OBJECTIVES

Epidemiology data on prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV) and PMV patient features in the Philippines is lacking. This retrospective cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of PMV among intubated patients, describe patient characteristics and outcomes, and identify risk factors associated with PMV.

METHODS

A retrospective review of records was done on adult intubated patients admitted under the Medical Intensive Care Unit Service from July 2022 to June 2023. Various clinical characteristics and outcomes of PMV and non-PMV patients were collected, compared, and analyzed. PMV was defined as having MV for ≥6 hours per day
for >21 days.

RESULTS

Among 261 intubated ICU patients admitted, 75 (28.7%) required PMV. PMV patients were older (62 vs.
53.5), had higher Charlson Comorbidity Index scores (4 vs. 3), and required vasopressors (81.33% vs. 54.84%)
and blood products (93.33% vs. 51.08%) more often. Nosocomial infections (86.67% vs. 45.70%), ventila- tor-related (30.67% vs. 12.37%) and in-hospital (66.22% vs. 32.97%) complications developed more frequently.
Outcomes such as ICU length of stay (29.5 vs. 7 days) and hospital mortality (61.33% vs. 41.94%) were longer. Vasopressor use (OR 2.25, 95% CI 1.06-4.76), develop- ment of nosocomial infections (OR 6.20, 95% CI 2.64-
14.56), and development of in-hospital-related compli- cations (OR 2.20, 95% CI 1.13-4.30) were independent predictors of PMV.

CONCLUSION

In this single-center investigation, 28.7% of ICU patients required PMV. Knowledge of patient characteristics and risk factors aid in the development of interventions that improve outcomes and reduce PMV prevalence. Larger studies are recommended to assess nationwide PMV epidemiology and provide data on the need for step-down units for weaning.

Human ; Male ; Female ; Weaning ; Ventilation ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Length Of Stay ; Comorbidity

Background: Gold nanoparticles have been studied extensively for their potential application in the detection of important analytes. Their relative ease of synthesis through numerous procedures makes possible their implementation in a variety of assays. Cysteine (cys), a thiol-containing amino acid implicated in numerous pathologies such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), has been routinely detected through expensive fluorometric assay kits. Objectives: As such, this study aimed to develop a carbohydrate-based gold nanoparticle colorimetric assay for the convenient and straightforward detection of cys. Methodology: Carbohydrate-based gold nanoparticles (c-AuNPs) were synthesized following a microwaveassisted procedure. The as-prepared c-AuNPs were used to detect cys by plotting the ratio of the absorbances of the aggregated and dispersed gold nanoparticles against the concentration of cys. Results: The c-AuNP solutions were able to detect cys in the micromolar range, with the glucose-based AuNPs (glc-AuNPs) showing the widest linear range (16.7 μm to 167 μm), and the fructose-based gold nanoparticles (frc-AuNPs) exhibiting the lowest detection limit (9.0 μm) for cys. Aside from being able to detect cys, the c-AuNPs were also responsive to tyr and lys. Conclusion This study demonstrates that carbohydrate-based gold nanoparticles prepared following a microwave-assisted procedure using sugars as reducing agents and capping agents can be used successfully in the detection of cysteine.
Cysteine ; Carbohydrates ; Starch