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A bstract Background Administration of vitamin D to unselected heterogeneous critically ill patients did not demonstrate outcome benefit. The current study was undertaken to identify if early administration of vitamin D can reduce intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay and improve clinical outcomes in critically ill patients with sepsis. Methods This single-center randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial was done in the ICU and emergency inpatient ward of a tertiary care teaching institute in New Delhi, India. A total of 126 adult patients aged 18 to 80 years of either sex diagnosed to have sepsis were included within 24 hours of admission to the hospital and randomized into vitamin D or placebo groups. The patients in the intervention group received vitamin D3 540,000 units dissolved in 45 mL of milk. The placebo group received 45 mL of milk. Results The median length of ICU stay (8 vs 9 days; p = 0.32), median length of hospital stay (12 vs 12 days; p = 0.33), median duration of vasopressors requirement (4 vs 3 days; p = 0.84), median duration of mechanical ventilation (5 vs 7 days; p = 0.23), requirement of tracheostomy (34 vs 39%; p = 0.71), and 90-day mortality [35 vs 46%; p = 0.29; HR 0.72 (0.42–1.24)] were similar in vitamin D and placebo arm. A subgroup analysis in patients with severe vitamin D deficiency (vitamin D <12 ng/mL) revealed a significantly decreased incidence of tracheostomy (28 vs 57%; p = 0.04), a trend toward decreased 90-day mortality [34 vs 66%; p = 0.08; HR 0.44 (0.19–1.01)], and duration of mechanical ventilation (6 vs 11 days; p = 0.05) in patients receiving vitamin D. Conclusion Administration of large-dose vitamin D within 24 hours of admission does not reduce the length of ICU stay in critically ill sepsis patients. How to cite this article Bhattacharyya A, Subramaniam R, Baidya DK, Aggarwal P, Wig N. Effect of Early Administration of Vitamin D on Clinical Outcome in Critically Ill Sepsis Patients: A Randomized Placebo-controlled Trial. Indian J Crit Care Med 2021;25(10):1147–1154.

The majority of intracranial infections that cause meningitis are considered to start in the choroid plexus of the ventricles, but lesions involving the choroid plexus are rare. There are isolated case reports of the involvement of choroid plexus in tuberculous meningitis. The main imaging findings are abnormal enhancement of the thickened choroid plexus, asymmetric hydrocephalus with sequestrated temporal horn, periventricular edema and intraventricular septae formation. Six patients having tubercular involvement of choroid plexus were treated at our institution. This is probably the largest series of tubercular involvement of choroid plexus highlighting the imaging features of this rare manifestation of CNS tuberculosis.

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Cerebral mycotic aneurysms (MAs) also called infective aneurysms, are uncommon and are usually encountered in patients with infective endocarditis. These aneurysms often present with intracranial hemorrhage. MAs may resolve on treatment with antibiotics alone. However prognosis with medical management alone is unpredictable. Good prognosis with surgery has been reported for single accessible ruptured MAs. However surgery is associated with significant morbidity. Endovascular treatment of MAs along with appropriate antibiotics is emerging as an acceptable option for these patients. We describe two cases of infective endocarditis complicated by ruptured MA treated successfully by liquid embolic glue material.

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Prone position ventilation has been shown to decrease mortality and improve oxygenation in ARDS patients. With best of our knowledge, no study reported physiological effect of prone position in SARS- CoV-2 infected ARDS patients. In this prospective observational study, data of n=20 consecutive laboratory confirmed SARS- CoV-2 patients with severe ARDS as per Berlin definition was included. Data of 20 patients analyzed with a median (Interquartile range, IQR) age of 56 (45.5- 67) y and median (IQR) P/F ratio of 56 (54- 66) with a median (IQR) PEEP of 12 (12- 14) before initiation of prone position. Seventy-five percentage (95% CI 53.1- 88.8) patients were prone responders at 16h prone session and 50 (95% CI 29.9- 70.1) % patients were sustained responders. There was a significant decrease in plateau airway pressure (p<0.0001), peak airway pressure (p<0.0001) and driving pressure(p<0.0001) and increase in static compliance (p=0.001), P/F ratio (p<0.0001), PaO2 (p=0.0002)and SpO2 (p=0.0004) at 4h and 16h since initiation of prone session and also after return of supine position. Prone position in SARS- CoV-2 infected severe ARDS patients is associated with improvement in lung compliance and oxygenation in two- third of the patients and persisted in half of the patients.

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