Respiratory syncytial virus infection in adult and paediatric patients admitted to intensive care in Australia: A nation-wide comparison with COVID-19.

Objective: To assess the characteristics, treatments and outcomes of paediatric and adult intensive care unit (ICU) patients with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, and compare these with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during the same period.

Design Setting And Participants: We conducted a multicenter, prospective, observational study using data from the short period incidence study of severe acute respiratory infection (SPRINT SARI) Australia, in 38 Australian ICUs from 1 June 2022 to 1 September 2024. Demographic, treatment, and outcome data were analysed for patients with confirmed RSV or COVID-19.

In-hospital mortality in patients admitted to Australian intensive care units with COVID-19 between 2020 and 2024.

Objective: To describe and compare the demographics, management, and outcomes for patients with COVID-19 admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) in Australia across the various waves of the COVID pandemic.

Design Setting And Participants: People aged ≥16 years who were admitted to a participating ICU with confirmed COVID-19 in the Short Period Incidence Study of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SPRINT-SARI) Australia study between February 2020 and May 2024.

Main Outcome Measures: Primary outcome: In-hospital mortality.

Comparison of baseline characteristics, treatment and celinical outcomes of critically ill COVID-19 patients admitted in the first and second waves in Australia.

To report longitudinal differences in baseline characteristics, treatment, and outcomes in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) between the first and second waves of COVID-19 in Australia. SPRINT-SARI Australia is a multicentre, inception cohort study enrolling adult patients with COVID-19 admitted to participating ICUs. The first wave of COVID-19 was from 27 February to 30 June 2020, and the second wave was from 1 July to 22 October 2020.

People in intensive care with COVID-19: demographic and clinical features during the first, second, and third pandemic waves in Australia.

Objective: To compare the demographic and clinical features, management, and outcomes for patients admitted with COVID-19 to intensive care units (ICUs) during the first, second, and third waves of the pandemic in Australia.

Design, Setting, And Participants: People aged 16 years or more admitted with polymerase chain reaction-confirmed COVID-19 to the 78 Australian ICUs participating in the Short Period Incidence Study of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SPRINT-SARI) Australia project during the first (27 February - 30 June 2020), second (1 July 2020 - 25 June 2021), and third COVID-19 waves (26 June - 1 November 2021).

Main Outcome Measures: Primary outcome: in-hospital mortality.

Outcomes for patients with COVID-19 admitted to Australian intensive care units during the first four months of the pandemic.

Objectives: To describe the characteristics and outcomes of patients with COVID-19 admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) during the initial months of the pandemic in Australia.

Design, Setting: Prospective, observational cohort study in 77 ICUs across Australia.

Participants: Patients admitted to participating ICUs with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 during 27 February - 30 June 2020.

Tocilizumab for severe COVID-19 pneumonia: Case series of 5 Australian patients.

Aim: To describe the first Australian cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) disease (COVID-19) pneumonia treated with the interleukin-6 receptor antagonist tocilizumab.

Methods: Retrospective, open-label, real-world, uncontrolled, single-arm case series conducted in 2 tertiary hospitals in NSW, Australia and 1 tertiary hospital in Victoria, Australia. Five adult male patients aged between 46 and 74 years with type 1 respiratory failure due to COVID-19 pneumonia requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission and biochemical evidence of systemic hyperinflammation (C-reactive protein greater than 100 mg/L; ferritin greater than 700 μg/L) were administered variable-dose tocilizumab.

Effect of Hydrocortisone on Mortality and Organ Support in Patients With Severe COVID-19: The REMAP-CAP COVID-19 Corticosteroid Domain Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Evidence regarding corticosteroid use for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is limited.

Objective: To determine whether hydrocortisone improves outcome for patients with severe COVID-19.

Design, Setting, And Participants: An ongoing adaptive platform trial testing multiple interventions within multiple therapeutic domains, for example, antiviral agents, corticosteroids, or immunoglobulin.

ANZICS guiding principles for complex decision making during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The global 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has led to major challenges in clinical decision making when the demand for intensive care exceeds local capacity. In order to promote consistent, transparent, objective and ethical decision making, the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society (ANZICS) formed a committee to urgently develop guidelines outlining key principles that should be utilised during the pandemic. This guidance is intended to support the practice of intensive care specialists during the COVID-19 pandemic and to promote the development of local admission policies that should be endorsed by health care organisations and relevant local authorities.

Efficient Nonviral Transfection of Human Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Shown Using Placental Growth Factor Overexpression.

Background: Human mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (hMSCs) hold great therapeutic potential due to their immunomodulatory and tissue regenerative properties. Enhancement of biological features of hMSCs by transfection has become a focus of investigation for cell- and gene-based therapies. However, many of the current transient transfection methods result in either low transfection efficiency or high cytotoxicity.

A cross-sectional survey of Australian and New Zealand public opinion on methods totriage intensive care patients in an influenza pandemic.

Background And Objective: An influenza pandemic has the potential to overwhelm intensive care resources, but the views of the general public on how resources should be allocated in such a scenario were unknown. We aimed to determine Australian and New Zealand public opinion on how intensive care unit beds should be allocated during an influenza pandemic.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A postal questionnaire was sent to 4000 randomly selected registered voters; 2000 people each from the Australian Electoral Commission and New Zealand Electoral Commission rolls.

Problematic Dichotomization of Risk for Intensive Care Unit (ICU)-Acquired Invasive Candidiasis: Results Using a Risk-Predictive Model to Categorize 3 Levels of Risk From a Multicenter Prospective Cohort of Australian ICU Patients.

Background:  Delayed antifungal therapy for invasive candidiasis (IC) contributes to poor outcomes. Predictive risk models may allow targeted antifungal prophylaxis to those at greatest risk.

Methods:  A prospective cohort study of 6685 consecutive nonneutropenic patients admitted to 7 Australian intensive care units (ICUs) for ≥72 hours was performed.

Candida colonization as a risk marker for invasive candidiasis in mixed medical-surgical intensive care units: development and evaluation of a simple, standard protocol.

Colonization with Candida species is an independent risk factor for invasive candidiasis (IC), but the minimum and most practicable parameters for prediction of IC have not been optimized. We evaluated Candida colonization in a prospective cohort of 6,015 nonneutropenic, critically ill patients. Throat, perineum, and urine were sampled 72 h post-intensive care unit (ICU) admission and twice weekly until discharge or death.

Incidents resulting from staff leaving normal duties to attend medical emergency team calls.

Objective: To determine the rate of adverse events and incidents occurring as a result of hospital staff leaving normal duties to attend medical emergency team (MET) calls.

Design, Participants And Setting: Single-centre, interview and questionnaire-based study of staff attending MET calls at a 650-bed university teaching hospital in Sydney, New South Wales, July to December 2013.

Main Outcome Measure: The rate of adverse events and incidents directly related to MET staff leaving normal duties to attend MET calls.

A comparison of survival following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Sydney, Australia, between 2004-2005 and 2009-2010.

Objective: To determine whether survival following out-of- hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in Sydney, Australia, improved between 2004-2005 and 2009-2010, and whether there was a change in incidence of OHCA.

Design: Retrospective study using the Ambulance Service of New South Wales and NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages databases.

Participants And Setting: All patients who had an OHCA in the Sydney metropolitan area and who used the Ambulance Service of NSW between June 2009 and May 2010 (2009-2010), and between June 2004 and May 2005 (2004-2005).

The effect of endotracheal tube size on voice and swallowing function in patients with thermal burn injury: an evaluation using the Australian Therapy Outcome Measures (AusTOMS).

The objective of this study was to determine if intubation using larger endotracheal tube sizes in mechanically ventilated patients with thermal burn injury adversely affects voice and swallowing function. This prospective, observational study was conducted in patients with thermal burn injuries, who were mechanically ventilated via an endotracheal tube. The primary outcome measures were changes in voice and swallowing function, assessed using the Australian Therapy Outcome Measures (AusTOMS), immediately before the burn injury, and 12 months after the removal of the endotracheal tube.

Development and evaluation of an influenza pandemic intensive care unit triage protocol.

Objectives: To develop an influenza pandemic ICU triage (iPIT) protocol that excludes patients with the highest and lowest predicted mortality rates, and to determine the increase in ICU bed availability that would result.

Design And Setting: Post-hoc analysis of a study evaluating two triage protocols, designed to determine which patients should be excluded from access to ICU resources during an influenza pandemic. ICU mortality rates were determined for the individual triage criteria in the protocols and included criteria based on the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score.

A multicentre evaluation of two intensive care unit triage protocols for use in an influenza pandemic.

Objective: To determine the increase in intensive care unit (ICU) bed availability that would result from the use of the New South Wales and Ontario Health Plan for an Influenza Pandemic (OHPIP) triage protocols.

Design, Setting And Patients: Prospective evaluation study conducted in eight Australian, adult, general ICUs, between September 2009 and May 2010. All patients who were admitted to the ICU, excluding those who had elective surgery, were prospectively evaluated using the two triage protocols, simulating a pandemic situation.

Expansion of a medical emergency team system to a mental health facility.

Background: Clinical emergency response systems such as medical emergency teams (MET) are used in many hospitals worldwide, but the effect that these systems have in mental health facilities is unknown. This study examined the rate and nature of MET calls to a mental health facility that had relocated to the campus of a tertiary referral hospital.

Methods: This study was a prospective, observational study of MET calls to a newly constructed 170 bed mental health facility.