Our results suggest that midodrine is being increasingly used as an adjunct to increase mean arterial pressure and facilitate weaning of vasopressors in the ICU. Prospective trials are required to further establish the appropriate timing, efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness of midodrine use in ICU patients.

Objective: To examine the association between continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) liberation and clinical outcomes among patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) requiring CRRT. Methods: This single-center, retrospective cohort study included adult patients admitted to intensive care units with AKI and treated with CRRT from January 1, 2007, to May 4, 2018. Based on the survival and renal replacement therapy (RRT) status at 72 hours after the first CRRT liberation, we classified patients into liberated, reinstituted, and those who died. We observed patients for 90 days after CRRT initiation to compare the major adverse kidney events (MAKE 90 ). Results: Of 1135 patients with AKI, 228 (20%), 437 (39%), and 470 (41%) were assigned to liberated, reinstituted, and nonsurvival groups, respectively. The MAKE 90 , mortality, and RRT independence rates of the cohort were 62% (707 cases), 59% (674 cases), and 40% (453 cases), respectively. Compared with reinstituted patients, the liberated group had a lower MAKE 90 (29% vs 39%; P¼.009) and higher RRT independence rate (73% vs 65%; P¼.04) on day 90, but without significant difference in 90-day mortality (26% vs 33%; P¼.05). After adjustments for confounders, successful CRRT liberation was not associated with lower MAKE 90 (odds ratio, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.48 to 1.04; P¼.08) but was independently associated with improved kidney recovery at 90-day follow-up (hazard ratio, 1.81; 95% CI, 1.41 to 2.32; P<.001). Conclusion: Our study demonstrated a high occurrence of CRRT liberation failure and poor 90-day outcomes in a cohort of AKI patients treated with CRRT.

Background: Little is known about the impact of socioeconomic status (SES) as a key element of social determinants of health on intensive care unit (ICU) outcomes for adults. Objective: We assessed whether a validated individual SES index termed HOUSES (HOUsing-based SocioEconomic status index) derived from housing features was associated with short-term outcomes of critical illness including ICU mortality, ICU-free days, hospital-free days, and ICU readmission. Methods: We performed a population-based cohort study of adult patients living in Olmsted County, Minnesota, admitted to 7 intensive care units at Mayo Clinic from 2011 to 2014. We compared outcomes between the lowest SES group (HOUSES quartile 1 [Q1]) and the higher SES group (HOUSES Q2-4). We stratified the cohort based on age (<50 years old and ≥50 years old). Results: Among 4134 eligible patients, 3378 (82%) patients had SES successfully measured by the HOUSES index. Baseline characteristics, severity of illness, and reason for ICU admission were similar among the different SES groups as measured by HOUSES except for larger number of intoxications and overdoses in younger patients from the lowest SES. In all adult patients, there were no overall differences in mortality, ICU-free days, hospital-free days, or ICU readmissions in patients with higher SES compared to lower SES. Among older patients (>50 years), those with higher SES (HOUSES Q2-4) compared to those with lower SES (HOUSES Q1) had lower mortality rates (hazard ratio = 0.72; 95% CI: 0.56-0.93; adjusted P = .01), increased ICU-free days (mean 1.08 days; 95% CI: 0.34-1.84; adjusted P = .004), and increased hospital-free days (mean 1.20 days; 95% CI: 0.45-1.96; adjusted P = .002). There were no differences in ICU readmission rates (OR = 0.74; 95% CI: 0.55-1.00; P = .051). Conclusion: Individual-level SES may be an important determinant or predictor of critical care outcomes in older adults. Housing-based socioeconomic status may be a useful tool for enhancing critical care research and practice.

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Objective Fluid overload is common among critically ill patients and is associated with worse outcomes. We aimed to assess the effect of diuretics on urine output, vasopressor dose, acute kidney injury (AKI) incidence, and need for renal replacement therapies (RRT) among patients who receive vasopressors. Patients and methods This is a single-center retrospective study of all adult patients admitted to the intensive care unit between January 2006 and December 2016 and received >6 hours of vasopressor therapy and at least one concomitant dose of diuretic. We excluded patients from cardiac care units. Hourly urine output and vasopressor dose for 6 hours before and after the first dose of diuretic therapy was compared. Rates of AKI development and RRT initiation were assessed with a propensity-matched cohort of patients who received vasopressors but did not receive diuretics. Results There was an increasing trend of prescribing diuretics in patients receiving vasopressors over the course of the study. We included 939 patients with median (IQR) age of 68(57, 78) years old and 400 (43%) female. The average hourly urine output during the first six hours following time zero in comparison with average hourly urine output during the six hours prior to time zero was significantly higher in diuretic group in comparison with patients who did not receive diuretics [81 (95% CI 73-89) ml/h vs. 42 (95% CI 39-45) ml/h, respectively; p<0.001]. After propensity matching, the rate of AKI within 7 days of exposure and the need for RRT were similar between the study and matched control patients (66 (15.6%) vs. 83 (19.6%), p = 0.11, and 34 (8.0%) vs. 37 (8.7%), p = 0.69, respectively). Mortality, however,