Avian influenza H10N3 is a type of avian influenza virus that can occasionally infect humans and cause severe pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). On December 25, 2024, a 23-year-old obese female patient with H10N3 avian influenza complicated with severe ARDS was admitted to the Fourth People's Hospital of Nanning. The patient was transferred to our department due to "fever, cough, and shortness of breath for 13 days". Physical examination revealed moist rales in bilateral lungs. Chest imaging showed large areas of ground-glass opacity and consolidation in both lungs. Based on the patient's medical history, clinical manifestations, and laboratory findings, she was diagnosed with human infection of H10N3 avian influenza, severe pneumonia, and severe ARDS. Supported by mechanical ventilation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), daily monitoring of airway peak pressure, plateau pressure (Pplat), driving pressure (ΔP), and lung compliance was performed to guide the adjustment of tidal volume (VT) and positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) during invasive mechanical ventilation. Medications including anti-avian influenza virus agents, antibacterial drugs, and antifungals were administered. Eventually, the patient's condition improved gradually, and she was successfully weaned from ECMO. No ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) or multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) related to ARDS occurred during ECMO support. However, during the final stage of ventilator weaning after the restoration of spontaneous breathing, a right pneumothorax occurred. Closed thoracic drainage was performed, after which the ventilator was successfully discontinued. The patient was successfully transferred out of the intensive care unit (ICU), recovered fully, and was discharged from the hospital. In the invasive mechanical ventilation management of patients infected with H10N3 avian influenza complicated by ARDS, monitoring airway peak pressure, Pplat, ΔP, and assessing pulmonary compliance may facilitate more standardized management of such ARDS patients and help reduce VILI.
Humans ; Female ; Influenza, Human/complications* ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome/complications* ; Respiration, Artificial/methods* ; Obesity/complications* ; Young Adult ; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation ; Influenza A virus

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) continues to be one of the most life-threatening conditions for patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). The 2023 European Society of Intensive Care Medicine guidelines on ARDS: definition, phenotyping and respiratory support strategies (2023 Guideline) update the 2017 An Official American Thoracic Society/European Society of Intensive Care Medicine/Society of Critical Care Medicine clinical practice guideline: mechanical ventilation in adult patients with ARDS (2017 Guideline), including 7 aspects of 3 topics of definitions, phenotyping, and respiratory support strategies [including high flow nasal cannula oxygen (HFNO), non-invasive ventilation (NIV), neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBA), extracorporeal life support (ECLS), positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) with recruitment maneuvers (RM), tidal volume (VT), and prone positioning]. 2023 Guideline review and summarize the literature since the publication of the 2017 Guideline, covering ARDS and acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, as well as ARDS caused by novel coronavirus infection. Based on the most recent medical evidence, the 2023 Guideline provide clinicians with new ideas and approaches for nonpharmacologic respiratory support strategies for adults with ARDS. This article provides interpretation of the new concepts, the new approaches, the new recommended grading and new levels of evidence for ARDS in the 2023 Guideline.
Adult ; Humans ; COVID-19 ; Respiration, Artificial ; Positive-Pressure Respiration ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome/therapy* ; Noninvasive Ventilation

OBJECTIVE: To explore the changes of serum procalcitonin (PCT) level in patients with moderate and severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) after cardiac surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), and try to find out the best cut-off of PCT to predict the progression to moderate and severe ARDS. METHODS: Medical records of patients undergoing cardiac surgery with CPB in Fujian Provincial Hospital from January 2017 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Adult patients who were admitted in intensive care unit (ICU) for more than 1 day and had PCT values on the first postoperative day were enrolled. Clinical data such as patient demographics, past history, diagnosis, and New York Heart Association (HYHA) classification, and the operation mode, procedure duration, CPB duration, aortic clamp duration, intraoperative fluid balance, calculation of 24 hours postoperative fluid balance and vasoactive-inotropic score (VIS); 24 hours postoperative C-reactive protein (CRP), N-terminal B-type natriuretic peptide precursor (NT-proBNP) and PCT levels were collected. Two clinicians independently made the diagnosis of ARDS according to the Berlin definition, and the diagnosis was established only in patients with a consistent diagnosis. The differences in each parameter were compared between patients with moderate to severe ARDS and those without or with mild ARDS. Analysis of the ability of PCT to predict moderate to severe ARDS was evaluated by receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve). Multivariate Logistic regression was conducted to determine the risk factors of the development of moderate to severe ARDS. RESULTS: 108 patients were finally enrolled, including 37 patients with mild ARDS (34.3%), 35 patients with moderate ARDS (32.4%), 2 patients with severe ARDS (1.9%), and 34 patients without ARDS. Compared with patients with no or mild ARDS, patients with moderate to severe ARDS were older (years old: 58.5±11.1 vs. 52.8±14.8, P < 0.05), with a higher proportion of combined hypertension [45.9% (17/37) vs. 25.4% (18/71), P < 0.05], longer operative time (minutes: 363.2±120.6 vs. 313.5±97.6, P < 0.05), and higher mortality (8.1% vs. 0, P < 0.05), but there were no differences in the VIS score, incidence of acute renal failure (ARF), CPB duration, aortic clamp duration, and intraoperative bleeding, transfusion volume, and fluid balance between the two groups. Serum PCT and NT-proBNP levels in patients with moderate to severe ARDS at postoperative day 1 were significantly higher than those in patients with no or mild ARDS [PCT (μg/L): 16.33 (6.96, 32.56) vs. 2.21 (0.80, 5.76), NT-proBNP (ng/L): 2 405.0 (1 543.0, 6 456.5) vs. 1 680.0 (1 388.0, 4 667.0), both P < 0.05]. ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) for PCT to predict the occurrence of moderate to severe ARDS was 0.827 [95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 0.739-0.915, P < 0.05]. When PCT cut-off value was 7.165 μg/L, the sensitivity was 75.7% and the specificity was 84.5%, for differentiating patients who developed moderate to severe ARDS from who did not. Multivariate Logistic regression showed that age and the elevated PCT concentration were independent risk factors for the development of moderate to severe ARDS [age: odds ratio (OR) = 1.105, 95%CI was 1.037-1.177, P = 0.002; PCT: OR = 48.286, 95%CI was 10.282-226.753, P < 0.001]. CONCLUSIONS Patients with moderate to severe ARDS undergoing CPB cardiac surgery have a higher serum concentration of PCT than patients with no or mild ARDS. Serum PCT level may be a promising biomarker to predict the development of moderate to severe ARDS, the cut-off value is 7.165 μg/L.
Adult ; Humans ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Procalcitonin ; Retrospective Studies ; Heart ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Adult ; Aged ; Betacoronavirus ; Coronavirus Infections ; complications ; therapy ; Critical Care ; Female ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pandemics ; Patient Positioning ; Pneumonia, Viral ; complications ; therapy ; Prone Position ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult ; therapy ; virology ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUND: Critical patients with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), even those whose nucleic acid test results had turned negative and those receiving maximal medical support, have been noted to progress to irreversible fatal respiratory failure. Lung transplantation (LT) as the sole therapy for end-stage pulmonary fibrosis related to acute respiratory distress syndrome has been considered as the ultimate rescue therapy for these patients. METHODS: From February 10 to March 10, 2020, three male patients were urgently assessed and listed for transplantation. After conducting a full ethical review and after obtaining assent from the family of the patients, we performed three LT procedures for COVID-19 patients with illness durations of more than one month and extremely high sequential organ failure assessment scores. RESULTS: Two of the three recipients survived post-LT and started participating in a rehabilitation program. Pearls of the LT team collaboration and perioperative logistics were summarized and continually improved. The pathological results of the explanted lungs were concordant with the critical clinical manifestation, and provided insight towards better understanding of the disease. Government health affair systems, virology detection tools, and modern communication technology all play key roles towards the survival of the patients and their rehabilitation. CONCLUSIONS LT can be performed in end-stage patients with respiratory failure due to COVID-19-related pulmonary fibrosis. If confirmed positive-turned-negative virology status without organ dysfunction that could contraindicate LT, LT provided the final option for these patients to avoid certain death, with proper protection of transplant surgeons and medical staffs. By ensuring instant seamless care for both patients and medical teams, the goal of reducing the mortality rate and salvaging the lives of patients with COVID-19 can be attained.
Aged ; Betacoronavirus ; Coronavirus Infections ; complications ; mortality ; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation ; Humans ; Lung Transplantation ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral ; complications ; mortality ; Pulmonary Fibrosis ; mortality ; surgery ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult ; mortality ; surgery

The 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has occurred in China and around the world. SARS-CoV-2-infected patients with severe pneumonia rapidly develop acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and die of multiple organ failure. Despite advances in supportive care approaches, ARDS is still associated with high mortality and morbidity. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based therapy may be an potential alternative strategy for treating ARDS by targeting the various pathophysiological events of ARDS. By releasing a variety of paracrine factors and extracellular vesicles, MSC can exert anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, anti-microbial, and pro-angiogenic effects, promote bacterial and alveolar fluid clearance, disrupt the pulmonary endothelial and epithelial cell damage, eventually avoiding the lung and distal organ injuries to rescue patients with ARDS. An increasing number of experimental animal studies and early clinical studies verify the safety and efficacy of MSC therapy in ARDS. Since low cell engraftment and survival in lung limit MSC therapeutic potentials, several strategies have been developed to enhance their engraftment in the lung and their intrinsic, therapeutic properties. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of the mechanisms and optimization of MSC therapy in ARDS and highlighted the potentials and possible barriers of MSC therapy for COVID-19 patients with ARDS.
Adoptive Transfer ; Alveolar Epithelial Cells ; pathology ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; Betacoronavirus ; Body Fluids ; metabolism ; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; Clinical Trials as Topic ; Coinfection ; prevention & control ; therapy ; Coronavirus Infections ; complications ; immunology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Endothelial Cells ; pathology ; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation ; Genetic Therapy ; methods ; Genetic Vectors ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Immunity, Innate ; Inflammation Mediators ; metabolism ; Lung ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation ; methods ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells ; physiology ; Multiple Organ Failure ; etiology ; prevention & control ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral ; complications ; immunology ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult ; immunology ; pathology ; therapy ; Translational Medical Research

Adult ; Capillary Permeability ; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation ; Extravascular Lung Water ; Humans ; Lung/diagnostic imaging* ; Prognosis ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome/therapy*

BACKGROUND: Beyond its current function as a rescue therapy in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) may be applied in ARDS patients with less severe hypoxemia to facilitate lung protective ventilation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of extended ECMO use in ARDS patients. METHODS: This study reviewed 223 adult patients who had been admitted to the intensive care units of 11 hospitals in Korea and subsequently treated using ECMO. Among them, the 62 who required ECMO for ARDS were analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups according to pre-ECMO arterial blood gas: an extended group (n=14) and a conventional group (n=48). RESULTS: Baseline characteristics were not different between the groups. The median arterial carbon dioxide tension/fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) ratio was higher (97 vs. 61, p<0.001) while the median FiO2 was lower (0.8 vs. 1.0, p<0.001) in the extended compared to the conventional group. The 60-day mortality was 21% in the extended group and 54% in the conventional group (p=0.03). Multivariate analysis indicated that the extended use of ECMO was independently associated with reduced 60-day mortality (odds ratio, 0.10; 95% confidence interval, 0.02–0.64; p=0.02). Lower median peak inspiratory pressure and median dynamic driving pressure were observed in the extended group 24 hours after ECMO support. CONCLUSION: Extended indications of ECMO implementation coupled with protective ventilator settings may improve the clinical outcome of patients with ARDS.
Adult ; Anoxia ; Carbon Dioxide ; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Korea ; Lung ; Mortality ; Multicenter Studies as Topic ; Multivariate Analysis ; Oxygen ; Respiration, Artificial ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult ; Retrospective Studies ; Ventilation ; Ventilators, Mechanical

BACKGROUND: Although the frequency of respiratory viral infection in patients with pulmonary acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is not uncommon, clinical significance of the condition remains to be further elucidated. The purpose of this study was to compare characteristics and outcomes of patients with pulmonary ARDS infected with influenza and other respiratory viruses. METHODS: Clinical data of patients with pulmonary ARDS infected with respiratory viruses January 2014–June 2018 were reviewed. Respiratory viral infection was identified by multiplex reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: Among 126 patients who underwent multiplex RT-PCR, respiratory viral infection was identified in 46% (58/126): 28 patients with influenza and 30 patients with other respiratory viruses. There was no significant difference in baseline and clinical characteristics between patients with influenza and those with other respiratory viruses. The use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was more frequent in patients with influenza than in those with other respiratory viruses (32.1% vs 3.3%, p=0.006). Co-bacterial pathogens were more frequently isolated from respiratory samples of patients with pulmonary ARDS infected with influenza virus than those with other respiratory viruses. (53.6% vs 26.7%, p=0.036). There were no significant differences regarding clinical outcomes. In multivariate analysis, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II was associated with 30-mortality (odds ratio, 1.158; 95% confidence interval, 1.022–1.312; p=0.022). CONCLUSION: Respiratory viral infection was not uncommon in patients with pulmonary ARDS. Influenza virus was most commonly identified and was associated with more co-bacterial infection and ECMO therapy.
APACHE ; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation ; Humans ; Influenza, Human ; Multivariate Analysis ; Orthomyxoviridae ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult

Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) is the most common causative agent of community-acquired pneumonia in school-aged children. An 8-year-old boy who had been diagnosed with autism looked severely ill when he presented to our hospital due to dyspnea and lethargy. He had fever and cough 7 days prior to hospitalization. He had signs and symptoms of severe respiratory distress. The percutaneous oxygen saturation was 88% at high oxygen supply. Chest radiography showed diffusely increased opacity with moderate pleural effusion. He was intubated immediately and admitted to the intensive care unit. Under the clinical impression of mycoplasmal pneumonia, intravenous clarithromycin was started. Laboratory findings showed leukocytosis, hepatitis, decreased renal function, and presence of serum MP immunoglobulin (Ig) M (+) IgG (+) and sputum MP polymerase chain reaction (+). On hospital day 2, the patient developed multiple organ failure with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was performed with continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) and was weaned successfully. This is the first reported case of an ARDS due to MP infection complicated by multiple organ failure that was successfully treated with ECMO and CRRT in South Korea.
Autistic Disorder ; Child ; Clarithromycin ; Cough ; Dyspnea ; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation ; Fever ; Hepatitis ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulins ; Intensive Care Units ; Korea ; Lethargy ; Leukocytosis ; Male ; Multiple Organ Failure ; Mycoplasma pneumoniae ; Mycoplasma ; Oxygen ; Pleural Effusion ; Pneumonia ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Radiography ; Renal Replacement Therapy ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult ; Sputum ; Thorax