60 min, respectively) with P < 0.05. Transport led to change in therapy in 32 (26.7%) patients. Conclusion: Transport in critically ill cancer patients is more hazardous and needs adequate pretransport preparations. Transport in spite being hazardous may lead to a beneficial change in therapy in a significant number of patients.

Objective: Pneumothorax should be considered a medical emergency and requires a high index of suspicion and prompt recognition and intervention. Aims: The objective of the study was to evaluate cases developing pneumothorax following admission to a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) over a 5-year period. Settings and Design: Case notes of all PICU patients (n = 1298) were reviewed, revealing that 135 cases (10.4%) developed pneumothorax, and these were compared with those patients who did not. The most common tool for diagnosis used was chest X-ray followed by a clinical examination. Subjects and Methods: Case notes of 1298 patients admitted in PICU over 1-year study. Results: Patients with pneumothorax had higher mortality rate (P < 0.001), longer length of stay (P < 0.001), higher need for mechanical ventilation (MV) (P < 0.001), and were of younger age (P < 0.001), lower body weight (P < 0.001), higher pediatric index of mortality 2 score on admission (P < 0.001), higher pediatric logistic organ dysfunction score (P < 0.001), compared to their counterpart. Iatrogenic pneumothorax (IP) represented 95% of episodes of pneumothorax. The most common causes of IP were barotrauma secondary to MV, central vein catheter insertion, and \"other\" (69.6%, 13.2%, and 17.2%, respectively). Compared to ventilated patients without pneumothorax, ventilated patients who developed pneumothorax had a longer duration of MV care (P < 0.001) and higher nonconventional and high-frequency oscillatory ventilation settings (P < 0.001). Conclusions: This study demonstrated that pneumothorax is common in Alexandria University PICU patients, especially in those on MV and emphasized the importance of the strict application of \"protective lung strategies\" among ventilated patients to minimize the risk of pneumothorax.

Background and Aims: The practice of intensive care includes withholding and withdrawal of care, when appropriate, and the goals of care change around this time to comfort and palliation. We decided to survey the attitudes, training, and skills of intensive care residents in relation to end-of-life (EoL) care. All residents at our institute who has worked for at least a month in an adult Intensive Care Unit were invited to participate. Materials and Methods: After Institutional Ethics Committee approval, a Likert-scale questionnaire, divided into five composite measures of EoL skills including training and attitude, was handed over to individual residents and completed data were anonymized. Frequency and descriptive analysis was performed for the demographic variables. Central tendency, variability, and reliability were examined for the five composite measures. Scale internal consistency was checked by Cronbach′s coefficient alpha. Multivariate forward conditional regression analysis was conducted to examine the association of demographic data or EoL experience to composite measures. Results: Of the 170 eligible residents, we received 120 (70.5%) responses. Conclusions: Internal medicine residents have more experience in caring for dying patients and conducting EoL discussions. Even though majority of participants reported that they are comfortable with the concept of EoL care, this does not always reflect the actual practice in the hospital. There is a need for further training in skills around EoL care. As this is a self-assessment survey, the specific measures of attitudes and skills in EoL are poorly reflected, indicating a need for further research.

Aims: To evaluate the effect of intravenous (IV) acetaminophen on reducing the need for morphine sulfate in intubated patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Settings and Design: Current study was done as a clinical trial on the patients supported by mechanical ventilator. Subjects and Methods: Behavioral pain scale (BPS) scoring system was used to measure pain in the patients. All of the patients received 1 g, IV acetaminophen, every 6 h during the 1 ^st and 3 ^rd days of admission and placebo during the 2 ^nd and 4 ^th days. Total dose of morphine sulfate needed, its complications, and the BPS scores at the end of every 6 h interval were compared. Results: Totally forty patients were enrolled. The mean pain scores were significantly lower in the 2 ^nd and 4 ^th days (4.33 and 3.66, respectively; mean: 4.0) in which the patients had received just morphine sulfate compared to the 1 ^st and 3 ^rd days (7.36 and 3.93, respectively; mean: 5.65) in which the patients had received acetaminophen in addition to morphine sulfate too (P < 0.001). Cumulative dose of morphine sulfate used, was significantly higher in the 1 ^st and 3 ^rd days (8.92 and 3.15 mg, respectively; 12.07 mg in total) compared to the 2 ^nd and 4 ^th days (6.47 mg and 3.22 mg, respectively; 9.7 mg in total) (P = 0.035). Conclusion: In our study, IV acetaminophen had no effect on decreasing the BPSs and need of morphine sulfate in intubated patients admitted to ICU.

Introduction: There is a paucity of literature on prehospital care and epidemiology of traumatic cardiac arrest (TCA) in India. This study highlights the profile and characteristics of TCA. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted to study epidemiological profile of TCA patients ≥1 year presenting to a level 1 trauma center of India. Results: One thousand sixty-one patients were recruited in the study. The median age (interquartile range) was 32 (23-45) years (male:female ratio of 5.9:1). Asystole (253), pulseless electrical activity (11), ventricular fibrillation (six), and ventricular tachycardia (five) were initial arrest rhythm. Road traffic crash (RTC) (57.16%), fall from height (18.52%), and assault (10.51%) were modes of injury. Prehospital care was provided by police (36.59%), ambulance (10.54%), relatives (45.40%), and bystanders (7.47% cases). Return of spontaneous circulation was seen in 69 patients, of which only three survived to hospital discharge. Conclusion: RTC in young males was a major cause of TCA. Asystole was the most common arrest rhythm. Police personnel were major prehospital service provider. Prehospital care needs improvement including the development of robust TCA registry.

Assessment of level of consciousness is very important in predicting patient′s outcome from neurological illness. Glasgow coma scale (GCS) is the most commonly used scale, and Full Outline of UnResponsiveness (FOUR) score is also recently validated as an alternative to GCS in the evaluation of the level of consciousness. We carried out a prospective study in 97 patients aged above 16 years. We measured GCS and FOUR score within 24 h of Intensive Care Unit admission. The mean GCS and the FOUR scores were lower among nonsurvivors than among the survivors and were statistically significant (P < 0.001). Discrimination for GCS and FOUR score was fair with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.79 and 0.82, respectively. The cutoff point with best Youden index for GCS and FOUR score was 6.5 each. Below the cutoff point, mortality was higher in both models (P < 0.001). The Hosmer-Lemeshow Chi-square coefficient test showed better calibration with FOUR score than GCS. A positive correlation was seen between the models with Spearman′s correlation coefficient of 0.91 (P < 0.001).

Organ donation awareness is very poor in India. We have a high demand for transplant organs with poor supply. Apnea test is the confirmatory test for brain death in our country. The Transplantation of Human Organs Act does not support any ancillary testing for the confirmation of brain death in our country. Radionuclide scan is used widely in western countries as a confirmatory test. We in our institution used this as a tool for family counseling with successful conversion rate.

Respiratory failure is a serious complication of scrub typhus. In this prospective study, all patients with a diagnosis of scrub typhus were included from a single center Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Demographic, clinical characteristics, laboratory, and imaging parameters of these patients at the time of ICU admission were compared. Of the 55 scrub typhus patients, 27 (49%) had an acute respiratory failure. Seventeen patients had acute respiratory distress syndrome, and ten had cardiogenic pulmonary edema. Respiratory supported patients were older had significant chronic lungs disease and high severity illness scores (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation-II and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score). At ICU admission, these patients presented with more deranged laboratory markers, including high bilirubin, high creatine kinase, high lactate, metabolic acidosis, low serum albumin, and presence of ascites. The average ICU and hospital stay were 4.27 ± 2.74 and 6.53 ± 3.52 days, respectively, in the respiratory supported group. Three patients died in respiratory failure group, while only one patient died in nonrespiratory failure group.

Posthypoxic myoclonus (Lance-Adams syndrome) is characterized by myoclonus involving multiple muscle groups which is resistant to most conventional antiepileptic drugs. We present a case of hypoxic brain injury-induced myoclonic status epilepticus successfully controlled with isoflurane. The antimyoclonic effects of isoflurane are likely due to potentiation of inhibitory postsynaptic GABA _A receptor-mediated currents and its effects on thalamocortical pathways. It is effective even when intravenous agents fail to control myoclonus. It may be a useful alternative to intravenous anesthetics as a third tier therapy in patients with refractory status myoclonus.