No abstract

Severe COVID‐19 disease is a hyperinflammatory, pro‐thrombotic state. We undertook plasma exchange (PEX) to determine its effects on organ function and thrombo‐inflammatory markers. Seven critically ill adults with severe COVID‐19 respiratory failure (PaO 2 :FiO 2 ratio < 200 mm Hg) requiring invasive or noninvasive ventilatory support and elevated thrombo‐inflammatory markers (LDH >800 IU/L and D‐dimer >1000 μg/L (or doubling from baseline) received PEX, daily, for a minimum of 5 days. No other immunomodulatory medications were initiated during this period. Seven patients matched for age and baseline biochemistry were a comparator group. Coagulation screening revealed no evidence of coagulopathy. However, von Willebrand Factor (VWF) activity, antigen and VWF antigen: ADAMTS13 ratio, Factor VIII and D‐dimers were all elevated. Following 5 days of PEX, plasma levels of all the above, and ferritin levels, were significantly reduced ( P < .05) while lymphocyte counts normalized ( P < .05). The P a O 2 :FiO 2 ratio increased from a median interquartile range (IQR) of 11.6 (10.8‐19.7) kPa to 18.1 (16.0‐25.9) kPa ( P < .05). Similar improvements were not observed in controls. Acute kidney injury (AKI) occurred among five patients in the control arm but not in patients receiving PEX. PEX improved oxygenation, decreased the incidence of AKI, normalized lymphocyte counts and reduced circulating thrombo‐inflammatory markers including D‐Dimer and VWF Ag:ADAMTS13 ratio.

No abstract

Given the limited heterogeneous evidence currently available on targeted temperature management use in patients with neurogenic fever and intracerebral haemorrhage, subarachnoid haemorrhage, or acute ischaemic stroke, a Delphi approach was appropriate to gather an expert consensus. To aid in the development of future investigations, the panel provides recommendations for data gathering.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected people of all ages, races, and socioeconomic groups, and placed extraordinary stress on health care workers (HCWs). We measured the prevalence of burnout and assessed wellbeing and quality of life (QoL) in HCWs at a single UK neuroscience center after the first pandemic surge.Methods: A 38-item electronic questionnaire was disseminated through local team email lists between May 22 and June 7, 2020, to HCWs in a university neurosciences center. Burnout was measured using the single-item Emotional Exhaustion and Depersonalization scales, and wellbeing and QoL assessed using the Linear Analogue Self-Assessment Scale and the EuroQol-5 Dimension instrument. Results:The response rate was 57.4% (n = 234); 58.2% of respondents were nurses, 69.4% were women and 40.1% were aged 25 to 34 years. Overall, 21.4% of respondents reported burnout assessed by the Emotional Exhaustion scale; burnout was higher for nurses (23.5%) and allied health care professionals (22.5%) compared with doctors (16.4%). HCWs from ethnic minority groups reported a higher rate of burnout (24.5%) compared with white HCWs (15.0%). There were no differences in reported wellbeing or QoL between professional groups, or HCW age, sex, or race. Nurses (36.8%) and staff from ethnic minority groups (34.6%) were more fearful for their health than others.Conclusions: Our findings highlight the prevalence of HCW burnout after the first surge of the pandemic, with an increased risk of burnout among nurses and staff from ethnic minority groups. Both nursing and staff from ethnic minority groups were also more fearful for their health. With ongoing pandemic surges, the impact on HCW wellbeing should be continuously assessed to ensure that local strategies to support staff wellbeing are diverse and inclusive.

Background: The World Health Organisation declared a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on March 11, 2020. Following activation of the UK pandemic response, our institution began planning for admission of COVID-19 patients to the neurointensive care unit (neuro-ICU) to support the local critical care network which risked being rapidly overwhelmed by the high number of cases. This report will detail our experience of repurposing a neuro-ICU for the management of severely ill patients with COVID-19 while retaining capacity for urgent neurosurgical and neurology admissions. Methods: We conducted a retrospective process analysis of the repurposing of a quaternary level neuro-ICU during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. We retrieved demographic data, diagnosis, and outcomes from the electronic health care records of all patients admitted to the ICU between March 1, 2020 and April 30, 2020. Processes for increase in surge capacity, reduction in ICU demand, and staff redeployment and rapid training are reported. Results: Over a 10-day period, total ICU capacity was increased by 21.7% (from 23 to 28 beds) while the capacity to provide mechanical ventilation was increased by 77% (from 13 to 23 beds). There were 30 ICU admissions of 29 COVID-19 patients between March 1 and April 30, 2020; median (range) length of ICU stay was 9.9 (1.3 to 32) days, duration of mechanical ventilation 11 (1 to 27) days, and ICU mortality rate 41.4%. There was a 44% reduction in urgent neurosurgical and neurology admissions compared with the same period in 2019. Conclusions: It is possible to repurpose a dedicated neuro-ICU for the management of critically ill non-neurological patients during a pandemic response, while maintaining access for urgent neuroscience referrals.

No abstract

No abstract