Characteristics and outcome of mechanically ventilated patients with 2009 H1N1 influenza in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia: impact of newly established multidisciplinary intensive care units

Abstract

AimTo describe characteristics and outcome of mechanically ventilated patients admitted to three newly established intensive care units (ICU) in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia for 2009 H1N1 influenza infection.MethodsThe retrospective observational study included all mechanically ventilated adult patients of three university-affiliated hospitals between November 1, 2009 and March 1 2010 who had 2009 H1N1 influenza infection confirmed by real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR) from nasopharyngeal swab specimens and respiratory secretions.ResultsThe study included 50 patients, 31 male (62%), aged 43 ± 13 years. Median time from hospital to ICU admission was 1 day (range 1-2). Sixteen patients (30%) presented with one or more chronic medical condition: 8 (16%) with chronic lung disease, 5 (10%) with chronic heart failure, and 3 (6%) with diabetes mellitus. Thirty-two (64%) were obese. Forty-eight patients (96%) experienced acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), 28 (56%) septic shock, and 27 (54%) multiorgan failure. Forty-five patients (90%) were intubated and mechanically ventilated, 5 received non-invasive mechanical ventilation, 7 (14%) high-frequency oscillatory ventilation, and 7 (14%) renal replacement therapy. The median duration of mechanical ventilation was 7 (4-14) days. Hospital mortality was 52%.

Convalescent plasma: possible therapy for novel coronavirus disease 2019

“…Recently, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus epidemics (2003), A (H5N1) flu epidemics (2005‐2015), A (H1N1) flu epidemics (2009‐2010), and the Ebola virus epidemics (2013‐2015) have been proved exceedingly lethal and a threat to global health systems. There is an urgent need to have protective measures for nonexposed populations, prophylaxis for exposed but not yet infected populations, and experimental therapy for attacked individuals . Each of those situations including the early Spanish flu have proposed the use of convalescent plasma therapy.…”