Focused transoesophageal TOE (fTOE): A new accreditation pathway (2023)

Type of publication:
Journal article

Author(s):
Rubino A.; Peck M.; *Miller A.; Edmiston T.; Klein A.A.; Orme R.; Sankar V.; Fletcher N.; O'Keeffe N.; Skinner H.

Citation:
Journal of the Intensive Care Society. Date of Publication: 2023. [epub ahead of print]

Abstract:
The concept of a focused ultrasound study to identify sources of haemodynamic instability has revolutionized patient care. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) using transthoracic scanning protocols, such as FUSIC Heart, has empowered non-cardiologists to rapidly identify and treat the major causes of haemodynamic instability. There are, however, circumstances when a transoesphageal, rather than transthoracic approach, may be preferrable. Due to the close anatomical proximity between the oesophagus, stomach and heart, a transoesphageal echocardiogram (TOE) can potentially overcome many of the limitations encountered in patients with poor transthoracic ultrasound windows. These are typically patients with severe obesity, chest wall injuries, inability to lie in the left lateral decubitus position and those receiving high levels of positive airway pressure. In 2022, to provide all acute care practitioners with the opportunity to acquire competency in focused TOE, the Intensive Care Society (ICS) and Association of Anaesthetists (AA) launched a new accreditation pathway, known as Focused Transoesophageal Echo (fTOE). The aim of fTOE is to provide the practitioner with the necessary information to identify the aetiology of haemodynamic instability. Focused TOE can be taught in a shorter period of time than comprehensive and teaching programmes are achievable with support from cardiothoracic anaesthetists, intensivists and cardiologists. Registration for fTOE accreditation requires registration via the ICS website. Learning material include theoretical modules, clinical cases and multiple-choice questions. Fifty fTOE examinations are required for the logbook, and these must cover a range of pathology, including ventricular dysfunction, pericardial effusion, tamponade, pleural effusion and low preload. The final practical assessment may be undertaken when the supervisors deem the candidate's knowledge and skills consistent with that required for independent practice. After the practitioner has been accredited in fTOE, they must maintain knowledge and competence through relevant continuing medical education. Accreditation in fTOE represents a joint venture between the ICS and AA and is endorsed by Association of Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia and Critical care (ACTACC). The process is led by TOE experts, and represents a valuable expansion in the armamentarium of acute care practitioners to assess haemodynamically unstable patients.

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Critical Care Patient Diary (2022)

Type of publication:
Service improvement case study

Author(s):
*Katie Craft (Therapy Assistant Practitioner in Critical Care)

Citation:
SaTH Improvement Hub, 2022

Abstract:
Following an initial trial of a basic patient diary, the concept was taken to the next level with further testing with colleagues and patients, to create an improved version which has become embedded into the culture of our ITUs. Key wins include a foreword from a well renowned children’s author (Michael Rosen), updated design with support from the Improvement Hub and our graphics team, and a training video alongside documented standard work. As a result, feedback has been very positive and is now well embedded into our daily work within both ITUs across SaTH.

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CORONA (COre ultRasOund of covid in iNtensive care and Acute medicine) study: National service evaluation of lung and heart ultrasound in intensive care patients with suspected or proven COVID-19 (2022)

Type of publication:Journal article

Author(s):Parulekar P.; Powys-Lybbe J.; Aron J.; Knight T.; Lasserson D.; Smallwood N.; Rudge G.; *Miller A.; Peck M.

Citation:Journal of the Intensive Care Society; 2022 [epub ahead of print]

Abstract:Background: Combined Lung Ultrasound (LUS) and Focused UltraSound for Intensive Care heart (FUSIC Heart – formerly Focused Intensive Care Echocardiography, FICE) can aid diagnosis, risk stratification and management in COVID-19. However, data on its application and results are limited to small studies in varying countries and hospitals. This United Kingdom (UK) national service evaluation study assessed how combined LUS and FUSIC Heart were used in COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients during the first wave of the pandemic. Method(s): Twelve trusts across the UK registered for this prospective study. LUS and FUSIC Heart data were obtained, using a standardised data set including scoring of abnormalities, between 1st February 2020 to 30th July 2020. The scans were performed by intensivists with FUSIC Lung and Heart competency as a minimum standard. Data was anonymised locally prior to transfer to a central database. Result(s): 372 studies were performed on 265 patients. There was a small but significant relationship between LUS score >8 and 30-day mortality (OR 1.8). Progression of score was associated with an increase in 30-day mortality (OR 1.2). 30-day mortality was increased in patients with right ventricular (RV) dysfunction (49.4% vs 29.2%). Severity of LUS score correlated with RV dysfunction (p < 0.05). Change in management occurred in 65% of patients following a combined scan. Conclusion(s): In COVID-19 patients, there is an association between lung ultrasound score severity, RV dysfunction and mortality identifiable by combined LUS and FUSIC Heart. The use of 12-point LUS scanning resulted in similar risk score to 6-point imaging in the majority of cases. Our findings suggest that serial combined LUS and FUSIC Heart on COVID-19 ICU patients may aid in clinical decision making and prognostication.

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FUSIC HD. Comprehensive haemodynamic assessment with ultrasound (2022)

Type of publication:
Journal article

Author(s):
*Miller A.; Peck M.; Clark T.; Conway H.; Olusanya S.; Fletcher N.; Aron J.; Coleman N.; Parulekar P.; Kirk-Bayley J.; Wilkinson J.N.; Wong A.; Stephens J.; Rubino A.; Attwood B.; Walden A.; Breen A.; Waraich M.; Nix C.; Hayward S.

Citation:
Journal of the Intensive Care Society. 23(3) (pp 325-333), 2022. Date of Publication: August 2022.

Abstract:
FUSIC haemodynamics (HD) – the latest Focused Ultrasound in Intensive Care (FUSIC) module created by the Intensive Care Society (ICS) – describes a complete haemodynamic assessment with ultrasound based on ten key clinical questions: 1. Is stroke volume abnormal? 2. Is stroke volume responsive to fluid, vasopressors or inotropes? 3. Is the aorta abnormal? 4. Is the aortic valve, mitral valve or tricuspid valve severely abnormal? 5. Is there systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve? 6. Is there a regional wall motion abnormality? 7. Are there features of raised left atrial pressure? 8. Are there features of right ventricular impairment or raised pulmonary artery pressure? 9. Are there features of tamponade? 10. Is there venous congestion? FUSIC HD is the first system of its kind to interrogate major cardiac, arterial and venous structures to direct time-critical interventions in acutely unwell patients. This article explains the rationale for this accreditation, outlines the training pathway and summarises the ten clinical questions. Further details are included in an online supplementary appendix.

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Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) as a ceiling of care treatment for hypoxemic respiratory failure due to COVID-19 (2021)

Type of publication:
Journal article

Author(s):
Patrick Bradley , *Jennifer Nixon , James Wilson , James Redfern , Tarek Saba , Emily Nuttall, Thomas Bongers

Citation:
Journal of the Intensive Care Society 2021, Vol. 0(0), 1–3 [epub ahead of print]

Abstract:
Among patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 in the UK, 10% develop severe hypoxemic respiratory failure managed with invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). Much interest has focused on non-invasive strategies to avert progression to IMV. UK guidelines recommend the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), including in patients for whom IMV is not appropriate. However, other nations have recommended against the use of CPAP, and within the UK, CPAP use has varied widely (personal communication). The greatest burden of COVID-19 disease is carried by older patients with comorbidities, many of whom are deemed unsuitable for IMV and critical care. However, it is unclear whether they might benefit from CPAP. The RECOVERY-RS trial is investigating the efficacy of CPAP and high-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) in severely hypoxic patients with COVID-19, but will not complete until late 2021, and excludes patients unsuitable for IMV. Current evidence is limited to cohort studies of heterogeneous patient groups, with no published data focussing on patients for whom CPAP is the ceiling-of-care. Physicians caring for such patients, and those involved in planning the delivery of CPAP services, must balance any potential benefits of CPAP against its burden on patients, families, staff, and services. Therefore data in this patient population are urgently needed.

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Regional experiences of endotracheal intubation during the COVID-19 pandemic in The United Kingdom (2020)

Type of publication:
Conference abstract

Author(s):
Shuker B.; Smith E.; *Checketts P.; Khan Q.

Citation:
Intensive Care Medicine Experimental; 2020; vol. 8

Abstract:
Introduction: In the United Kingdom (UK), consensus guidelines for airway management were published early in the COVID-19 pandemic making recommendations to support clinicians during this potentially challenging intervention (1). Adaptions to existing guidance for airway management in critically ill adults from the Difficult Airway Society (2) included: use of personal protective equipment (PPE), preferential use of the best skilled airway manager to maximise chance of first-pass success, avoidance of aerosol-generating procedures (such as noninvasive ventilation, high flow nasal oxygenation), and use of reliable well practiced techniques (including videolaryngoscopy where appropriate). Objective(s): Areas of the West Midlands were some of the worst affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK (3). We aimed to gain insight into the experiences of clinicians involved with airway management during the COVID-19 pandemic in this region. Method(s): An online survey was distributed to multiple centres within the West Midlands region of the UK. Clinicians who had experience of endotracheal intubation in patients with confirmed, suspected, or unknown COVID-19 status were asked to reflect upon their experience of one patient intubation. Result(s): 127 clinicians from 16 hospitals including 3 large university hospitals responded to the online survey, most were consultant grade (56.7%). Clinicians self-reported an average approximate number of pandemic intubations of 7.35 (range 1-30). When asked to reflect on a single intubation, clinicians reflected on intubations in ICU (42.5%), emergency departments (20.5%), wards (8.7%), and theatre (28.3%). Appropriate PPE was available in 96.1%. The most senior clinician available intubated in 65.4%. Clinicians reported first pass success in 93.7% of responses. Most intubators reported use of videolaryngoscopy (74.8%), however 26% reported not using this equipment regularly and 5.5% did not feel confident with their equipment. Despite a high success rate, difficulties were reported in 15.1%. The most common was desaturation. Other common difficulties included equipment or environment unfamiliarity, lack of skilled support. When asked what advice they would give to colleagues, frequently occurring themes included: ensuring familiarity with equipment, use of a checklist, use of videolaryngoscopy, and availability of a second intubator. Desire for simulation and equipment familiarisation was highlighted in multiple responses, and in one example a clinician attributed their success to a simulation session performed in the week prior. Conclusion(s): Experiences from clinicians in this region highlight the specific challenges encountered involved in airway management of patients with COVID-19, in particular highlighting the importance of advance preparation for intubation when faced with unfamiliar circumstances. Simulation sessions, use of checklists and standard operating procedures for emergency intubation may contribute to maintaining preparedness for intubation in this challenging patient group.

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Intensive care unit (ICU) referrals and admissions at a district general hospital (DGH) in light of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020)

Type of publication:
Conference abstract

Author(s):
*Blair J.; *Naughton E.; *Pradhan N.

Citation:
Intensive Care Medicine Experimental; 2020; vol. 8

Abstract:
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in ICU referrals and admissions across the UK during 2020 [1]. Intensive care beds are a limited and expensive resource and decisions on patient admission are often very challenging [2]. Proformas help to standardise documentation and decision logging during patient referrals [3]. They provide easily accessible evidence in case of a future referral and allow audit of decision-making processes. A preliminary survey of doctors working in a DGH ICU was undertaken to assess the current referral and admission process in expectation of an increased volume of work.
Objective(s): As a result of the survey, three main areas for improvement were identified: 1. To maintain a record of all ICU referrals and decision-making processes 2. To reduce the time taken for documentation of referrals and admissions 3. To improve the quality and appropriateness of referrals from parent specialities Methods: A proforma was designed for dual use as a referral and admission document. All referrals were recorded on paper and staff received training on how to apply the proforma. After assessment of each referral, irrespective of admission outcome, a completed copy of the proforma was placed in both the patient's notes and a dedicated referrals folder. After one month, a further survey was designed to assess the response postimplementation of the proforma. All referrals made over a threemonth period between April and June 2020 were audited.
Result(s): The initial survey received 12 responses. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, documentation of any referral or admission took on average 10-15 minutes. All survey participants felt that referring teams did not have a good understanding of the role of ICU care and estimated that up to 40% of all referrals received were inappropriate. The follow-up survey received 14 responses. Implementation of the proforma reduced the time taken to document a referral or admission on average by 5-10 minutes. Twelve participants found the proforma a useful aid, helping to provide clear documentation and ease communication between ICU team members. Less than 9% of the referrals made between April and June 2020 were admitted to ICU with over 32% of referrals deemed unsuitable for further escalation. Approximately 50% of referrals were made by registrars, with 13% discussed by consultants. The median age of patients referred was 67.5 and the most common reason was for respiratory deterioration.
Conclusion(s): This quality improvement project successfully reduced the time taken to document ICU referrals and admissions. Use of a proforma has provided many benefits, including standardisation of documentation, decision logging and improvement of intra-and inter-team communication. Only a small proportion of patients referred to ICU have been suitable for admission. A teaching session is being designed so that referral information can be fed-back to parent specialties. Referrals will be reaudited after this. Data analysis of this project has been limited by incomplete proforma documentation from participating users.

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A Tidal volume calculator to improve lung protective ventilation in COVID-19 related Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) (2020)

Type of publication:
Conference abstract

Author(s):
*Blair J.; *Hester S.; Baldwin A.; Ali T.

Citation:
Intensive Care Medicine Experimental; 2020; vol. 8

Abstract:
Introduction: Routine use of lower tidal volumes (TVs) for the mechanical ventilation of patients with ARDS results in decreased mortality and increases the number of days without ventilator use [1]. Severe COVID-19 pneumonia has been associated with the development of ARDS as characterised by the Berlin definition [2]. A multi-centre preliminary audit was undertaken to identify whether ventilated COVID-19 related ARDS patients were receiving optimal TVs, as recommended by the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine (FICM) and Intensive Care Society (ICS) ARDS management guidelines [3]. Objective(s): As a result of the audit, three main areas for improvement were identified. 1. To achieve accurate calculations for ideal body weight (IBW) and target TV 2. To improve documentation of IBW and target TV 3. To achieve TVs no greater than 6 ml/kg Methods: A 'tidal volume calculator' tool was developed using Microsoft Excel, which was simple, colour coded and kept on all Intensive Care Unit (ICU) computer desktops. This tool was designed to use height to calculate IBW and, if the patient's height was unavailable, could also be utilised to calculate height from ulna length. IBW was subsequently used to calculate a target TV. Staff received training on how to apply the tool. Two snapshot audits were carried out in April and May 2020 at two ICUs. The first was conducted prior to the tool's introduction with the second two weeks after its implementation. All patients receiving mechanical ventilation, except those spontaneously breathing, were included. Data was extracted from patient notes, charts and ventilator settings. Result(s): The initial audit included 14 patients. Six patients did not have an IBW documented. Three patients had documented IBWs that were 12 kg, 15 kg and 23 kg greater than the weight calculated using the tool, leading to increased tidal volume targets. Only three patients were achieving TVs of 4-6 ml/kg. Eleven patients were achieving a TV greater than 6 ml/kg, with two of these achieving a TV of greater than 8 ml/kg. The follow-up audit included ten patients. This revealed that all patients had an IBW clearly documented. Moreover, nine patients were achieving TVs within 4-6 ml/kg, with only one patient found to be achieving a TV greater than 6 ml/kg. Conclusion(s): This audit cycle revealed that initially adherence to lung protective ventilation and documentation of IBW was poor. In some instances, documented IBW was vastly different to the calculated IBW, suggesting that in these situations actual body weight may have been used. In a time when clinicians were being redeployed to support ICU, this simple tool was shown to support staff by clearly calculating and displaying IBW and target TV for reference. This directly led to improved adherence to lung protective ventilation and optimisation of patient care. Limitations include that no consideration was made for overall patient outcome, and only a snapshot of achieved TVs from ventilators were recorded; daily/weekly trends were not studied.

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Developing an intervention around referral and admissions to intensive care: a mixed-methods study (2019)

Type of publication:
Journal article

Author(s):
Bassford C, Griffiths F, Svantesson M, Ryan M, Krucien N, Dale J, Rees S, Rees K, Ignatowicz A, Parsons H, Flowers N, Fritz Z, Perkins G, Quinton S, Symons S, White C, Huang H, Turner J, Brooke M, McCreedy A, Blake C & Slowther A.

Study involved patients at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust

Citation:
Health Services and Delivery Research 2019, Vol 7, Issue 39

Abstract:
Background: Intensive care treatment can be life-saving, but it is invasive and distressing for patients receiving it and it is not always successful. Deciding whether or not a patient will benefit from intensive care is a difficult clinical and ethical challenge.
Objectives: To explore the decision-making process for referral and admission to the intensive care unit and to develop and test an intervention to improve it.
Methods: A mixed-methods study comprising (1) two systematic reviews investigating the factors associated with decisions to admit patients to the intensive care unit and the experiences of clinicians, patients and families; (2) observation of decisions and interviews with intensive care unit doctors, referring doctors, and patients and families in six NHS trusts in the Midlands, UK; (3) a choice experiment survey distributed to UK intensive care unit consultants and critical care outreach nurses, eliciting their preferences for factors used in decision-making for intensive care unit admission; (4) development of a decision-support intervention informed by the previous work streams, including an ethical framework for decision-making and supporting referral and decision-support forms and patient and family information leaflets. Implementation feasibility was tested in three NHS trusts; (5) development and testing of a tool to evaluate the ethical quality of decision-making related to intensive care unit admission, based on the assessment of patient records. The tool was tested for inter-rater and intersite reliability in 120 patient records.
Results: Influences on decision-making identified in the systematic review and ethnographic study included age, presence of chronic illness, functional status, presence of a do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation order, referring specialty, referrer seniority and intensive care unit bed availability. Intensive care unit doctors used a gestalt assessment of the patient when making decisions. The choice experiment showed that age was the most important factor in consultants’ and critical care outreach nurses’ preferences for admission. The ethnographic study illuminated the complexity of the decision-making process, and the importance of interprofessional relationships and good communication between teams and with patients and families. Doctors found it difficult to articulate and balance the benefits and burdens of intensive care unit treatment for a patient. There was low uptake of the decision-support intervention, although doctors who used it noted that it improved articulation of reasons for decisions and communication with patients.
Limitations: Limitations existed in each of the component studies; for example, we had difficulty recruiting patients and families in our qualitative work. However, the project benefited from a mixed-method approach that mitigated the potential limitations of the component studies.
Conclusions: Decision-making surrounding referral and admission to the intensive care unit is complex. This study has provided evidence and resources to help clinicians and organisations aiming to improve the decision-making for and, ultimately, the care of critically ill patients.
Future work: Further research is needed into decision-making practices, particularly in how best to engage with patients and families during the decision process. The development and evaluation of training for clinicians involved in these decisions should be a priority for future work.
Study registration: The systematic reviews of this study are registered as PROSPERO CRD42016039054, CRD42015019711 and CRD42015019714.
Funding: The National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research programme. The University of Aberdeen and the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates fund the Health Economics Research Unit.

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