Chae, June

IMPORTANCE: Initial Society of Critical Care Medicine Discovery Viral Infection and Respiratory illness Universal Study (VIRUS) Registry analysis suggested that improvements in critical care processes offered the greatest modifiable opportunity to improve critically ill COVID-19 patient outcomes. OBJECTIVES: The Structured Team-based Optimal Patient-Centered Care for Virus COVID-19 ICU Collaborative was created to identify and speed implementation of best evidence based COVID-19 practices. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This 6-month project included volunteer interprofessional teams from VIRUS Registry sites, who received online training on the Checklist for Early Recognition and Treatment of Acute Illness and iNjury approach, a structured and systematic method for delivering evidence based critical care. Collaborators participated in weekly 1-hour videoconference sessions on high impact topics, monthly quality improvement (QI) coaching sessions, and received extensive additional resources for asynchronous learning. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Outcomes included learner engagement, satisfaction, and number of QI projects initiated by participating teams. RESULTS: Eleven of 13 initial sites participated in the Collaborative from March 2, 2021, to September 29, 2021. A total of 67 learners participated in the Collaborative, including 23 nurses, 22 physicians, 10 pharmacists, nine respiratory therapists, and three nonclinicians. Site attendance among the 11 sites in the 25 videoconference sessions ranged between 82% and 100%, with three sites providing at least one team member for 100% of sessions. The majority reported that topics matched their scope of practice (69%) and would highly recommend the program to colleagues (77%). A total of nine QI projects were initiated across three clinical domains and focused on improving adherence to established critical care practice bundles, reducing nosocomial complications, and strengthening patient- and family-centered care in the ICU. Major factors impacting successful Collaborative engagement included an engaged interprofessional team; an established culture of engagement; opportunities to benchmark performance and accelerate institutional innovation, networking, and acclaim; and ready access to data that could be leveraged for QI purposes. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Use of a virtual platform to establish a learning collaborative to accelerate the identification, dissemination, and implementation of critical care best practices for COVID-19 is feasible. Our experience offers important lessons for future collaborative efforts focused on improving ICU processes of care.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized oncology, but are associated with immune-related adverse events. Clinically, pneumonitis is a well-recognized complication, but its histopathologic features are poorly understood. Institutional archives were searched for patients having ICI therapy and subsequent lung tissue sampling. After excluding infectious cases, 9 patients (5 women, median: 59 y) were identified with clinically suspected ICI-related pneumonitis. Clinical history, imaging, and pathology slides were reviewed. Patients received pembrolizumab (6 cases), nivolumab (1), ipilimumab followed by pembrolizumab (1), or pembrolizumab followed by nivolumab (1); the latter experienced pneumonitis with both agents. Treatment duration ranged from 1 to 33 cycles (median: 8). Three patients received concurrent chemotherapy and 1 received radiation; the remainder received ICI monotherapy. Symptoms were nonspecific; 2 patients were asymptomatic. Thoracic imaging showed bilateral ground glass or nodular opacities in all cases, often with pleural effusion. Histologically, organizing pneumonia was seen in 7 patients, all with subclinical or mild disease, admixed with vague non-necrotizing airspace granulomas in 3 cases; all 6 patients with follow-up did well. One patient had acute fibrinous pneumonitis and 1 had diffuse alveolar damage; both died. All 9 cases showed foamy macrophages and pneumocyte vacuolization; 6 had rare eosinophils. ICI-related pneumonitis presents as bilateral ground-glass opacities or nodules, and usually manifests as organizing pneumonia histopathologically, often with vague non-necrotizing airspace granulomas. Foamy macrophages and pneumocyte vacuolization are characteristic and rare eosinophils are often seen. Less commonly, acute fibrinous pneumonitis or diffuse alveolar damage can occur, which may be fatal.

This is a case of primary pulmonary lymphoma presenting concurrently with superimposed lung abscess, managed with the assistance of intracavitary fibrinolytic therapy. A 28-year-old man presented with 2 months of persistent cough. He had a large lung abscess involving almost the entire right upper lobe. The mass continued to progress in spite of appropriate antibiotic administration. Given the extent of involvement, he was not a surgical candidate. A bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage and transbronchial biopsies demonstrated diffuse large B cell lymphoma. Initial cultures were positive for Group G Streptococci. A CT-guided percutaneous drain was placed with initial purulent drainage that grew Prevotella and Streptococcus mitis; however, drainage quickly abated without adequate evacuation of the abscess cavity. To further optimise drainage in anticipation of chemotherapy administration, intracavitary fibrinolytic therapy including tissue plasminogen activator and deoxyribonuclease was attempted to better evacuate the infected space.