TEE screening allowed identification of ACP in one-fourth of patients submitted to protective ventilation for early moderate to severe ARDS. PFO shunting was less frequent and never large or extensive. ACP and PFO were not related to outcome.

IntroductionAcute cor pulmonale (ACP) and patent foramen ovale (PFO) remain common in patients under protective ventilation for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We sought to describe the hemodynamic profile associated with either ACP or PFO, or both, during the early course of moderate-to-severe ARDS using echocardiography.MethodsIn this 32-month prospective multicenter study, 195 patients with moderate-to-severe ARDS were assessed using echocardiography during the first 48 h of admission (age: 56 (SD: 15) years; Simplified Acute Physiology Score: 46 (17); PaO2/FiO2: 115 (39); VT: 6.5 (1.7) mL/kg; PEEP: 11 (3) cmH2O; driving pressure: 15 (5) cmH2O). ACP was defined by the association of right ventricular (RV) dilatation and systolic paradoxical ventricular septal motion. PFO was detected during a contrast study using agitated saline in the transesophageal bicaval view.ResultsACP was present in 36 patients, PFO in 21 patients, both PFO and ACP in 8 patients and the 130 remaining patients had neither PFO nor ACP. Patients with ACP exhibited a restricted left ventricle (LV) secondary to RV dilatation and had concomitant RV dysfunction, irrespective of associated PFO, but preserved LV systolic function. Despite elevated systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP), patients with isolated PFO had a normal RV systolic function. sPAP and PaCO2 levels were significantly correlated.ConclusionsIn patients under protective mechanical ventilation with moderate-to-severe ARDS, ACP was associated with LV restriction and RV failure, whether PFO was present or not. Despite elevated sPAP, PFO shunting was associated with preserved RV systolic function.

With the limitation of a low statistical power, our results do not support the superiority of the combination of IPC + GCS compared to GCS alone to prevent VTE in ICU patients at high risk of bleeding.

IntroductionAssessment of cardiac function is key in the management of intensive care unit (ICU) patients and frequently relies on the use of standard transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). A commercially available new generation ultrasound system with two-dimensional imaging capability, which has roughly the size of a mobile phone, is adequately suited to extend the physical examination. The primary endpoint of this study was to evaluate the additional value of this new miniaturized device used as an ultrasonic stethoscope (US) for the determination of left ventricular (LV) systolic function, when compared to conventional clinical assessment by experienced intensivists. The secondary endpoint was to validate the US against TTE for the semi-quantitative assessment of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in ICU patients.MethodsIn this single-center prospective descriptive study, LVEF was independently assessed clinically by the attending physician and echocardiographically by two experienced intensivists trained in critical care echocardiography who used the US (size: 135 × 73 × 28 mm; weight: 390 g) and TTE. LVEF was visually estimated semi-quantitatively and classified in one of the following categories: increased (LVEF > 75%), normal (LVEF: 50 to 75%), moderately reduced (LVEF: 30 to 49%), or severely reduced (LVEF < 30%). Biplane LVEF measured using the Simpson's rule on TTE loops by an independent investigator was used as reference.ResultsA total of 94 consecutive patients were studied (age: 60 ± 17 years; simplified acute physiologic score 2: 41 ± 15), 63 being mechanically ventilated and 36 receiving vasopressors and/or inotropes. Diagnostic concordance between the clinically estimated LVEF and biplane LVEF was poor (Kappa: 0.33; 95% CI: 0.16 to 0.49) and only slightly improved by the knowledge of a previously determined LVEF value (Kappa: 0.44; 95% CI: 0.22 to 0.66). In contrast, the diagnostic agreement was good between visually assessed LVEF using the US and TTE (Kappa: 0.75; CI 95%: 0.63 to 0.87) and between LVEF assessed on-line and biplane LVEF, regardless of the system used (Kappa: 0.75; CI 95%: 0.64 to 0.87 and Kappa: 0.70; CI 95%: 0.59 to 0.82, respectively).ConclusionsIn ICU patients, the extension of physical examination using an US improves the ability of trained intensivists to determine LVEF at bedside. With trained operators, the semi-quantitative assessment of LVEF using the US is accurate when compared to standard TTE.

Severe leptospirosis usually associates shock, jaundice, renal failure, and thrombocytopenia. Massive hemoptysis due to diffuse alveolar haemorrhage may rarely occur leading to an acute respiratory failure and multiple organ failure. We present the case of an acute respiratory distress syndrome caused by a severe leptospirosis. The severity of the respiratory failure contrasted with the absence of significant liver or renal dysfunction. Bedside open lung biopsy was only consistent with a postinfectious BOOP. The diagnosis was retrospective when the niece of the patient presented with similar inaugural symptoms ten days later after being scratched by a wild rat which was considered by our patient as a pet.

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