"Variation in Early Management Practices in Moderate-to-Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome in the United States" by Mark Tidswell, MD

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Variation in Early Management Practices in Moderate-to-Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome in the United States

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Mark Tidswell, MD, Baystate Health

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Document Type

Article, Peer-reviewed

Publication Date

6-1-2021

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

Abstract

Background: While specific interventions have previously demonstrated benefit in patients with the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), use of these interventions is inconsistent, and patient mortality remains high. The impact of variability in center management practices on ARDS mortality rates remains unknown.

Research question: What is the impact of treatment variability on mortality in patients with moderate-to-severe ARDS in the United States (US)?

Study design and methods: We conducted a multicenter, observational cohort study of mechanically ventilated adults with ARDS and PaO2/FiO2< 150 on positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) > 5 cm H2O, who were admitted to 29 US centers between October 1, 2016 and April 30, 2017. The primary outcome was 28-day in-hospital mortality. Center variation in ventilator management, adjunctive therapy use, and mortality were also assessed.

Results: A total of 2,466 patients were enrolled. Median baseline PaO2/FiO2 was 105 (IQR 78.0, 129.0). In-hospital 28-day mortality was 40.7%. Initial adherence to lung protective ventilation (tidal volume < 6.5 ml/kg predicted body weight, plateau pressure and/or peak inspiratory pressure < 30mm H2O) was 31.4% and varied between centers (0%-65%), as did rates of adjunctive therapy use (27.1%-96.4%), types of modalities used (neuromuscular blockade, prone positioning, systemic steroids, pulmonary vasodilators, and extracorporeal support), and mortality (16.7-73.3%). Center standardized mortality ratios (SMRs), calculated using baseline patient-level characteristics to derive expected mortality rate, ranged from 0.33 to 1.98. Of the treatment-level factors explored, only center adherence to early lung protective ventilation (LPV) was correlated with SMR.

Interpretation: Substantial center-to-center variability exists in ARDS management, suggesting that further opportunities for improving ARDS outcomes exist. Early adherence to LPV was associated with lower center mortality and may be a surrogate for overall quality of care processes. Future collaboration is needed to identify additional treatment-level factors influencing center-level outcomes.

Keywords: Acute respiratory distress syndrome; corticosteroids; extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; mechanical ventilation; neuromuscular blockade; prone positioning.

PMID

34089739

Citation Information

Qadir N, Bartz RR, Cooter ML, Hough CL, Lanspa MJ, Banner-Goodspeed VM, Chen JT, Giovanni S, Gomaa D, Sjoding MW, Hajizadeh N, Komisarow J, Duggal A, Khanna AK, Kashyap R, Khan A, Chang SY, Tonna JE, Anderson HL 3rd, Liebler JM, Mosier JM, Morris PE, Genthon A, Louh IK, Tidswell M, Stephens RS, Esper AM, Dries DJ, Martinez AA, Schreyer KE, Bender W, Tiwari A, Guru PK, Hanna S, Gong MN, Park PK; SAGE Investigators, on behalf of SCCM Discovery. Variation in Early Management Practices in Moderate-to-Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome in the United States. Chest. 2021 Jun 2:S0012-3692(21)01078-3. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2021.05.047. Epub ahead of print.