An increased proportion of deaths occur in the intensive care unit (ICU).We performed this prospective study in 41 ICUs to determine the prevalence and determinants of complicated grief after death of a loved one in the ICU. Relatives of 475 adult patients were followed up. Complicated grief was assessed at 6 and 12 months using the Inventory of Complicated Grief (cut-off score >25). Relatives also completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale at 3 months, and the Revised Impact of Event Scale for post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms at 3, 6 and 12 months. We used a mixed multivariate logistic regression model to identify determinants of complicated grief after 6 months.Among the 475 patients, 282 (59.4%) had a relative evaluated at 6 months. Complicated grief symptoms were identified in 147 (52%) relatives. Independent determinants of complicated grief symptoms were either not amenable to changes (relative of female sex, relative living alone and intensivist board certification before 2009) or potential targets for improvements (refusal of treatment by the patient, patient died while intubated, relatives present at the time of death, relatives did not say goodbye to the patient, and poor communication between physicians and relatives).End-of-life practices, communication and loneliness in bereaved relatives may be amenable to improvements. @ERSpublications End-of-life care and communication in the ICU are associated with the prevalence of complicated grief http://ow.ly/DCqjB

Age, SOFA score, and a diagnosis of influenza may be used to accurately evaluate the risk of death in ARDS patients considered for retrieval under ECMO from distant hospitals.

Failure of noninvasive ventilation occurs in half the critically ill hematologic patients and is associated with an increased mortality. Predictors of noninvasive ventilation failure might be used to guide decisions regarding intubation.

In relatives of patients who died in the ICU, a condolence letter failed to alleviate grief symptoms and may have worsened depression and PTSD-related symptoms. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02325297.

NMBA could exert beneficial effects in patients with moderate ARDS, at least in part, by limiting expiratory efforts.

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01818895.

No abstract

In patients with mainly pulmonary acute respiratory distress syndrome, using high mean airway pressure under high-frequency oscillatory ventilation can worsen right ventricular function when compared with protective conventional mechanical ventilation, notably in patients in whom high-frequency oscillatory ventilation produced less alveolar recruitment of the posterior parts of the lungs. This study highlights the interest of monitoring right ventricular function during high-frequency oscillatory ventilation.