Antibiotic use and microbial resistance in health care-associated infections are increasing globally and causing health care problems. Intensive Care Units (ICUs) represent the heaviest antibiotic burden within hospitals, and sepsis is the second noncardiac cause of mortality in ICUs. Optimizing appropriate antibiotic treatment in the management of the critically ill in ICUs became a major challenge for intensivists. We performed a surveillance study on the antibiotic consumption in 108 Polish ICUs. We determined which classes of antibiotics were most commonly consumed and whether they affected the length of ICU stay and the size and category of the hospital. A total of 292.389 defined daily doses (DDD) and 192.167 patient-days (pd) were identified. Antibiotic consumption ranged from 620 to 3960 DDD/1000 pd. The main antibiotic classes accounted for 59.6% of the total antibiotic consumption and included carbapenems (17.8%), quinolones (14%), cephalosporins (13.7%), penicillins (11.9%), and macrolides (2.2%), respectively, whereas the other antibiotic classes accounted for the remainder (40.4%) and included antifungals (34%), imidazoles (20%), aminoglycosides (18%), glycopeptides (15%), and polymyxins (6%). The most consumed antibiotic classes in Polish ICUs were carbapenems, quinolones, and cephalosporins, respectively. There was no correlation between antibiotic consumption in DDD/1000 patient-days, mean length of ICU stay, size of the hospital, size of the ICU, or the total amount of patient-days. It is crucial that surveillance systems are in place to guide empiric antibiotic treatment and to estimate the burden of resistance. Appropriate use of antibiotics in the ICU should be an important public health care issue.

BACKGROUND Fluid therapy in critically ill patients remains one of the most demanding and difficult aspects of care. This is particularly important in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) due to cardiovascular disorders. AIMS The aim of this study was to investigate whether a cumulative fluid balance (FB) affects mortality in critically ill patients hospitalized at the ICU. METHODS Data were obtained from the medical records of the ICU at the Silesian Centre for Heart Diseases. All patients admitted to the ICU between 2012 and 2016 were evaluated. Patients who died or were discharged from the ICU within 48 hours from admission were excluded. Fluid balance and the type of fluids infused during the first 7 days were assessed. The primary outcome was ICU mortality. RESULTS Overall, 495 patients were included in the study and 303 (61.2%) survived the ICU stay. Daily FB in the first 24, 48, and 72 hours after admission and the cumulative FB after 7 days were significantly lower in survivors. Fluid balance exceeding 1000 ml and the use of colloid solutions in the first 72 hours were independently associated with mortality, along with the diagnosis of stroke and shock on admission. CONCLUSIONS A positive FB exceeding 1000 ml in the first 72 hours from admission to the ICU is independently associated with an increased risk of mortality in critically ill patients with cardiovascular disorders. The use of colloid solutions is associated with a higher positive FB.

Introduction Lactate levels have been recognized as a reliable tool for monitoring critically ill patients requiring venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO) or venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV ECMO) but the reasons behind the overproduction of lactate are different and the influance for survival remains controversial. We analyzed the lactate values and lactate clearance in adult patients in these two forms of extracorporeal support. Methods Patient demographics, ECMO duration, 30-day mortality, lactate values and lactate clearance at 24, 48 and 72 h from ECMO initiation of patients supported with VV and VA ECMO at Silesian Centre for Heart Deasese, between January 2011 and April 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The changes in lactate levels were analyzed using the non-parametric U Mann-Whitney tests and Chi-square test. The ROC curves were draw and the area under the curve was calculated. Results The study comprised 91 adult patients, Mortality in the first 30 days from initiation of VV and VA ECMO was 39% and 66%, respectively. Lactate levels were significantly higher in non-survivors that received VV and VA ECMO ( p < .001), while lactate clearance was similar ( p = .256 and p = 1.000, respectively). Survival curves for patients with elevated (>2.0 mmol/L) vs normal (≤2.0 mmol/L) lactate levels at 72 h were significantly different for VV ECMO ( p = .007) and VA ECMO ( p = .037) but in both groups of ECMO, lactate levels above 2.0 mmol/L at 72 h from ECMO initiation predicted 30 day-mortality. Conclusion This results emphasized the importance of lactate levels below 2.0 mmol/L at 72 h from both VV and VA ECMO initiation.

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