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G Nitenberg

Publications and source records attributed to G Nitenberg.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Acute respiratory distress syndrome after chemotherapy for lung metastases from non-seminomatous germ-cell tumors.

GOALS: To describe an acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) occurring after chemotherapy for non-seminomatous germ-cell tumors (NSGCT) with diffuse lung metastases, we conducted a retrospective study in a 15-bed intensive care unit (ICU) in a comprehensive cancer center. PATIENTS AND METHODS: During a 10-year period, 16 consecutive patients with diffuse lung metastases from a NSGCT were admitted to the ICU for respiratory distress and high-risk chemotherapy. MAIN RESULTS: Nine patients developed acute respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation (MV) within 3 days of the initiation of chemotherapy, while the respiratory status of the seven other patients improved. The evolution was independent of tumor marker levels and the type of chemotherapy regimen. The SAPS II score did not accurately describe the severity of this population. The only predictor of intubation was the initial PaO2/FiO2 ratio upon admission to the ICU. Six out of seven patients who did not require MV were discharged alive from the hospital, whereas all but one patient requiring MV died. Refractory hypoxemia and ventilator-associated pneumonia were the leading causes of death. CONCLUSIONS: Acute respiratory distress in patients with lung metastases from NSGCT is a rare cause of ARDS. Chemotherapy could be responsible for triggering the respiratory worsening. Patients with severe respiratory insufficiency (PaO2 <70 mmHg on room air) on admission to hospital should be promptly transferred to the ICU for the first chemotherapy course.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

[Resuscitation management of patients with primary bronchopulmonary cancer].

OBJECTIVE: There is little data in the literature on the management of patients presenting with a primary broncho-pulmonary cancer in a reanimation unit. The aim of our study was to describe and analyze the prognostic factors of such a population. METHOD: This was a retrospective study of all the patients exhibiting a broncho-pulmonary cancer and admitted to the reanimation unit in the Gustave-Roussy Institute over a period of three years. RESULTS: Out of 67 patients, one out of two was still alive following reanimation. The prognosis was not influenced by the type of broncho-pulmonary cancer or its stage of progression, but essentially depends on the age, severity on admission, presence of acute respiratory failure and the necessity of using mechanical ventilation. The prognosis does not appear poorer when admission to the reanimation unit was related to a tumoral complication rather than an intercurrent affection or therapeutic complication. CONCLUSION: The existence of a broncho-pulmonary cancer, even at an advanced stage, does not appear to stall the management of such patients in reanimation.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in critically ill patients with malignancy: a descriptive study.

There are few data on Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) in critically ill human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative patients. Improved knowledge of the presenting symptoms of and prognostic factors for PCP may help to reduce the high mortality rate associated with PCP in such patients. We retrospectively studied 39 consecutive patients with acute PCP-related respiratory failure and malignancy who were treated at 2 intensive care units (ICUs) during a 10-year period. Univariate logistic regression identified the following 8 predictors of mortality at 30 days after patient admission to the ICU (30-day mortality rate, 33%): complete remission of the malignancy (odds ratio [OR], 0.18), receipt of >1 course of antimalignancy chemotherapy (OR, 17.2), involvement of 4 lobes noted on a chest radiograph (OR, 5), >15% neutrophils in bronchoalveolar lavage [BAL] fluid specimens (OR, 6), Organ System Failure score (OR, 7.33), Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (OR, 1.12), and the need for either mechanical ventilation (OR, 63) or vasopressors (OR, 25.9). Studies are needed to determine whether aggressive monitoring and treatment of patients with >15% neutrophils in BAL fluid specimens can improve the outcome of critically ill patients with malignancy and PCP.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2002

Less frequent catheter dressing changes decrease local cutaneous toxicity of high-dose chemotherapy in children, without increasing the rate of catheter-related infections: results of a randomised trial.

Cutaneous lesions caused by catheter dressing changes can be serious and generate local pain in children undergoing high-dose chemotherapy followed by bone marrow transplantation. One hundred and thirteen children entered a randomised trial to compare two catheter dressing change frequencies (15 days vs 4 days). Skin toxicity was classified according to the following scale: grade 0: healthy skin, to grade 4: severe skin toxicity. A qualitative culture of the skin at the catheter entry site was taken whenever the dressing was changed. Of the 112 evaluable children (56 in each group) 32 developed grade > or = 2 local skin toxicity (eight in the 15-day group and 24 in the 4-day group; P = 0.001). Although higher in the 4-day group, the proportions of children experiencing pain during and between dressing changes were not statistically different between the two groups. The proportion of patients with one or more positive skin culture(s) at the catheter entry site during hospitalisation were similar in the two groups (27% in the 15-day group and 23% in the 4-day group) as were the proportions of documented nosocomial bloodstream infections (11% and 13%; NS). Whereas the planned frequency was maintained in the 4-day group (mean = 4 days, s.d. = 1), it was usually shortened in the 15-day group (mean = 8 days, s.d. = 4), mainly because dressings had loosened. Decreasing the catheter dressing change frequency proved efficient in reducing cutaneous toxicity without increasing the risk of local and systemic infection. In our unit, catheter dressings are changed every 8 days since this analysis.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed2001

Complications of femoral and subclavian venous catheterization in critically ill patients: a randomized controlled trial.

CONTEXT: Whether venous catheterization at the femoral site is associated with an increased risk of complications compared with that at the subclavian site is debated. OBJECTIVE: To compare mechanical, infectious, and thrombotic complications of femoral and subclavian venous catheterization. DESIGN AND SETTING: Concealed, randomized controlled clinical trial conducted between December 1997 and July 2000 at 8 intensive care units (ICUs) in France. PATIENTS: Two hundred eighty-nine adult patients receiving a first central venous catheter. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomly assigned to undergo central venous catheterization at the femoral site (n = 145) or subclavian site (n = 144). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rate and severity of mechanical, infectious, and thrombotic complications, compared by catheterization site in 289, 270, and 223 patients, respectively. RESULTS: Femoral catheterization was associated with a higher incidence rate of overall infectious complications (19.8% vs 4.5%; P<.001; incidence density of 20 vs 3.7 per 1000 catheter-days) and of major infectious complications (clinical sepsis with or without bloodstream infection, 4.4% vs 1.5%; P =.07; incidence density of 4.5 vs 1.2 per 1000 catheter-days), as well as of overall thrombotic complications (21.5% vs 1.9%; P<.001) and complete thrombosis of the vessel (6% vs 0%; P =.01); rates of overall and major mechanical complications were similar between the 2 groups (17.3% vs 18.8 %; P =.74 and 1.4% vs 2.8%; P =.44, respectively). Risk factors for mechanical complications were duration of insertion (odds ratio [OR], 1.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-1.08 per additional minute; P<.001); insertion in 2 of the centers (OR, 4.52; 95% CI, 1.81-11.23; P =.001); and insertion during the night (OR, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.04-4.08; P =.03). The only factor associated with infectious complications was femoral catheterization (hazard ratio [HR], 4.83; 95% CI, 1.96-11.93; P<.001); antibiotic administration via the catheter decreased risk of infectious complications (HR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.18-0.93; P =.03). Femoral catheterization was the only risk factor for thrombotic complications (OR, 14.42; 95% CI, 3.33-62.57; P<.001). CONCLUSION: Femoral venous catheterization is associated with a greater risk of infectious and thrombotic complications than subclavian catheterization in ICU patients.

Catheterization, Central Venous↗
PubMed2001

Mechanisms and risk factors for infection of pulmonary artery catheters and introducer sheaths in cancer patients admitted to an intensive care unit.

Pulmonary artery catheters (PACs) are typically inserted for short periods, and the extra-luminal route is assumed to be the overriding source of contamination and/or infection. Our aim was to assess the incidence of PAC and introducer colonization in cancer patients, and to study the mechanisms and risk factors for infection. Patients with a Swan-Ganz catheter admitted to an intensive care unit were prospectively analyzed over 14 months. As soon they were no longer necessary, PACs and introducer sheaths were removed and cultured. We recorded the mean duration of placement, the number of times PACs were handled and the site of insertion. Seventy-nine catheters were inserted in 68 patients. The median (range) duration was three days (0-10) for PACs, and 3.6 days (0-18) for introducers. PAC and/or percutaneous introducer sheath colonization was diagnosed in seven patients (8.9%), but in only one case were both colonized. Colonization rates were 15.5 per 1000 days for PACs and 14.1 per 1000 days for introducers. Introducers were mainly colonized before the 5th day, while PACs were mainly colonized after the 5th day. No PAC or introducer-related local infection or bacteraemia was diagnosed. Colonization was more frequent on catheters inserted into the internal jugular vein. The colonization rate was 5% for PACs and introducers. Our findings suggest that contamination of introducers and PACs may be dissociated and could result from either extraluminal or endoluminal colonization. As three of four PAC colonizations occurred after 5 days, the duration of catheter placement should be considered important. There was little clinical impact of microbial colonization.

Bacteremia↗
PubMed2001

Severity of illness scores: are they useful in febrile neutropenic adult patients in hematology wards? A prospective multicenter study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prognostic value of two severity of illness scores, commonly used for critically ill patients, Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS II) and Organ Dysfunctions and Infection (ODIN), in predicting mortality in febrile neutropenic patients in hematology wards. DESIGN: A 2-month prospective multicenter study. SETTING: Thirty-six hematologic and/or stem cell transplant units in France. PATIENTS: All adult patients with a first febrile neutropenic episode (polymorphonuclear cells <500/mm(3)) were included. INTERVENTIONS: SAPS II was calculated on day 1 of fever, and ODIN on days 1 and 8. The end point was the mortality rate on day 28. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Twenty-eight (6.6%) of the 421 patients included died before day 28. The mortality rate predicted by SAPS II was 23.8%, indicating a poor calibration. The SAPS II score at day 1 was greater in nonsurvivors than in survivors (44 +/- 11 vs. 38 +/- 7, p <.0001), as was the number of patients with one or more organ failures at day 1 (14 vs. 2%, p <.0001), and day 8 (42 vs. 3%, p <.0001). The pattern of change in the scores over the first 8 days differed significantly between survivors and nonsurvivors. In multivariate analysis, only ODIN on day 1 and day 8, and spontaneous neutropenia were independent predictors for death. CONCLUSIONS: SAPS II and ODIN scores are inaccurate for predicting individual outcome of febrile neutropenic patients in hematology wards. Serial measurements of these scores during the first week of hospitalization could be more accurate than a single measurement. Besides severity scores and organ failures, the type of neutropenia is at least as important in assessing the prognosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

[Prevention of infections transmitted by intravascular devices (catheters, implanted sites)].

Infection remains a major complication of central veinous catheters. A clinically or bacteriologically proven infection is identified in 5 to 10% of the cases although the actual risk varies from less than 1 to more than 30 episodes of infection per 1000 catheter-days. Systemic spread follows colonization of the catheter tip via the skin or the connectors, less frequently via hematogenous seeding from a distant focus of infection. Excepting emergency situations, search for proof of catheter-related infection or noninfection without removing the catheter now appears to be acceptable for selected intensive care patients if appropriate safety measures are taken; the reasonable choice is between maintaining the catheter while performing tests susceptible of determining the reality of catheter-related infection (in this case there remains a certain doubt concerning the respective performance of the different methods proposed for early diagnosis) and catheter exchange on a metal or plastic guide-wire. Rigorous application of the rules of hygiene, asepsis, and local care is crucial: systematic and repeated hand washing is by far the best antiinfectious prophylaxis. Three types of future developments susceptible of improving the current situation can be identified: better knowledge of host defense mechanisms against foreign bodies, reduction of hand-transmitted contamination by wider use of hydro-alcohol solutions for decontamination of the hands, and elaboration of new connectors, and most importantly, biomaterials capable of inhibiting colonization by the growing number of increasingly virulent strains. Discussions concerning the real clinical efficiency, ecological risk and the cost-effectiveness of catheters impregnated with antiseptics and/or antibiotics is a perfect illustration of the current debate.

Antibiotic Prophylaxis↗
PubMed2001

[The medical and surgical management of acute abdominal complications in neutropenic cancer patient: description of 21 cases].

Because of the lack of specificity of gastrointestinal tract symptoms and of imaging studies findings in one hand, and because of a presumed high risk of complications in the other hand, surgical management of acute abdomen in neutropenic patients remains very controversial. The purpose of the study is to review our experience with management of acute abdomen. The records of 21 neutropenic patients admitted in the intensive care unit for postoperative management or for evaluation and diagnosis of abdominal symptoms were reviewed. Thirteen patients underwent surgery, 8 did not. Peritoneal signs on physical examination were correlated with positive laparotomies, the sensitivity was 71% and the specificity was 50%. Seven of the 13 operated patients survived the surgical procedure (54%); while 37,5% of the non operative group survived. The surgical treatment may be safely carried out in neutropenic patients with an acute abdomen and represent sometimes the only way to assure proper treatment.

Abdomen, Acute↗
PubMed2001

[Standards, Options and Recommendations for home parenteral or enteral nutrition in adult cancer patients].

CONTEXT: The "Standards, Options and Recommendations" (SOR) project, started in 1993, is a collaboration between the Federation of the French Cancer Centres (FNCLCC), the 20 French Cancer Centres and specialists from French Public Universities, General Hospitals and Private Clinics. The main objective is the development of clinical practice guidelines to improve the quality of health care and outcome for cancer patients. The methodology is based on literature review and critical appraisal by a multidisciplinary group of experts, with feedback from specialists in cancer care delivery. OBJECTIVES: To develop clinical practice guidelines according to the definitions of the Standards, Options and Recommendations project for home parenteral or enteral nutrition in adult cancer patients. METHODS: Data were identified by searching Medline, Cancerlit, web sites and using the personal reference lists of members of the expert groups. Once the guidelines were defined, the document was submitted for review to 72 independent reviewers. RESULTS: The main recommendations for home parenteral or enteral nutrition in adult cancer patients are: 1) Home parenteral or enteral nutrition concerns cancer patients with malnutrition or with inadequate/impossible oral intake, during therapy of because of therapeutic after-effects (standard). Same indications apply for home and hospital artificial nutrition (standard). 2) Patients need a multidisciplinary follow-up (oncologists, nutritionists, and pain specialists), and this follow-up will make treatment adaptations according to the nutritional status possible (recommendation, expert agreement). An active participation of patients and/or their family circle is very important (standard). 3) The benefit of home parenteral or enteral nutrition on the quality of life of terminally ill patients (vs. hydration) has not been demonstrated. When life expectancy is below 3 months, and the Karnofsky index below 50, the drawbacks of home artificial nutrition are more important than its advantages. In this case, home parenteral or enteral nutrition is not recommended (recommendation, expert agreement). 4) Prospective clinical trials are recommended to evaluate the impact of home nutrition on quality of life in cancer patients (expert agreement). 5) The use of educational booklets that mention the telephone number of a referent health care and what to do when a problem happens (e.g. fever on home parenteral nutrition) is recommended (expert agreement). In France, patients should be referred to authorized home parenteral nutrition centres (recommendation, expert agreement).

Enteral Nutrition↗
PubMed2001

[Standards, options and recommendations: nutritional support in palliative or terminal care of adult patients with progressive cancer].

CONTEXT: The "Standards, Options and Recommendations" (SOR) project, started in 1993, is a collaboration between the National Federation of Comprehensive Cancer Centres (FNCLCC), the 20 French Cancer Centers and specialists from French Public Universities, General Hospitals and Private Clinics. The main objective is the development of clinical practice guidelines to improve the quality of health care and outcome for cancer patients. The methodology is based on literature review and critical appraisal by a multidisciplinary group of experts, with feedback from specialists in cancer care delivery. OBJECTIVES: To develop clinical practice guidelines according to the definitions of the Standards, Options and Recommendations project for nutritional support in adult patients with advanced or terminal cancer. METHODS: Data were identified by searching Medline, web sites and using the personal reference lists of members of the expert groups. Once the guidelines were defined, the document was submitted for review to 95 independent reviewers. RESULTS: The main recommendations for nutritional support in adult patients with advanced or terminal cancer are: 1) Palliative care has been defined in a consensual way and is governed by the law (standard). Nutritional support is a palliative care which aim is to maintain and restore the "well-being" of the patient (standard). 2) Digestive symptoms and nutritional troubles are frequently noted in patients with advanced or terminal cancer (standard, level of evidence B2). Karnofsky index (KPS) and performance status (PS) are functional scores with a prognostic value and have to be used (standard, level of evidence B2). 3) Anorexia has a bad predictive value in patients with advanced or terminal cancer (standard, level of evidence B2). 4) In France, patients with advanced or terminal cancer are referred to medical institutions, palliative care units or remained at home (standard). Patients need a multidisciplinary follow-up (standard). An active participation of patients and/or their family circle is very important and physicians have to pay attention for their opinions (standard). 5) Dietetic counseling can help patients to improve their alimentation and its drawbacks (standard). 6) Palliative nutritional care often includes medicinal treatments (standard). 7) Artificial nutrition can slow down nutritional degradation, avoid dehydration and improve quality of life in patients with advanced stage cancer (especially head and neck cancer for enteral nutrition and digestive occlusions for parenteral nutrition) and unable to eat adapted meals (standard, level of evidence C). 8) When life expectancy is below 3 months with a KPS 3/4 50% (or PS > 2), artificial nutrition is not recommended (recommendation, expert agreement). 9) The assessment of nutritional care in patients with advanced or terminal cancer has to include functional scores measurement, quality of life and satisfaction degree of the patient and/or their family (standard, expert agreement).

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Accuracy of totally implanted ports, tunnelled, single- and multiple-lumen central venous catheters for measurement of central venous pressure.

OBJECTIVE: To verify the accuracy of totally implanted ports, tunnelled central venous catheters (CVC), widely used in cancer patients, and multi-lumen catheters, used in intensive care units (ICUs), in measuring central venous pressure (CVP), using right atrial pressure (RAP) measured in a Swan-Ganz catheter as the reference standard. DESIGN: A prospective study, over a 10-month period. SETTING: A medical-surgical ICU in a comprehensive cancer centre. PATIENTS AND PARTICIPANTS: Patients who had both (1) a Swan-Ganz catheter and (2) either a tunnelled catheter, a single or a multi-lumen catheter, or a totally implanted port. INTERVENTIONS: RAP and CVP were measured simultaneously in each patient. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Fifty-six pairs of RAP-CVP measurements were performed in 35 patients: 6 tunnelled catheters, 6 non-tunnelled single-lumen catheters, 26 multiple-lumen catheters and 18 totally implanted ports were studied. RAP measured in the Swan-Ganz catheter and CVP measured in the CVC were strongly correlated (r = 0.94, p < 0.01), whatever the type of catheter studied. The mean difference between RAP and CVP was -0.39 +/- 1.73 (SD) mmHg. In 51 cases (91%), the difference was within the limits of agreement (-3.78 to 3.00 mmHg, Bland and Altman method). For the five cases with a difference of 4 mmHg (three totally implanted ports, one double- and one triple-lumen catheter), CVP was greater than RAP. CONCLUSIONS: CVP can be accurately measured in totally implanted ports, tunnelled or non-tunnelled single-lumen and multiple-lumen catheters. When the difference exceeds the limit of agreement, the discrepancy between the two measurements has limited significance in most cases.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

New tools in diagnosing catheter-related infections.

Clinical criteria alone are insufficient to allow a diagnosis of intravascular catheter-related sepsis (CRS). A definite diagnosis of CRS usually requires removal of the catheter for quantitative catheter tip culture. However, only about 15-25% of central venous catheters (CVC) removed because infection is suspected actually prove to be infected, and the diagnosis is always retrospective. Other diagnostic tests, such as differential quantitative blood cultures from samples taken simultaneously from the catheter and a peripheral vein, have been proposed to avoid unjustified removal of the catheter and the potential risks associated with the placement of a new catheter at a new site: a central-to-peripheral blood culture colony count ratio of 5:1 to 10:1 is considered indicative of CRS. Despite its high specificity, the latter diagnostic technique is not routinely used in clinical practice because of its complexity and cost. The measurement of the differential time to positivity between hub blood (taken from the catheter port) and peripheral blood cultures might be a reliable tool facilitating the diagnosis of CRS in situ. In an in vitro study, we found a strong relationship between the inoculum size of various microorganisms and the time to positivity of cultures. When the times to positivity of cultures of blood taken simultaneously from central and peripheral veins in patients with and without CRS were examined, we found that earlier positivity of central vs peripheral vein blood cultures was highly correlated with CRS. Using a cut-off value of +120 min, the "differential time to positivity" of the paired blood samples, defined as time to positivity of the peripheral blood minus that of the hub blood culture, had 91% specificity and 94% sensitivity for the diagnosis of CRS. This method may be coupled with other techniques that have high negative predictive value, such as skin cultures at the catheter exit site. This diagnostic test can be proposed for routine clinical practice in most hospitals using automatic devices for blood cultures positivity detection. Endoluminal brushing of the catheter is considered sensitive and specific for the diagnosis of CRS, but the risk of embolisation or subsequent bacteraemia should be considered. Gram staining and the acridine-orange leucocyte cytospin test on through-catheter blood culture have been proposed for rapid diagnosis of CRS without catheter removal. The technique, which requires 100 microl catheter blood and the use of light and ultraviolet microscopy, is considered simple, rapid (30 min) and inexpensive. In conclusion, diagnostic tools such as paired blood cultures or Gram staining and the acridine-orange leucocyte cytospin test should allow a diagnosis of CRS without catheter removal in cancer patients.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2000

Nutritional support of the cancer patient: issues and dilemmas.

Malnutrition in cancer patients results from multifactorial events and is associated with an alteration of quality of life and a reduced survival. A simple nutritional assessment program and early counselling by a dietitian are essential to guide nutritional support and to alert the physician to the need for enteral (EN) or parenteral nutrition (PN). A daily intake of 20-35 kcal/kg, with a balanced contribution of glucose and lipids, and of 0.2-0.35 g nitrogen/kg is recommended both for EN and PN, with an adequate provision of electrolytes, trace elements and vitamins. EN, always preferable for patients with an intact digestive tract, and PN are both safe and effective methods of administering nutrients. The general results in clinical practice suggest no tumor growth during nutritional support. The indiscriminate use of conventional EN and PN is not indicated in well-nourished cancer patients or in patients with mild malnutrition. EN or PN is not clinically efficacious for patients treated with chemotherapy or radiotherapy, unless there are prolonged periods of GI toxicity, as in the case of bone marrow transplant patients. Severely malnourished cancer patients undergoing major visceral surgery may benefit from perioperative nutritional support, preferably via enteral access. Nutritional support in palliative care should be based on the potential risks and benefits of EN and PN, and on the patient's and family's wishes. Research is currently directed toward the impact of nutritional pharmacology on the clinical outcome of cancer patients. Glutamine-supplemented PN is probably beneficial in bone marrow transplant patients. Immune diets are likely to reduce the rate of infectious complications and the length of hospital stay after GI surgery. Further studies are needed to determine the efficacy of such novel approaches in specific populations of cancer patients, and should also address the question of the overall cost-benefit ratio of nutritional pharmacology, and the effect of nutritional support on length and quality of life.

Cachexia↗