神尾 直

Hematologic malignancies are a global public health concern, with high mortality rates in patients requiring critical care. The role of chemotherapy during intensive care unit (ICU) admission in this context remains unclear. This study aimed to analyze trends in survival rates based on chemotherapy timing and examine patient characteristics, ICU treatments, and clinical outcomes in each group. Using the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination inpatient database, data from 21,837 patients aged ≥ 18 years who were hospitalized for hematologic malignancies and admitted to ICUs between April 1, 2012, and March 31, 2022, were analyzed. Patients were categorized based on chemotherapy timing as follows: no chemotherapy (NC), chemotherapy before ICU admission (CB), chemotherapy during ICU admission (CD), and chemotherapy after ICU discharge (CA). Mortality trends were assessed, with in-hospital mortality as the primary outcome variable. The CB group had the highest mortality rate, which decreased over time (61.2% in 2012 to 46.2% in 2021). The CD group had stable mortality rates (24.2% in 2012 and 22.6% in 2021), with a notable proportion of patients (55.4%) discharged home. These findings highlight the need for further investigation into the factors influencing ICU outcomes in patients receiving chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: The increasing use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has highlighted challenges in managing bleeding complications. Optimal transfusion strategies remain uncertain for this diverse patient group, necessitating accurate predictive tools. This study developed and validated a machine learning (ML) algorithm to predict bleeding complications in patients with ECMO, using red blood cell (RBC) transfusion as a surrogate marker. METHODS: Data from the Tokushukai Medical Database (2018-2022), covering 71 hospitals, were used. An ML approach was employed to predict bleeding complications, using RBC transfusion events as a surrogate marker. Model performance was evaluated using precision, recall, F1 score, and accuracy. SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) analysis was conducted to identify key factors influencing model predictions. RESULTS: Out of 470 ECMO-treated intensive care unit patients, 357 were included for model development. Forty-seven variables were used, with the light gradient boosting machine (LightGBM) and random forest models performing better than the other models, with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area under the curve (AUC) above 0.7 for both (accuracy: 70.5%, ROC AUC: 0.703, recall: 0.784, and ROC AUC: 0.705, respectively). Models such as extreme gradient boosting performed similarly, while support vector classification had the lowest performance. SHAP analysis identified circulating blood volume, hemoglobin, and weight as the most important predictive factors. DISCUSSION: The LightGBM and Random Forest models effectively predict bleeding complications in patients with ECMO, using RBC transfusion as a surrogate marker. This tool can support early identification of high-risk patients and improve overall transfusion management.

Large coronary artery aneurysms (CAAs) with multiple arterial involvements are rare, and complications like coronary artery fistulae are extremely uncommon. Managing such cases presents a significant challenge. A 75-year-old female presented with a left inguinal mass and palpitations. Computed tomography revealed an abdominal aortic aneurysm and a left common iliac artery aneurysm. Coronary angiography identified a giant CAA and a coronary-to-pulmonary artery fistula. She underwent a two-stage surgical approach: first, an aortobiiliac Y-graft interposition, followed by open-heart surgery for aneurysmectomy and ligation of the pulmonary artery fistula 4 months later. Her postoperative course was uneventful, and she remained well at the 1-year follow-up. This case shows that prioritizing the aneurysm with the highest rupture risk, followed by staged treatment of CAAs, can lead to successful outcomes without major complications.

OBJECTIVES: Predicting optimal coagulation control using heparin in intensive care units (ICUs) remains a significant challenge. This study aimed to develop a machine learning (ML) model to predict activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) in ICU patients receiving unfractionated heparin for anticoagulation and to identify key predictive factors. METHODS: Data were obtained from the Tokushukai Medical Database, covering six hospitals with ICUs in Japan, collected between 2018 and 2022. The study included 945 ICU patients who received unfractionated heparin. The dataset comprised both static and dynamic features, which were used to construct and train ML models. Models were developed to predict aPTT following initial and multiple heparin doses. Model performance was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC AUC), area under the precision-recall curve (PR AUC), precision, recall, F1 score, and accuracy. SHAP analysis was conducted to determine key predictive factors. RESULTS: The random forest model demonstrated the highest predictive performance, with ROC AUC values of 0.707 for the first infusion and 0.732 for multiple infusions. Corresponding PR AUC values were 0.539 and 0.551. Despite moderate overall predictive performance, the model exhibited high precision (0.585 for the first infusion and 0.589 for multiple infusions), indicating effectiveness in correctly identifying true positive cases. However, recall and F1 scores were lower, suggesting that some cases, particularly in sub-therapeutic and supra-therapeutic ranges, may have been missed. Incorporating time-series data, such as vital signs, provided only marginal improvements in performance. CONCLUSIONS: ML models demonstrated moderate performance in predicting aPTT following heparin infusion in ICU patients, with the random forest model achieving the highest classification accuracy. Although the models effectively identified true positive cases, their overall predictive performance remained limited, necessitating further refinement. The inclusion of static and dynamic features did not significantly enhance model accuracy. Future studies should explore additional factors to improve predictive models for optimizing individualized anticoagulation management in ICUs.

Optimal timing for intubating patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been debated throughout the pandemic. Early use of high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) can help reduce the need for intubation, but delay can result in poorer outcomes. This study examines trends in laboratory parameters and serum severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA levels of patients with COVID-19 in relation to HFNC failure. Patients requiring HFNC within three days of hospitalization between July 1 and September 30, 2021 were enrolled. The primary outcome was HFNC failure (early failure ≤Day 3; late failure ≥Day 4), defined as transfer to intensive care just before/after intubation or in-hospital death. We examined changes in laboratory markers and SARS-CoV2-RNAemia on Days 1, 4, and 7, together with demographic data, oxygenation status, and therapeutic agents. We conducted a univariate logistic regression with the explanatory variables defined as 10% change rate in each laboratory marker from Day 1 to 4. We utilized the log-rank test to assess the differences in HFNC failure rates, stratified based on the presence of SARS-CoV2 RNAemia. Among 122 patients, 17 (13.9%) experienced HFNC failure (early: n = 6, late: n = 11). Seventy-five patients (61.5%) showed an initial SpO2/FiO2 ratio ≤243, equivalent to PaO2/FiO2 ratio ≤200, and the initial SpO2/FiO2 ratio was significantly lower in the failure group (184 vs. 218, p = 0.018). Among the laboratory markers, a 10% increase from Day 1 to 4 of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and interleukin (IL)-6 was associated with late failure (Odds ratio [OR]: 1.42, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09-1.89 and OR: 1.04, 95%CI: 1.00-1.19, respectively). Furthermore, in patients with persistent RNAemia on Day 4 or 7, the risk of late HFNC failure was significantly higher (Log-rank test, p<0.01). In conclusion, upward trends in LDH and IL-6 levels and the persistent RNAemia even after treatment were associated with HFNC failure.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to describe patient characteristics, healthcare utilization, and in-hospital mortality among patients with COVID-19 in Japan across waves. METHODS: Using a large-scale hospital-based database, we identified patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in the first (January-June 2020), second (June-October 2020), third (October 2020-February 2021), fourth (March-June 2021), and fifth (June-December 2021) waves. We summarized patient characteristics, healthcare utilization, and in-hospital mortality during each wave and performed multivariable logistic regression analyses for in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: From the first to fifth waves, the number of patients (mean age ± standard deviation, years) was 2958 (61.2 ± 22.8), 7981 (55.6 ± 25.3), 18,788 (63.6 ± 22.9), 17,729 (60.6 ± 22.6), and 23,656 (51.2 ± 22.3), respectively. There were 190 (6.4%), 363 (4.5%), 1261 (6.7%), 1081 (6.1%), and 762 (3.2%) in-hospital deaths, respectively. The adjusted odds ratios for in-hospital deaths (95% confidence interval) were 0.78 (0.65-0.95), 0.94 (0.79-1.12), 0.99 (0.84-1.18), 0.77 (0.65-0.92), in the second to fifth waves, respectively, compared with the first wave. CONCLUSIONS: In-hospital COVID-19 mortality improved from the first to the second wave; however, during the third and fourth waves, mortality was as serious as in the first wave. Although in-hospital mortality during the fifth wave improved, careful monitoring is needed for upcoming waves, considering changing patient and viral characteristics.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with coagulopathy. However, the underlying mechanisms are not completely understood. We evaluated the association between COVID-19 coagulopathy and extracellular vesicle (EV) levels. We hypothesized that several EV levels would be higher in COVID-19 coagulopathy patients than in non-coagulopathy patients. This prospective observational study was conducted in four tertiary care faculties in Japan. We enrolled 99 COVID-19 patients (48 with coagulopathy and 51 without coagulopathy) aged ≥20 years who required hospitalization, and 10 healthy volunteers; we divided the patients into coagulopathy and non-coagulopathy groups according to the D-dimer levels (≥1 μg/mL and <1 μg/mL, respectively). We used flow cytometry to measure the tissue-factor-bearing, endothelium-derived, platelet-derived, monocyte-derived, and neutrophil-derived EV levels in platelet-free plasma. The EV levels were compared between the two COVID-19 groups as well as among the coagulopathy patients, non-coagulopathy patients, and healthy volunteers. No significant difference was found in EV levels between the two groups. Meanwhile, the cluster of differentiation (CD) 41 + EV levels were significantly higher in COVID-19 coagulopathy patients than in healthy volunteers (549.90 [255.05-984.65] vs. 184.3 [150.1-254.1] counts/µL, p = 0.011). Therefore, CD41+ EVs might play an essential role in COVID-19 coagulopathy development.

Although adverse events related to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation have been reported, epidemiological data on life-threatening events are insufficient to study the causes of such adverse events. Data from the Japan Council for Quality Health Care database were retrospectively analyzed. The adverse events extracted from this national database included events associated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation reported between January 2010 and December 2021. We identified 178 adverse events related to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. At least 41 (23%) and 47 (26%) accidents resulted in death and residual disability, respectively. The most common adverse events were cannula malposition (28%), decannulation (19%), and bleeding (15%). Among patients with cannula malposition, 38% did not undergo fluoroscopy-guided or ultrasound-guided cannulation, 54% required surgical treatment, and 18% required trans-arterial embolization. In this epidemiological study in Japan, 23% of the adverse events related to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation had fatal outcomes. Our findings suggest that a training system for cannulation techniques may be needed, and hospitals offering extracorporeal membrane oxygenation should perform emergency surgeries.

PURPOSE: This study developed machine learning models to predict in-hospital mortality, initiation of acute renal replacement therapy, and mechanical ventilation in patients with acute heart failure receiving furosemide in intensive care units. METHOD: An extensive database comprising static and dynamic features obtained from a Japanese hospital chain was used to construct and train the machine learning models. RESULTS: The results revealed that the proposed machine learning models predict in-hospital mortality, initiation of acute renal replacement therapy, and mechanical ventilation with good accuracy. However, the optimal models vary depending on the predicted outcomes. The linear support vector machine classification models exhibited the highest in-hospital mortality and mechanical ventilation prediction accuracy, with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.73 and 0.73, respectively, whereas the multi-layer neural network exhibited the highest accuracy for acute renal replacement therapy initiation prediction with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.70. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, this study demonstrated that machine learning models could help predict the clinical outcomes of patients with acute heart failure receiving furosemide. However, the optimal models may differ depending on the outcome of interest.

BACKGROUND: Invasive pulmonary Aspergillus and invasive bronchial aspergillosis is a life-threatening opportunistic fungal infection that predominantly affects immunocompromised hosts. A case series and review found that the mortality rate of invasive bronchial aspergillosis is high, at about 40%, and 23.7% of invasive bronchial aspergillosis patients require mechanical ventilator management. There are few reports of life-saving cases with venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as rescue therapy in invasive pulmonary Aspergillus and invasive bronchial aspergillosis. Here, we report a case of invasive bronchial aspergillosis and invasive pulmonary Aspergillus that was successfully treated with venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and combined systemic and intratracheal instillation of liposomal amphotericin B. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of a 61-year-old Japanese man with invasive tracheobronchial-pulmonary aspergillosis while receiving chemotherapy for malignant lymphoma. Bronchoscopy revealed trachea covered with pseudomembranous necrotizing tissue, the culture revealed Aspergillus fumigatus, and the histological findings of pseudomembranous revealed fungal hyphae. The patient required venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation because of respiratory failure for atelectasis and obstructive pneumoniae. While continuing systemic administration of liposomal amphotericin B, intratracheal instillation liposomal amphotericin B was performed by bronchoscopy three times a week. Although the respiratory conditions improved and the patient was discontinued on venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, he ultimately died of recurrence of malignant lymphoma. CONCLUSION: Intratracheal instillation of liposomal amphotericin B is safe, and liposomal amphotericin B instillation allowed a targeted high local drug concentration, which led to improvement in the invasive bronchial aspergillosis. In addition, since the patient was supported with venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, we were able to perform safe bronchoscopic debridement of airway lesions and intratracheal instillation of liposomal amphotericin B.

PURPOSE: The coagulation activation leads to thrombotic complications such as venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). Prophylactic anticoagulation therapy has been recommended for hospitalized COVID-19 patients in clinical guidelines. This retrospective cohort study aimed to examine the association between pre-admission anticoagulation treatment and three outcomes: in-hospital death, VTE, and major bleeding among hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Japan. METHODS: Using a large-scale claims database built by the Medical Data Vision Co. in Japan, we identified patients hospitalized for COVID-19 who had outpatient prescription data at least once within 3 months before being hospitalized. Exposure was set as pre-admission anticoagulation treatment (direct oral anticoagulant or vitamin K antagonist), and outcomes were in-hospital death, VTE, and major bleeding. We conducted multivariable logistic regression analyses, adjusting for a single summarized score (a propensity score of receiving pre-admission anticoagulation) for VTE and major bleeding, due to the small number of outcomes. RESULTS: Among the 2612 analytic patients, 179 (6.9%) had pre-admission anticoagulation. Crude incidence proportions were 13.4% versus 8.5% for in-hospital death, 0.56% versus 0.58% for VTE, and 2.2% versus 1.1% for major bleeding among patients with and without pre-admission anticoagulation, respectively. Adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) were 1.25 (0.75-2.08) for in-hospital death, 0.21 (0.02-1.97) for VTE, and 2.63 (0.80-8.65) for major bleeding. Several sensitivity analyses did not change the results. CONCLUSIONS: We found no evidence that pre-admission anticoagulation treatment was associated with in-hospital death. However, a larger sample size may be needed to conclude its effect on VTE and major bleeding.

PURPOSE: Using CT findings from a prospective, randomized, open-label multicenter trial of favipiravir treatment of COVID-19 patients, the purpose of this study was to compare the utility of machine learning (ML)-based algorithm with that of CT-determined disease severity score and time from disease onset to CT (i.e., time until CT) in this setting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From March to May 2020, 32 COVID-19 patients underwent initial chest CT before enrollment were evaluated in this study. Eighteen patients were randomized to start favipiravir on day 1 (early treatment group), and 14 patients on day 6 of study participation (late treatment group). In this study, percentages of ground-glass opacity (GGO), reticulation, consolidation, emphysema, honeycomb, and nodular lesion volumes were calculated as quantitative indexes by means of the software, while CT-determined disease severity was also visually scored. Next, univariate and stepwise regression analyses were performed to determine relationships between quantitative indexes and time until CT. Moreover, patient outcomes determined as viral clearance in the first 6 days and duration of fever were compared for those who started therapy within 4, 5, or 6 days as time until CT and those who started later by means of the Kaplan-Meier method followed by Wilcoxon's signed-rank test. RESULTS: % GGO and % consolidation showed significant correlations with time until CT (p < 0.05), and stepwise regression analyses identified both indexes as significant descriptors for time until CT (p < 0.05). When divided all patients between time until CT of 4 days and that of more than 4 days, accuracy of the combined quantitative method (87.5%) was significantly higher than that of the CT disease severity score (62.5%, p = 0.008). CONCLUSION: ML-based CT texture analysis is equally or more useful for predicting time until CT for favipiravir treatment on COVID-19 patients than CT disease severity score.

Background: COVID-19 has worse mortality than influenza in American and European studies, but evidence from the Western Pacific region is scarce. Methods: Using a large-scale multicenter inpatient claims data in Japan, we identified individuals hospitalised with COVID-19 in 2020 or influenza in 2017-2020. We compared patient characteristics, supportive care, and in-hospital mortality, with multivariable logistic regression analyses for in-hospital mortality overall, by age group, and among patients with mechanical ventilation. Findings: We identified 16,790 COVID-19 patients and 27,870 influenza patients, with the different age distribution (peak at 70-89 years in COVID-19 vs. bimodal peaks at 0-9 and 80-89 years in influenza). On admission, the use of mechanical ventilation was similar in both groups (1·4% vs. 1·4%) but higher in the COVID-19 group (3·3% vs. 2·5%; p<0·0001) during the entire hospitalisation. The crude in-hospital mortality was 5·1% (856/16,790) for COVID-19 and 2·8% (791/27,870) for influenza. Adjusted for potential confounders, the in-hospital mortality was higher for COVID-19 than for influenza (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1·83, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1·64-2·04). In age-stratified analyses, the aOR (95%CI) were 0·78 (0·56-1·08) and 2·05 (1·83-2·30) in patients aged 20-69 years and ≥70 years, respectively (p-for-interaction<0·0001). Among patients with mechanical ventilation, the aOR was 0·79 (0·59-1·05). Interpretation: Patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in Japan were more likely to die than those with influenza. However, this was mainly driven by findings in older people, and there was no difference once mechanical ventilation was started. Funding: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan (21AA2007).

Background: Pneumothorax is a rare complication of coronavirus disease 2019, and many of its associated factors are related to mechanical ventilation. We investigated the incidence and clinical features of patients with pneumothorax and coronavirus disease 2019 at a field hospital for patients who did not require intubation. Materials and methods: An isolated field hospital for COVID-19 patients who did not require ventilation was constructed. Patients who developed pneumothorax were extracted and reviewed retrospectively. Results: Between May 2020 and February 2021, 1061 patients were admitted to this field hospital. Among them, eight patients (0.75%, three men and four women) developed pneumothorax. The mean age at incidence was 79.9 (range: 20-96) years; all patients were over the age of 80 years, except one 20-year-old woman. Six of these eight patients (75%) died. Conclusion: Although pneumothorax is a rare complication of coronavirus disease-2019, it is predictive of a poor prognosis in older-adult patients.

PURPOSE: Thoracentesis and chest tube insertion are procedures commonly performed in routine clinical practice and are considered mandatory skills for all physicians. Adverse events secondary to these procedures have been widely reported; however, epidemiology data concerning life-threatening events associated with these procedures are lacking. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data from the Japan Council for Quality Health Care open database regarding subject safety incidents involving thoracentesis and chest tube insertion. The adverse events extracted from the database included only events associated with thoracentesis and chest tube insertion reported between January 2010 and April 2020. RESULTS: We identified 137 adverse events due to thoracentesis or chest tube insertion. Our analysis also revealed at least 15 fatal adverse events and 17 cases of left/right misalignment. Not only resident doctors but also physicians with 10 years or more of clinical experience had been mentioned in these reports. The most common complications due to adverse events were lung injury (55%), thoracic vascular injury (21%), and liver injury (10%). Surgical treatment was required for 43 (31%) of the 137 cases, and the mortality risk was significantly higher for thoracic vascular injury than for other complications (p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: We identified at least 15 fatal adverse events and 17 cases of left/right misalignment over a 10-year period in the Japan Council for Quality Health Care open database. Our findings also suggest that care should be taken to avoid thoracic vascular injury during chest tube insertion and that immediate intervention is required should such an injury occur.

Favipiravir is an oral broad-spectrum inhibitor of viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase that is approved for treatment of influenza in Japan. We conducted a prospective, randomized, open-label, multicenter trial of favipiravir for the treatment of COVID-19 at 25 hospitals across Japan. Eligible patients were adolescents and adults admitted with COVID-19 who were asymptomatic or mildly ill and had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1. Patients were randomly assigned at a 1:1 ratio to early or late favipiravir therapy (the same regimen starting on day 6 instead of day 1). The primary endpoint was viral clearance by day 6. The secondary endpoint was change in viral load by day 6. Exploratory endpoints included time to defervescence and resolution of symptoms. Eighty-nine patients were enrolled, of whom 69 were virologically evaluable. Viral clearance occurred within 6 days in 66.7% and 56.1% of the early and late treatment groups (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.42; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.76-2.62). Of 30 patients who had a fever (≥37.5°C) on day 1, time to defervescence was 2.1 days and 3.2 days in the early and late treatment groups (aHR, 1.88; 95%CI, 0.81-4.35). During therapy, 84.1% developed transient hyperuricemia. Favipiravir did not significantly improve viral clearance as measured by RT-PCR by day 6 but was associated with numerical reduction in time to defervescence. Neither disease progression nor death occurred to any of the patients in either treatment group during the 28-day participation (Japan Registry of Clinical Trials jRCTs041190120).

Purpose: Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) constitutes 5-10% of all cases of newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia. However, data on the epidemiology and risk factors for acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with newly diagnosed APL are lacking. This study determined the incidence rate of AKI during induction chemotherapy for patients with newly diagnosed APL and the risk factors for AKI. Patients and Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study of patients with newly diagnosed APL in the Shonan Kamakura General Hospital between April 2004 and April 2020. Data of 27 patients with newly diagnosed APL were analyzed. The patients were classified as no AKI and AKI stages 1, 2 or 3. Results: The incidence rate of AKI during induction chemotherapy was 40% (11/27). Among patients who developed AKI, four patients experienced AKI stage 3, and two patients required renal replacement therapy. No significant differences were found in the white blood cell count and baseline renal function between the groups; however, D-dimer and C-reactive protein levels upon admission were significantly higher in patients with AKI than in patients without AKI. Among patients who developed AKI, in hospital mortality at 90 days was 36% (4/11), which was significantly higher than among patients without AKI (p = 0.02). Patients who developed AKI were administered vancomycin more frequently, while almost all blood culture results were negative. Conclusion: Incidence of AKI development in patients with newly diagnosed APL during induction chemotherapy was approximately 40%. Moreover, patients who developed AKI tended to be administered vancomycin more frequently. Unnecessary use of vancomycin should be avoided in patients with newly diagnosed APL, and using alternative non-nephrotoxic drugs should be considered for patients at risk of AKI.

BACKGROUND: Although the ICU is the most appropriate place to care for mechanically ventilated patients, a considerable number are ventilated in general medical care wards all over the world. However, adverse events focusing on mechanically ventilated patients in general care have not been explored. METHODS: Data from the Japan Council for Quality Health Care database were analyzed. Patient safety incidents from January 2010 to November 2017 regarding mechanical ventilation were collected, and comparisons of patient safety incidents between ICUs/high care units (HCUs) and general care wards were made. RESULTS: We identified 261 adverse events (with at least 20 adverse events resulting in death) and 702 near-miss events related to mechanical ventilation in Japan between 2010 and 2017. Furthermore, among all adverse events, 19% (49 of 261 events) caused serious harm (residual disability or death). Human-factor issues were most frequent in both ICU/HCU and general care settings (55% and 53%, respectively), while knowledge-based errors were higher in the general care setting. CONCLUSIONS: Human-factor issues were the most frequent reasons in both settings, while knowledge-based error rates were higher in general care. Our results suggest that proper education and training is needed to minimize patient safety incidents in facilities without respiratory therapists.

OBJECTIVES: Substantial numbers of patients after hematopoietic stem cell transplant need critical care. In Japan, however, data regarding the availability of an intensive care unit and intensivists at hospitals performing hematopoietic stem cell transplant are lacking. We aimed to investigate this issue using data from the 2014 Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation in Japan Annual Report of Nationwide Survey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined whether hospitals have intensive care unit facilities and whether these hospitals are authorized by the Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine to provide intensivist training. The number of hematopoietic cell transplantations at each hospital was collected from the Transplant Registry Unified Management Program by the Japanese Data Center for Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation. RESULTS: Among 236 hospitals that perform hematopoietic stem cell transplants, 106 hospitals did not have intensive care units certified by the Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine. In patients who receive hematopoietic stem cell transplants with the highest mortality rate, 947 allogeneic transplants were performed at hospitals without this certification and 73 were performed at hospitals without intensive care units. CONCLUSIONS: We found that a considerable number of hematopoietic stem cell transplants are performed at hospitals with insufficient availability of critical care facilities or physicians.

Purpose: The lack of recognition of respiratory distress may result in emergency tracheal intubation in the general ward. However, few studies have examined the differences in the frequency of vital sign measurement between patients with and without emergency tracheal intubation in the general ward. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the differences in the frequency of vital sign measurements between patients with and without emergency tracheal intubation. Patients and methods: This is a single-center, retrospective, observational study of unplanned intensive care unit (ICU) admissions from the general wards between December 2015 and February 2017. This study included patients with emergency medical intubations in the general ward who were then transferred to the ICU. Vital signs measured within 24 hours prior to ICU admission were compared between patients who did and did not require emergency tracheal intubation in the general ward. A survey was also conducted to explore the nurses' attitudes toward vital sign measurements. Results: Compared with other vital signs, the respiratory rate was significantly less frequently measured. Moreover, the frequency of respiratory rate measurement was lower in the 38 patients who were intubated than in the 102 patients who were not intubated in the general ward (P=0.07). The survey revealed that 54% of the participating nurses considered assessment of the respiratory rate as the most troublesome nursing task and ~15% of nurses did not routinely measure respiratory rates. Conclusion: Respiratory rate was less frequently assessed in deteriorating patients in the general ward, possibly because it was considered a troublesome task.

BACKGROUND: Interruption of enteral nutrition (EN) in the intensive care unit (ICU) occurs frequently for various reasons including feeding intolerance and the conduct of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. However, few studies have investigated the details of EN interruption practices including reasons for and duration of interruptions. There is no standard protocol to minimize EN interruptions. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of 100 patients in the ICU staying more than 72 h and receiving EN in a 12-bed, medical/surgical ICU in a tertiary care center in 2013. Data collected include total time designated for EN; the number of EN interruption episodes; reason for each interruption categorized as diagnostic study, therapeutic intervention, or gastrointestinal (GI) event, and their individual subcategories; duration of each interruption; and the presence of written orders for interruptions. RESULTS: One hundred patients staying in the ICU for at least 72 h and receiving EN were included. There were 567 episodes of EN interruption over a median ICU length of stay of 17.1 (interquartile range 8.0-22.0) days. There were a median of three EN interruption episodes per patient. EN interruption was performed for undetermined reasons (166 episodes, 29%), airway manipulation (103 episodes, 18%), GI events (78 episodes, 14%), and intermittent dialysis (71 episodes, 13%). Median duration of EN interruption in all patients was 5.5 (3.0-10.0) h. The cumulative interruption time corresponds to 19% of the total time designated for EN. Duration of EN interruption varied according to reason, including airway manipulation (9.0 [5.0-21.0] h), tracheostomy (9.5 [7.5-14.0] h), and GI events (6.5 [3.0-14.0] h). The average calorie deficits due to interruptions were 11.5% of daily target calories. Only 60 episodes (12%) had clear written orders for interruption. CONCLUSIONS: Based on this single-center retrospective chart review, interruption of EN in the ICU is frequent, reasons for and duration of interruption varied, and airway procedures are associated with a relatively longer duration of interruption. Documentation and orders were frequently missing. These results warrant development of a protocol for EN interruption.

OBJECTIVE: L-[3-(18)F]-alpha-methyltyrosine ((18)F-FAMT) is an amino-acid tracer for positron emission tomography (PET), with uptake related to overexpression of L-type amino-acid transporter 1 and proliferative activity in tumour cells. This study evaluated the diagnostic performance of (18)F-FAMT PET compared with 2-[(18)F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ((18)F-FDG) PET in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). METHODS: Eleven patients with MM (newly diagnosed, n = 3; relapsed after treatment, n = 8) underwent whole-body (18)F-FAMT and (18)F-FDG PET within a 2-week interval. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spine was also performed to assess patterns of bone marrow infiltration. Tracer uptake was semi-quantitatively evaluated using maximal standardized uptake value (SUV(max)). Mean SUV was also determined for normal bone marrow and the aortic arch as mediastinal background SUV to calculate lesion-to-bone marrow (L/B) and lesion-to-mediastinum (L/M) ratios, respectively. Those values were statistically compared using Student's t test. RESULTS: In 8 patients showing focal infiltration on MRI, 34 FDG-avid bone lesions were identified, with each showing increased FAMT uptake. Mean SUV(max) and L/B ratio of FDG (3.1 ± 1.2 and 3.3 ± 1.9, respectively) were significantly higher than those of FAMT (2.0 ± 1.0 and 2.6 ± 1.1, respectively; p < 0.05 each). In contrast, the L/M ratio of FDG showed no significant difference to that of FAMT (2.2 ± 1.0 and 2.4 ± 1.2, respectively; p = 0.3). CONCLUSIONS: Clear (18)F-FAMT PET uptake was seen in most (18)F-FDG-avid lesions among patients with MM, and an equivalent semi-quantitative value was obtained using L/M ratio. Our preliminary data suggest that (18)F-FAMT PET provides a useful imaging modality for detecting active myelomatous lesions.