Project description:The transcriptional and phenotypic characteristics that define alveolar monocyte and macrophage subsets in acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF) are poorly understood. We applied CITE-seq (single-cell RNA-sequencing + cell-surface protein quantification) to bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and peripheral blood cells longitudinally collected from subjects with AHRF to identify novel alveolar monocyte/macrophage subsets, and then validated their identity in an external cohort using flow cytometry. We identified 2 monocyte and 6 macrophage subsets in alveolar samples using CITE-seq data. Some of the subsets had similar transcriptional profiles as those reported in healthy subjects (metallothionein genes) or patients with COVID-19 (LGMN-expressing). We also identified novel subsets with transcriptional signatures that straddled previously reported monocyte and macrophage subsets. We used information from CITE-seq to determine cell-surface proteins that distinguish transcriptional subsets (CD14, CD163, CD123, CD71, CD48, CD86, and CD44). In the external cohort, we found a higher proportion of CD163/LGMN alveolar macrophages was associated with mortality. We report a parsimonious set of cell-surface proteins that can distinguish alveolar monocyte/macrophage subsets using scalable approaches that can be applied to clinical cohorts.
Project description:The recognized diversity of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) is rapidly expanding. Three ILC classes have emerged, ILC1, ILC2 and ILC3, with ILC1 and ILC3 including several subsets. The classification of some subsets is unclear, and it remains controversial whether natural killer (NK) cells and ILC1 cells are distinct cell types. To address these issues, we analyzed gene expression in ILCs and NK cells from mouse small intestine, spleen and liver, as part of the Immunological Genome Project. The results showed unique gene-expression patterns for some ILCs and overlapping patterns for ILC1 cells and NK cells, whereas other ILC subsets remained indistinguishable. We identified a transcriptional program shared by small intestine ILCs and a core ILC signature. We revealed and discuss transcripts that suggest previously unknown functions and developmental paths for ILCs.
Project description:Rationale: Serial measurements of alveolar macrophage (AM) transcriptional changes in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) could identify cell-specific biological programs that are associated with clinical outcomes.Objectives: To determine whether AM transcriptional programs are associated with prolonged mechanical ventilation and 28-day mortality in individuals with ARDS.Methods: We performed genome-wide transcriptional profiling of AMs purified from BAL fluid collected from 35 subjects with ARDS. Cells were obtained at baseline (Day 1), Day 4, and Day 8 after ARDS onset (N = 68 total samples). We identified biological pathways that were enriched at each time point in subjects alive and extubated within 28 days after ARDS onset (alive/extubatedDay28) versus those dead or persistently supported on mechanical ventilation at Day 28 (dead/intubatedDay28).Measurements and Main Results: "M1-like" (classically activated) and proinflammatory gene sets such as IL-6/JAK/STAT5 (Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription 5) signaling were significantly enriched in AMs isolated on Day 1 in alive/extubatedDay28 versus dead/intubatedDay28 subjects. In contrast, by Day 8, many of these same proinflammatory gene sets were enriched in AMs collected from dead/intubatedDay28 compared with alive/extubatedDay28 subjects. Serially sampled alive/extubatedDay28 subjects were characterized by an AM temporal expression pattern of Day 1 enrichment of innate immune programs followed by prompt downregulation on Days 4 and 8. Dead/intubatedDay28 subjects exhibited an opposite pattern, characterized by progressive upregulation of proinflammatory programs over the course of ARDS. The relationship between AM expression profiles and 28-day clinical status was distinct in subjects with direct (pulmonary) versus indirect (extrapulmonary) ARDS.Conclusions: Clinical outcomes in ARDS are associated with highly distinct AM transcriptional programs.
Project description:ObjectivesTo characterize contemporary use of inhaled nitric oxide in pediatric acute respiratory failure and to assess relationships between clinical variables and outcomes. We sought to study the relationship of inhaled nitric oxide response to patient characteristics including right ventricular dysfunction and clinician responsiveness to improved oxygenation. We hypothesize that prompt clinician responsiveness to minimize hyperoxia would be associated with improved outcomes.DesignAn observational cohort study.SettingEight sites of the Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network.PatientsOne hundred fifty-one patients who received inhaled nitric oxide for a primary respiratory indication.Measurements and main resultsClinical data were abstracted from the medical record beginning at inhaled nitric oxide initiation and continuing until the earliest of 28 days, ICU discharge, or death. Ventilator-free days, oxygenation index, and Functional Status Scale were calculated. Echocardiographic reports were abstracted assessing for pulmonary hypertension, right ventricular dysfunction, and other cardiovascular parameters. Clinician responsiveness to improved oxygenation was determined. One hundred thirty patients (86%) who received inhaled nitric oxide had improved oxygenation by 24 hours. PICU mortality was 29.8%, while a new morbidity was identified in 19.8% of survivors. Among patients who had echocardiograms, 27.9% had evidence of pulmonary hypertension, 23.1% had right ventricular systolic dysfunction, and 22.1% had an atrial communication. Moderate or severe right ventricular dysfunction was associated with higher mortality. Clinicians responded to an improvement in oxygenation by decreasing FIO2 to less than 0.6 within 24 hours in 71% of patients. Timely clinician responsiveness to improved oxygenation with inhaled nitric oxide was associated with more ventilator-free days but not less cardiac arrests, mortality, or additional morbidity.ConclusionsClinician responsiveness to improved oxygenation was associated with less ventilator days. Algorithms to standardize ventilator management may improve signal to noise ratios in future trials enabling better assessment of the effect of inhaled nitric oxide on patient outcomes. Additionally, confining studies to more selective patient populations such as those with right ventricular dysfunction may be required.
Project description:BackgroundNoninvasive respiratory support modalities are common alternatives to mechanical ventilation in acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. However, studies historically compare noninvasive respiratory support to conventional oxygen rather than mechanical ventilation. In this study, we compared outcomes in patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure treated initially with noninvasive respiratory support to patients treated initially with invasive mechanical ventilation.MethodsThis is a retrospective observational cohort study between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2019 at a large healthcare network in the United States. We used a validated phenotyping algorithm to classify adult patients (≥18 years) with eligible International Classification of Diseases codes into two cohorts: those treated initially with noninvasive respiratory support or those treated invasive mechanical ventilation only. The primary outcome was time-to-in-hospital death analyzed using an inverse probability of treatment weighted Cox model adjusted for potential confounders. Secondary outcomes included time-to-hospital discharge alive. A secondary analysis was conducted to examine potential differences between noninvasive positive pressure ventilation and nasal high flow.ResultsDuring the study period, 3177 patients met inclusion criteria (40% invasive mechanical ventilation, 60% noninvasive respiratory support). Initial noninvasive respiratory support was not associated with a decreased hazard of in-hospital death (HR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.35-1.2), but was associated with an increased hazard of discharge alive (HR: 2.26, 95% CI: 1.92-2.67). In-hospital death varied between the nasal high flow (HR 3.27, 95% CI: 1.43-7.45) and noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (HR 0.52, 95% CI 0.25-1.07), but both were associated with increased likelihood of discharge alive (nasal high flow HR 2.12, 95 CI: 1.25-3.57; noninvasive positive pressure ventilation HR 2.29, 95% CI: 1.92-2.74).ConclusionsThese data show that noninvasive respiratory support is not associated with reduced hazards of in-hospital death but is associated with hospital discharge alive.
Project description:BackgroundAcute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are associated with high in-hospital mortality. However, in cohorts of ARDS patients from the 1990s, patients more commonly died from sepsis or multi-organ failure rather than refractory hypoxemia. Given increased attention to lung-protective ventilation and sepsis treatment in the past 25 years, we hypothesized that causes of death may be different among contemporary cohorts. These differences may provide clinicians with insight into targets for future therapeutic interventions.MethodsWe identified adult patients hospitalized at a single tertiary care center (2016-2017) with AHRF, defined as PaO2/FiO2 ≤ 300 while receiving invasive mechanical ventilation for > 12 h, who died during hospitalization. ARDS was adjudicated by multiple physicians using the Berlin definition. Separate abstractors blinded to ARDS status collected data on organ dysfunction and withdrawal of life support using a standardized tool. The primary cause of death was defined as the organ system that most directly contributed to death or withdrawal of life support.ResultsWe identified 385 decedents with AHRF, of whom 127 (33%) had ARDS. The most common primary causes of death were sepsis (26%), pulmonary dysfunction (22%), and neurologic dysfunction (19%). Multi-organ failure was present in 70% at time of death, most commonly due to sepsis (50% of all patients), and 70% were on significant respiratory support at the time of death. Only 2% of patients had insupportable oxygenation or ventilation. Eighty-five percent died following withdrawal of life support. Patients with ARDS more often had pulmonary dysfunction as the primary cause of death (28% vs 19%; p = 0.04) and were also more likely to die while requiring significant respiratory support (82% vs 64%; p < 0.01).ConclusionsIn this contemporary cohort of patients with AHRF, the most common primary causes of death were sepsis and pulmonary dysfunction, but few patients had insupportable oxygenation or ventilation. The vast majority of deaths occurred after withdrawal of life support. ARDS patients were more likely to have pulmonary dysfunction as the primary cause of death and die while requiring significant respiratory support compared to patients without ARDS.
Project description:Cre-LoxP system has been widely used to induce recombination of floxed genes of interest. Currently available macrophage promoter-specific Cre recombinase mice strains have various limitations that warrants the testing of additional Cre strains. V-maf musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma oncogene family, protein b -Cre (Mafb-Cre) mice label macrophages in most organs such as spleen, small intestine, lung, bone marrow, and peritoneal cavity. However, whether Mafb-Cre recombinase targets the gene recombination in alveolar macrophage remains untested. Here, we utilized MafbCre/WTR26mTmG/WT strain that expresses mTOM protein in all the cells of mouse body except for those that express Mafb-Cre-regulated mEGFP. We performed fluorescent microscopy and flow cytometry to analyze mTOM and mEGFP expression in alveolar macrophages from MafbCre/WTR26mTmG/WT mice. Our analyses revealed that the Mafb-Cre is active in only ~40% of the alveolar macrophages in an age-independent manner. While Mafb- (mTOM+/mEGFP-) and Mafb+ (mEGFP+) alveolar macrophages exhibit comparable expression of CD11b and CD11c surface markers, the surface expression of MHCII is elevated in the Mafb+ (mEGFP+) macrophages. The bone marrow-derived macrophages from MafbCre/WTR26mTmG/WT mice are highly amenable to Cre-LoxP recombination in vitro. The bone marrow depletion and reconstitution experiment revealed that ~98% of alveolar macrophages from MafbCre/WTR26mTmG/WT → WT chimera are amenable to the Mafb-Cre-mediated recombination. Finally, the Th2 stimulation and ozone exposure to the MafbCre/WTR26mTmG/WT mice promote the Mafb-Cre-mediated recombination in alveolar macrophages. In conclusion, while the Mafb-/Mafb+ dichotomy thwarts the use of Mafb-Cre for the induction of floxed alleles in the entire alveolar macrophage population, this strain provides a unique tool to induce gene deletion in alveolar macrophages that encounter Th2 microenvironment in the lung airspaces.
Project description:Severe hypoxemic respiratory failure is frequently managed with invasive mechanical ventilation with or without prone position (PP). We describe 13 cases of nonhypercapnic acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF) of varied etiology, who were treated successfully in PP without the need for intubation. Noninvasive ventilation (NIV), high-flow oxygen via nasal cannula, supplementary oxygen with venturi face mask, or nasal cannula were used variedly in these patients. Mechanical ventilatory support is offered to patients with AHRF when other methods, such as NIV and oxygen via high-flow nasal cannula, fail. Invasive mechanical ventilation is fraught with complications which could be immediate, ranging from worsening of hypoxemia, worsening hemodynamics, loss of airway, and even death. Late complications could be ventilator-associated pneumonia, biotrauma, tracheal stenosis, etc. Prone position is known to improve oxygenation and outcome in adult respiratory distress syndrome. We postulated that positioning an unintubated patient with AHRF in PP will improve oxygenation and avoid the need for invasive mechanical ventilation and thereby its complications. Here, we describe a series of 13 patients with hypoxemic respiratory of varied etiology, who were successfully treated in the PP without endotracheal intubation. Two patients (15.4%) had mild, nine (69.2%) had moderate, and two (15.4%) had severe hypoxemia. Oxygenation as assessed by PaO2/FiO2 ratio in supine position was 154 ± 52, which improved to 328 ± 65 after PP. Alveolar to arterial (A-a) O2 gradient improved from a median of 170.5 mm Hg interquartile range (IQR) (127.8, 309.7) in supine position to 49.1 mm Hg IQR (45.0, 56.6) after PP. This improvement in oxygenation took a median of 46 hours, IQR (24, 109). Thus, voluntary PP maneuver improved oxygenation and avoided endotracheal intubation in a select group of patients with hypoxemic respiratory failure. This maneuver may be relevant in the ongoing novel coronavirus disease pandemic by potentially reducing endotracheal intubation and the need for ventilator and therefore better utilization of critical care services.How to cite this articleRao SV, Udhayachandar R, Rao VB, Raju NA, Nesaraj JJJ, Kandasamy S, et al. Voluntary Prone Position for Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure in Unintubated Patients. Indian J Crit Care Med 2020;24(7):557-562.
Project description:BackgroundThe effects of awake prone position on the breathing pattern of hypoxemic patients need to be better understood. We conducted a crossover trial to assess the physiological effects of awake prone position in patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure.MethodsFifteen patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure and PaO2/FiO2 < 200 mmHg underwent high-flow nasal oxygen for 1 h in supine position and 2 h in prone position, followed by a final 1-h supine phase. At the end of each study phase, the following parameters were measured: arterial blood gases, inspiratory effort (ΔPES), transpulmonary driving pressure (ΔPL), respiratory rate and esophageal pressure simplified pressure-time product per minute (sPTPES) by esophageal manometry, tidal volume (VT), end-expiratory lung impedance (EELI), lung compliance, airway resistance, time constant, dynamic strain (VT/EELI) and pendelluft extent through electrical impedance tomography.ResultsCompared to supine position, prone position increased PaO2/FiO2 (median [Interquartile range] 104 mmHg [76-129] vs. 74 [69-93], p < 0.001), reduced respiratory rate (24 breaths/min [22-26] vs. 27 [26-30], p = 0.05) and increased ΔPES (12 cmH2O [11-13] vs. 9 [8-12], p = 0.04) with similar sPTPES (131 [75-154] cmH2O s min-1 vs. 105 [81-129], p > 0.99) and ΔPL (9 [7-11] cmH2O vs. 8 [5-9], p = 0.17). Airway resistance and time constant were higher in prone vs. supine position (9 cmH2O s arbitrary units-3 [4-11] vs. 6 [4-9], p = 0.05; 0.53 s [0.32-61] vs. 0.40 [0.37-0.44], p = 0.03). Prone position increased EELI (3887 arbitrary units [3414-8547] vs. 1456 [959-2420], p = 0.002) and promoted VT distribution towards dorsal lung regions without affecting VT size and lung compliance: this generated lower dynamic strain (0.21 [0.16-0.24] vs. 0.38 [0.30-0.49], p = 0.004). The magnitude of pendelluft phenomenon was not different between study phases (55% [7-57] of VT in prone vs. 31% [14-55] in supine position, p > 0.99).ConclusionsProne position improves oxygenation, increases EELI and promotes VT distribution towards dependent lung regions without affecting VT size, ΔPL, lung compliance and pendelluft magnitude. Prone position reduces respiratory rate and increases ΔPES because of positional increases in airway resistance and prolonged expiratory time. Because high ΔPES is the main mechanistic determinant of self-inflicted lung injury, caution may be needed in using awake prone position in patients exhibiting intense ΔPES. Clinical trail registeration: The study was registered on clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03095300) on March 29, 2017.