Intensive Care Network Podcasts

The understanding around the metabolic response to the stress of critical illness has evolved rapidly over the past decade.  This involves a neuroendocrine and an inflammatory component, which results in perturbations within the sympathetic nervous system, the hypothalamo-pituitary axis and the immune system.  The clinical consequences are widespread and include changes in metabolic rate, altered use of macronutrients as energy sources, stress hyperglycaemia, muscle wasting and changes in body composition. Many of these manifestations are akin to the metabolic syndrome observed in ambulatory populations. Medium to long-term effects of these metabolic disturbances involve bone health, cognitive and behavioral alterations.  Knowledge of these effects is relevant due to the potential therapeutic implications, which will be discussed. 

What the boss wants: getting a consultant job by Dr Priya Nair & Dr Ray Raper

The Australian population away from metropolitan areas has the same health care needs and deserves the same level of care (within available resources) as urban residents: we can and should provide it. This short talk aims to explore work in a non-tertiary centre ICU as a career option and why it’s worth considering.  It will look at what life and work are really like in non-metropolitan areas and how and why working in a regional ICU can be a rewarding career.  It will try and dispel some misconceptions as well as present some of the challenges (and how to overcome them) that arise while working outside capital cities.  This is meant to be a light-hearted look at living and working in the bush or on the beach and an insight into a career path often overlooked by city-based trainees, not a hard-core recruitment drive or a critique of urban life/tertiary centre work.  Come along with an open mind and have a look: you may discover a lifestyle and workplace you didn’t realise could suit you, for the short or long

To pass the Second Part Exam, your performance needs to be at the expected level for a junior consultant. You need to be able to rapidly synthesise clinical information from multiple sources to reach a differential diagnosis and appropriate management decisions. (And achieve this while feeling the equivalent of standing at the top of an Olympic downhill ski-run, simultaneously suffering from a severe bout of gastro.)  Some general pointers include:  Get experience running the unit and calling the shots  Establish a good knowledge base - don’t just practice SAQs  Write and share your own SAQs and Vivas  Make every case you see at work a practice Hot Case  Teach everyone else  Consider performance coaching   Finally, if things don’t go to plan the first time, remember it’s an exam not a statement on who you are as a person. Work out what worked and what didn’t and why to change your approach and come back stronger. 

Tips and tricks for getting through the first part: Examiner’s perspective

10% of patients admitted to ICU die and, in some societies over 80% of people die during a hospitalization that included an ICU stay.  Most deaths in ICU are predictable and the overwhelming majority of patients are comatose for the last few days of their life.  Most communication by intensivists is directed at families rather than patients.  This talk will cover some scenarios where this isn’t the case and give guidance on delivering bad news to and discussing organ donation with awake patients.

According to the World Health Organization Training Package for the Health Sector (2008), ‘Children are not little adults’ and specialised care must be targeted to pediatric patients in order to optimize outcomes. In a review of Australia and New Zealand Paediatric Intensive Care (ANZPIC) Registry data from 2006 to 2016, approximately 1600 children

You are called to see a 62-year old male now 3 hours post CABG x 4 with hypotension and escalating vasoactive requirements. As you arrive to the bedside, he arrests. How do you manage this situation?   This talk outlines the management of cardiac arrest in the intensive care unit post open heart surgery, as per the CALS (Cardiac Advanced Life Support) algorithm. Key differences from the standard ALS (Advanced Life Support) algorithm are highlighted, including delaying CPR by up to 1 minute to troubleshoot the initial rhythm, the role of emergency resternotomy, and avoidance of 1mg doses of adrenaline.  

The prevalence of degenerative valvular disease is increasing in the context of an increasingly ageing population, and despite advances in medical and surgical interventions, is associated with a significantly worse outcome when compared with the general population. Data from the EuroHeart Survey (2003) suggests the commonest relates to native valve disease (predominantly aortic stenosis) however, more than one quarter of patients with valve disease have undergone a previous intervention. According to current guidelines, in general treatment for severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis is surgical aortic valve replacement, which is associated with excellent outcomes, however, despite this around 30% of such patients do not undergo surgical intervention. The last decade has seen a significant change in the potential therapeutic options for patients with aortic valve disease due to the development of transcatheter techniques for valve implantation. Patented in 1991, the first successful human implant of a transcathe

The title of the talk is emblematic of the binary way that we have approached structural heart disease where cardiac surgery or an interventional procedure might be required – this thinking is now transitioning to an entirely different paradigm which is that of the “Heart Team”.  Remarkable advances over the last decade have led to a plethora of interventional options for both coronary and structural heart disease. In the coronary realm, as complex and high risk PCI options continue to evolve, the role for surgery in multi-vessel disease, diabetes and LV dysfunction has become well established. Hybrid revascularization options also evolve and are the subject of ongoing investigation. In structural heart disease, as TAVR application expands to a low risk subset, ongoing investigations will answer questions regarding durability of TAVR as compared to the historical surgical gold standard. Mitral valve repair remains the gold standard for degenerative MR and the Mitraclip has become a well-established option for

CARDIAC REVASCULARIZATION SURGERY IN THE ELDERLY: AN EVIDENCE-BASED HEALTH ECONOMIC APPROACH    Background: Increasing prevalence of chronic disease in the context of an ageing society has led many to question the value of cardiac revascularization surgery and associated intensive care in elderly (octogenarian) populations. However societal expectations of improved technology and its likely impact on longevity and improved quality of life suggest there is a demand for cardiac surgery in this population. Elderly people are more likely to hold private health insurance, therefore the cost (in terms of waiting time) is likely to be low.     Objectives: This presentation will consider the value of cardiac revascularization surgery from a health economic perspective, including the various perspectives of patient, family/significant others, providers, healthcare sector and society.     Method: A theoretical evidence-based health economic model will be presented that is relevant to the evaluation of cardiac surger

Introduction: Recent times have witnessed almost half, or sometimes more cardiac surgical procedures are performed in patients above 75 years of age. Traditionally, the EuroSCORE II and STS risk scoring systems have been widely used across the globe. Extensive reviews have shown that EuroSCORE II probably overestimates the perioperative risk at lower score levels while the STS score tends to underestimate the risk.  Frailty is a broad term that encircles aspects of nutrition, lack of agility, inactivity, lack of strength and wasting; and is seen in 25-50% of elderly patients. It has been defined as a geriatric syndrome reflecting a state of reduced physiological reserve and increased vulnerability to poor resolution of homeostasis after a stressor event. Conversely, pre-frailty, which is potentially reversible, is associated with higher risk of older adults developing cardiovascular disease.  Frailty assessment includes a variety of physical and cognitive tests, functional assessments and evaluating nutr

"The real benefit to the patient [of echocardiography] is not the technical skill, but rather the application of intellectual input... information, communication and teamwork are essential" Jos Roelandt, 1993 Of all the imaging techniques used in intensive care, echocardiography has come to the fore, in particular due to its accessibility, immediate availability and applicability as a point-of-care technique, thereby removing the risks of transportation of the critically ill. Over the preceding 20 years evidence has continued to emerge for its extended use in the acute/emergency setting, to the extent that it is now included in national and international guidelines relating to the universal definition of myocardial infarction, as well as in shock pathways, and as an adjunctive technique in advanced life support. Its potential scope is huge, with applications relating to monitoring, cardiac pathophysiology and coronary perfusion as well as its more evident use to define cardiac anatomy. The three main uses of

The goal of hemodynamic monitoring is to assess the cardiovascular state of the patient, define their reserve and monitor response to treatments and time.  Resuscitation efforts are essentially aimed at restoring and sustaining tissue wellness through maintaining an adequate amount of oxygenated blood flow to the metabolically active tissues. We need to monitor pressure, flow and function. To accomplish these goals one must be able to measure arterial pressure and all its components (i.e. waveforms), cardiac output and stroke volume as well as the adequacy of flow. Presently, there are several devices that can estimate the arterial pressure waveform from a finger plethysmographic device. They are very accurate until profound circulatory collapse makes peripheral pulse not representative of central pressures. These devices can also estimate stroke volume by intuiting the arterial pressure waveform in a fashion similar to that performed by the numerous minimally invasive hemodynamic monitoring devices we now ha

Many tools are nowadays available to monitor patients’ hemodynamics in the intensive care unit (ICU) and in the operating room (OR) settings. Some monitoring tools are invasive such as the pulmonary artery catheter (PAC), some others are less invasive such as transpulmonary thermodilution (TPD) systems, some others are called minimally invasive such as uncalibrated arterial pulse wave analysis (PWA) devices, and some others are non invasive such as volume-clamp method, applanation tonometry, esophageal Doppler, bioreactance, CO2 rebreathing, and pulse wave transit time. Recently, the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine has provided recommendations about the use of hemodynamic monitoring in patients with shock. To summarize, except the PAC and the TPD systems, the other hemodynamic monitoring tools are not recommended for the two following reasons: 1) they provide cardiac output but not other important hemodynamic variables, although some of them also provide stroke volume variation (SVV) or pulse pres

With increasing survival comes morbidity. Pulmonary hypertension in the critical care population represents a secondary disease of myriad pathologies for children and adults. Whilst often cardiac failure or respiratory disease complicated by pulmonary hypertension, the exact aetiology of secondary pulmonary hypertension can be a diagnostic challenge. Yet an understanding of the pathophysiological basis for pulmonary hypertension may allow for patient guided therapy and predictions of reversibility.  With pulmonary vasodilators of various mechanistic and non-specific sites of action backed by limited disease specific clinical evidence, are we in the jungle treating secondary pulmonary hypertension or can one management regime encompass all critical care patients? 

The right ventricle (RV) is not important, until it is.  Under normal conditions RV function merely keeps central venous pressure low and delivers all the venous return per beat into the pulmonary circulation under low pressure. If pulmonary artery pressures increase due to pulmonary vascular disease (embolism, ARDS, COPD), over-distention (COPD, asthma) or ischemia (embolism, pulmonary hypertension), the RV rapidly dilates decreasing left ventricular (LV) diastolic compliance via ventricular interdependence. Most clinicians presume that the RV is merely a weaker version of the LV, but follows that same rules. But this in not true. Normally, RV filling occurs without any measurable change in RV distending pressure owing to conformational changes in its shape rather than distention of its wall fibers. This effect allows central venous pressure to remain low despite major dynamic change sin venous return associated with breathing. RV ejection is exquisitely dependent of RV ejection pressure. Thus, if disease pr

The two major causes of acute right ventricular (RV) failure in ICU patients are acute cor pulmonale (ACP) during acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and ACP during acute massive pulmonary embolism (PE).   The increase in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) in ARDS can be secondary either to « structural » mechanisms related to lung injury per se and to « functional » mechanisms related to the effects of mechanical ventilation with positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP). The latter mechanism is enhanced when PEEP overdistends more than it recruits lung volume and when tidal volume (VT) is high. The recommended protective ventilation with low VT and PEEP adjusted to driving pressure can also reduce the RV afterload. A reduced central blood volume can also play a role in the increase in PVR (extension of the West’s zone 2). In this case, volume administration can reduce the PVR and improve the RV function. Finally, prone positioning also exerts a beneficial effect on RV afterload through a decrease in

The use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), and ventricular assist devices (VADs) for both short-term and long-term management of advanced cardiac (and respiratory) failure is increasing. Both thrombotic and haemorrhagic complications are common in patients receiving mechanical support, and such complications are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Risks of bleeding and of thrombosis vary over time, and according to technical and patient factors. Careful assessment of the risks and benefits of anticoagulation for each patient is therefore a critical component of successful mechanical support.    The approach to anticoagulation for patients receiving VADs varies according to stage of recovery and device. In the immediate post-operative period, bleeding is usually a greater risk than thrombosis and a period free from anticoagulation is usually used. Subsequent initiation of anticoagulation is usually with heparin, with the introduction of warfarin and aspirin over a period of days

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is one of the most preventable complications in hospitalised patients. Critically ill patients are at risk of VTE due to coexisting of multiple risk factors but, at the same time, often at risk of bleeding. Though not common, fatal pulmonary embolism (PE) continues to occur [1] – due to the alignment of failures (or ‘holes’) in each defensive layer according to the Swiss cheese model [2]. Tackling this is not easy because the pattern of the ‘holes’ in each layer of the cheese is different between patients and, to complicate the matter further, both the size and location of the ‘holes’ also change with time in each individual patient.  In brief, fatal PE occurs due to one of the three failures – failure to prevent, failure to diagnose and failure to treat (aggressively). It is well established that anticoagulants are very effective in reducing VTE. The golden rule to reduce the size of the ‘holes’ in prevention is to use a multimodal approach, with anticoagulants as a key player