Background The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) can manifest in a range of symptoms, including both asymptomatic systems which appear nearly non-existent to the patient, all the way to the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Specifically, COVID-19–associated pneumonia develops into ARDS due to the rapid progression of hypoxia, and although arterial blood gas analysis can assist in halting this deterioration, the current environment provided by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to an overall lack of medical resources or equipment, has made it difficult to administer such tests in a widespread manner. As a result, this study was conducted in order to determine whether the levels of oxygen saturation (SpO 2 ) and the fraction of inhaled oxygen (FiO 2 ) (SF ratio) can also serve as predictors of ARDS and the patient’s risk of mortality. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study conducted from February 2020 to Mary 2020, with the study’s subjects consisting of COVID-19 pneumonia patients who had reached a state of deterioration that required the use of oxygen therapy. Of the 100 COVID-19 pneumonia cases, we compared 59 pneumonia patients who required oxygen therapy, divided into ARDS and non-ARDS pneumonia patients who required oxygen, and then investigated the different factors which affected their mortality. Results At the time of admission, the ratios of SpO 2 , FiO 2 , and SF for the ARDS group differed significantly from those of the non-ARDS pneumonia support group who required oxygen (p<0.001). With respect to the predicting of the occurrence of ARDS, the SF ratio on admission and the SF ratio at exacerbation had an area under the curve which measured to be around 85.7% and 88.8% (p<0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified that the SF ratio at exacerbation (hazard ratio [HR], 0.916; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.846–0.991; p=0.029) and National Early Warning Score (NEWS) (HR, 1.277; 95% CI, 1.010–1.615; p=0.041) were significant predictors of mortality. Conclusion The SF ratio on admission and the SF ratio at exacerbation were strong predictors of the occurrence of ARDS, and the SF ratio at exacerbation and NEWS held a significant effect on mortality.

Strongyloides stercoralis is an intestinal nematode that occurs sporadically in temperate areas like Korea. People who are in the immunosuppressed state, over the age of 65 or under the corticosteroid therapy are at risk for developing Strongyloides hyperinfection syndrome. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) with alveolar hemorrhage is a rare presentation of Strongyloides hyperinfection. A 78-year-old man had been irregularly injected corticosteroid on his knees, but did not have any immunosuppressive disease. He was initially diagnosed with ARDS and septic shock. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid was bloody and its cytology revealed helminthic larvae identified as S . stercoralis . Results of Cytomegalovirus polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Pneumocystis jirovecii PCR, and Aspergillus antigen testing of the BAL fluid were positive. The clinical progress quickly deteriorated with multiple organ failure, shock and arrhythmia, so he finally died. This is a rare case of ARDS in an older patient without any known immunosuppressive conditions, with alveolar hemorrhage and S . stercoralis being found via BAL.

Purpose The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) is rapidly increasing worldwide. Patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) are susceptible to CRE infections, and the related mortality rate is increased. It is necessary to understand CRE strains and risk factors for CRE infection in the ICU, to facilitate development of effective prophylactic strategies and treatments for ICU patients. Patients and Methods This observational study was conducted in a tertiary hospital between 2016 and 2021. The subjects were patients with CRE cultured from specimens obtained after ICU admission. Genotypes of strains of CRE and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) were identified, CRE infection was distinguished from mere colonization, and the clinical course of these patients was investigated. Results Among 327 CRE cases, 84 (25.7%) showed infection and 243 (74.3%) showed colonization. Of these patients, 138 (42.2%) died. The CRE strains were Klebsiella pneumoniae (253 cases, 77.4%), Enterobacter cloacae (44 cases, 13.5%), and Escherichia coli (15 cases, 4.6%). Among CRE cases, CPE was found in 249 (76.1%), including Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC) in 164 (65.9%), and Guiana extended-spectrum (GES) in 64 (25.7%). A bedridden state, longer ICU stay, chronic kidney disease, malignancy, connective tissue disease, ICU admission for cardiac arrest, and CRE infection were associated with higher mortality, but cerebrovascular disease and ICU admission for trauma were associated with lower mortality. GES outbreak was caused by person-to-person transmission and was controlled through active surveillance. Conclusion The frequency of K. pneumoniae and KPC was the highest, but E. cloacae and GES was characteristically high in this study. Active CRE surveillance can be helpful for controlling outbreak.

Background Current international guidelines recommend against deep sedation as it is associated with worse outcomes in the intensive care unit (ICU). However, in Korea the prevalence of deep sedation and its impact on patients in the ICU are not well known. Methods From April 2020 to July 2021, a multicenter, prospective, longitudinal, noninterventional cohort study was performed in 20 Korean ICUs. Sedation depth extent was divided into light and deep using a mean Richmond Agitation–Sedation Scale value within the first 48 hours. Propensity score matching was used to balance covariables; the outcomes were compared between the two groups. Results Overall, 631 patients (418 [66.2%] and 213 [33.8%] in the deep and light sedation groups, respectively) were included. Mortality rates were 14.1% and 8.4% in the deep and light sedation groups ( P = 0.039), respectively. Kaplan-Meier estimates showed that time to extubation ( P < 0.001), ICU length of stay ( P = 0.005), and death ( P = 0.041) differed between the groups. After adjusting for confounders, early deep sedation was only associated with delayed time to extubation (hazard ratio [HR], 0.66; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.55–0.80; P < 0.001). In the matched cohort, deep sedation remained significantly associated with delayed time to extubation (HR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.56–0.83; P < 0.001) but was not associated with ICU length of stay (HR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.79–1.13; P = 0.500) and in-hospital mortality (HR, 1.19; 95% CI, 0.65–2.17; P = 0.582). Conclusion In many Korean ICUs, early deep sedation was highly prevalent in mechanically ventilated patients and was associated with delayed extubation, but not prolonged ICU stay or in-hospital death.

We read with interest the article by Dr. Jang and colleagues 1 on the ability of disease severity scores to predict more rapid clinical deterioration in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infected patients. Of the three scoring systems analyzed, the National Early Warning Score (NEWS) measured at the time of hospital admission was best able to predict critical outcome, defined in this study as admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) or death, with critically ill patients defined similarly. We believe that these definitions should be modified.These definitions of critical outcome and critically ill patients would result in a target group with heterogeneous characteristics, including not only patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) but patients with other conditions. The outbreak of COVID-19 may result in a selection bias, as some critically ill patients may not be admitted to the ICU because of a shortage of ICU beds. Actually, some critical patients using high flow oxygen were in the general ward, and some elderly patients who died from conditions other than COVID-19 were not actively treated and had do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders.In addition, these definitions of critical outcomes and critically ill patients do not include timing. Admission to the ICU care and death was assumed to occur within 28 days after initial hospitalization because 28-day mortality rates were measured. In another study evaluating the National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2) in 3,869 patients, the primary outcome was defined as patient status 14 days after symptom onset, with patients categorized as those who were transferred to the ICU or died (WHO-COVID-19 Outcomes Scale scores of 6-8) and those who were not transferred and did not die (scores of 3-5) within a specific time after symptom onset. 2 Third, the definitions of critical outcomes and critically ill patients cited by Jang et al. were too broad. We found it unusual that the definition of critical outcome did not include acute respiratory distress syndrome or respiratory failure. A study showing an association between hypoxemia and mortality in 140 COVID-19 patients defined disease severity according to