Serum proteomes and their prognostic values in sepsis patients admitted to a medical intensive care unit: a single-center study using SWATH-MS proteomics.

Background: Recent developments in proteomics suggest opportunities to understand the pathophysiological heterogeneity of sepsis and provide precision medicine tailored to individual patients. This study aims to evaluate the serum proteomic profiles of patients with sepsis using Sequential Window Acquisition of All Theoretical Mass Spectra proteomics and identify novel biomarkers for assessing sepsis severity and predicting patient outcomes in the ICU.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 217 adult patients diagnosed with bacterial sepsis who were admitted to a medical ICU at a single tertiary hospital between January 2011 and January 2020, along with 292 healthy controls.

Optimal time and volume of fluid resuscitation in patients with sepsis: a nationwide multicenter cohort study.

The optimal fluid resuscitation strategy for managing sepsis remains unknown. We aimed to examine the independent and joint associations of infusion time and volume of fluid resuscitation on mortality in patients with sepsis. We analyzed adult patients with sepsis who received > 20 mL/kg of fluid for initial resuscitation within 6 h after the start of fluid resuscitation from prospectively collected nationwide data at 15 hospitals in South Korea between September 2019 and December 2022.

Endotracheal aspirate as an alternative to bronchoalveolar lavage fluid for the diagnosis of Pneumocystis pneumonia by real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of an endotracheal aspirate (ETA) real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay for the diagnosis of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with suspected pneumonia.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of a prospective cohort in a 28-bed medical ICU. Adult patients who underwent both ETA and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) sampling for P.

Physical and Cognitive Impairments at ICU Discharge are Associated with High Long-Term Mortality in ICU Survivors with Solid Malignancies: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Many ICU survivors experience post-ICU physical, cognitive, or mental impairments. In ICU survivors with solid malignancies, post-ICU impairments can impede further cancer treatments and negatively impact their outcomes. This study aimed to investigate post-ICU mortalities and their risk factors at ICU discharge in ICU survivors with solid malignancies.

High Tidal Volume Variability Is Associated With Worse Outcomes in Patients With ARDS.

The impact of spontaneous breathing during mechanical ventilation on the outcome of ARDS has yet to be established. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of tidal volume variability on ventilator-free days in mechanically ventilated subjects with ARDS using high-resolution tidal volume data collected through patient monitors. This single-center, retrospective cohort study included adult subjects with ARDS who received mechanical ventilation in our medical ICU between April 2018 and July 2019.

Corticosteroid Therapy for Diffuse Alveolar Hemorrhage with Respiratory Failure in Hematologic Malignancies: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Although DAH in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients is commonly treated with systemic corticosteroids, the efficacy of steroid therapy on DAH with respiratory failure in hematologic malignancy patients has not been studied. We aimed to investigate the effectiveness of steroid therapy in hematologic malignancy patients who developed DAH with respiratory failure and required treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Methods: Among DAH patients with leukemia, lymphoma, or multiple myeloma, those who were not admitted to the ICU were excluded.

Impact of the National Early Warning Score-based sepsis response system on hospital-onset sepsis in a tertiary hospital in South Korea.

Background: The effectiveness of electronic medical record-based alert systems, response protocols for sepsis diagnosis, and treatment in hospitalized patients remains unclear. This study aimed to determine whether the introduction of an electronic medical record-based sepsis response protocol (SRP) along with a 24/7 operating rapid response system affects the prognosis for patients with hospital-onset sepsis.

Methods: In August 2022, a SRP based on the National Early Warning Score was implemented in the electronic medical record system at Asan Medical Center.

Developing a reliable and convenient methodology for ultrasound muscle assessment in critically ill patients: A reliability study.

This study proposed a reliable and convenient methodology to assess rectus femoris (RF) and gastrocnemius muscles using ultrasound in critically ill patients. The focus was on reliability and convenience, considering both intra- and inter-observer reliability in the ICU and outpatient clinical settings. The RF and gastrocnemius muscles of 23 patients in the ICU were assessed using ultrasound.

Evaluating Metabolic Signatures in the Serum of South Korean Patients with Humidifier Disinfectant-Associated Lung Injury Identified through Untargeted Metabolomics.

Background: The South Korean humidifier disinfectant-associated lung injury case was one of the worst disasters involving household chemical products, resulting in over 5,800 casualties. Despite the strong association between lung injury and humidifier disinfectants, the underlying pathogenic mechanisms remain unclear.

Objectives: We investigated patients with humidifier disinfectant-associated lung injury to identify key metabolic signatures, aiming to gain insights into the underlying pathogenic mechanisms based on the characteristics of these metabolites.

Prognostic value of cardiac CT-derived RV dysfunction in lung transplantation candidates: A single-center retrospective study.

Background: There are no specific criteria for listing and prioritizing lung transplantation (LTx) candidates based on the severity of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction. We evaluated the prognostic value of cardiac CT-derived right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) in LTx candidates.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients who were listed for LTx and underwent cardiac computed tomography (CT) between September 2019 and December 2023.

Proteome signature for differential diagnosis of patients with bilateral lung infiltrates.

Background: The differential diagnosis of bilateral lung infiltrates and prognosis prediction can be challenging for clinicians in the intensive care unit (ICU). We analysed the proteome from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and determined its usefulness for evaluating the infectious causes and mortality associated with bilateral lung infiltrates.

Methods: In the ICU cohort, 136 patients with bilateral infiltrate on chest radiographs were selected, and bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed.

Improved Results Over Time With Bridge-to-Lung Transplantation: A 10-Year Experience of a Single High-Volume Center.

When donor scarcity limits timely lung transplantation (LTx), extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) as a bridge to transplantation (BTT) can prolong survival and delay deconditioning until the donor lungs become available. We reviewed 10-year BTT experiences of a single high-volume center, where 99 (59%) were on ECMO BTT among 169 eligible adult LTx cases. Both 28-day and 2-year survivals did not differ between BTT and non-BTT.

Burnout among intensivists and critical care fellows in South Korea: Current status and associated factors.

Burnout among critical care physicians is an important issue that affects patient care and staff well-being. This study, conducted by the Korean Society of Critical Care Medicine, aimed to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of burnout among intensivists and critical care fellows in South Korea. From May to July 2019, a cross-sectional survey was conducted in 51 hospitals and 79 intensive care units offering subspecialty training in critical care medicine.

Impact of Multidrug-Resistant Bacterial Colonization on Clinical Characteristics, Antibiotic Treatment, and Clinical Outcomes of Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia.

Purpose: To determine effects of colonization with multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDRB) in general wards on characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP).

Methods: This was a multicenter retrospective cohort study of patients with HAP admitted to 16 tertiary or university hospitals in Korea from July 2019 to December 2019. From the entire cohort, patients who developed pneumonia in general wards with known colonization status before the onset of pneumonia were included in this study.

Short-term and long-term outcomes of critically ill patients with solid malignancy: a retrospective cohort study.

Background/aims: With the global increase in patients with solid malignancies, it is helpful to understand the outcomes of intensive care unit (ICU) admission for these patients. This study evaluated the risk factors for ICU mortality and the shortand long-term outcomes in patients with solid malignancies who had unplanned ICU admission.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients with solid malignancies treated at the medical ICU of a single tertiary center in South Korea between 2016 and 2022.

Polyhexamethylene guanidine aerosol causes irreversible changes in blood proteins that associated with the severity of lung injury.

Polyhexamethylene guanidine (PHMG) is a positively charged polymer used as a disinfectant that kills microbes but can cause pulmonary fibrosis if inhaled. After the long-term risks were confirmed in South Korea, it became crucial to measure toxicity through diverse surrogate biomarkers, not only proteins, especially after these hazardous chemicals had cleared from the body. These biomarkers, identified by their biological functions rather than simple numerical calculations, effectively explained the imbalance of pulmonary surfactant caused by fibrosis from PHMG exposure.

Outcomes of Lung Transplantation in Patients With Right Ventricular Dysfunction: A Single-Center Retrospective Analysis Comparing ECMO Configurations in a Bridge-to-Transplant Setting.

This study aimed to assess the lung transplantation (LT) outcomes of patients with right ventricular dysfunction (RVD), focusing on the impact of various extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) configurations. We included adult patients who underwent LT with ECMO as a bridge-to-transplant from 2011 to 2021 at a single center. Among patients with RVD ( = 67), veno-venous (V-V) ECMO was initially applied in 79% (53/67) and maintained until LT in 52% (35/67).

The association of arterial partial oxygen pressure with mortality in critically ill sepsis patients: a nationwide observational cohort study.

Background: Although several trials were conducted to optimize the oxygenation range in intensive care unit (ICU) patients, no studies have yet reached a universal recommendation on the optimal a partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood (PaO) range in patients with sepsis. Our aim was to evaluate whether a relatively high arterial oxygen tension is associated with longer survival in sepsis patients compared with conservative arterial oxygen tension.

Methods: From the Korean Sepsis Alliance nationwide registry, patients treated with liberal PaO (PaO ≥ 80 mm Hg) were 1:1 matched with those treated with conservative PaO (PaO < 80 mm Hg) over the first three days after ICU admission according to the propensity score.

Climate-related variabilities in the Styx-M ice core record from northern Victoria Land, East Antarctica, during 1979-2014.

The historical climate variability in East Antarctica inferred from ice cores remains under debate owing to the vastness and complexity of the region. This study evaluates the potential climate variabilities in the Styx-M ice core records (δO, d-excess, and snow accumulation) from northern Victoria Land adjacent to the Ross Sea sector of East Antarctica during 1979-2014. Results show that the primary moisture source in this area is the Pacific Ocean sector.

Prognosis of mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19 after failure of high-flow nasal cannula: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: There is an argument whether the delayed intubation aggravate the respiratory failure in Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We aimed to investigate the effect of high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) failure before mechanical ventilation on clinical outcomes in mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included mechanically ventilated patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 and admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) between February 2020 and December 2021 at Asan Medical Center.

Age Distribution and Clinical Results of Critically Ill Patients above 65-Year-Old in an Aging Society: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Increasing age has been observed among patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Age traditionally considered a risk factor for ICU mortality. We investigated how the epidemiology and clinical outcomes of older ICU patients have changed over a decade.