Acute Encephalopathy in Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19

Overview

Infection with SARS-CoV-2 or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronarvirus type 2 was highlighted in December 2019 in the city of Wuhan in China, responsible for an pandemic evolution since March 11, 2020. The infection affects all ages of life, although affecting children in a very small proportion of cases. The typical presentation of the disease combines fever (98%), cough (76%), myalgia and asthenia (18%) as well as leukopenia (25%) and lymphopenia (63%). Upper airway involvement rare. The main clinical presentation requiring hospitalization of infected patients is that of atypical pneumonia which may require critical care management (27%), and progress to an acute respiratory distress syndrome (67%) involving life-threatening conditions in almost 25% of patients diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Other organ damage have been reported, mainly concerning kidney damage (29%) which may require renal replacement therapy in approximately 17% of patients. Neurological damage has been very rarely studied, yet reported in 36% of cases in a study including patients of varying severity. Finally, the mortality associated with this emerging virus is high in patients for whom critical care management is necessary, reported in 62% of patients. We therefore propose a prospective observational study which aim at reporting the prevalence of acute encephalopathy at initial management in Critical/Intensive care or Neurocritical care , to report its morbidity and mortality and to identify prognostic factors.

All patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection and acute encephalopathy at presentation will be prospectively included in the NEURO-COVD-19 study. This study will collect demographic data, clinical examen at prehospital/emergency room and ICU admission (including neurological signs), and all ancillary exams performed to identify a cause of neurological impairment. Outcome will be evaluated using the Glasgow Outcome Scale score at ICU and hospital discharge, and day-90 after ICU admission. Acute encephalopathy will be defined as recently stated : "1. The term acute encephalopathy refers to a rapidly developing (over less than 4 weeks, but usually within hours to a few days) pathobiological process in the brain. This is a preferred term 2. Acute encephalopathy can lead to a clinical presentation of subsyndromal delirium, delirium, or in case of a severely decreased level of consciousness, coma; all representing a change from baseline cognitive status 3. The term delirium refers to a clinical state characterized by a combination of features defined by diagnostic systems such as the DSM-5. Delirium according to the DSM-5 is defined if criterium A-E are fulfilled: A. Disturbance in attention (i.e., reduced ability to direct, focus, sustain, and shift attention) and awareness (reduced orientation to the environment). B. The disturbance develops over a short period of time (usually hours to a few days) represents a change from baseline attention and awareness, and tends to fluctuate in severity during the course of the day. C. An additional disturbance in cognition (e.g., memory deficit, disorientation, language, visuospatial ability, or perception). D. The disturbances in criteria A and C are not explained by another pre-existing, established, or evolving neurocognitive disorder, and do not occur in the context of a severely reduced level of arousal, such as coma. E. There is evidence from the history, physical examination, or laboratory findings that the disturbance is a direct physiologic consequence of another medical condition, substance intoxication or withdrawal (i.e. because of a drug of abuse medication), or exposure to a toxin, or is because of multiple etiologies. " (Slooter, A.J.C., Otte, W.M., Devlin, J.W. et al. Updated nomenclature of delirium and acute encephalopathy: statement of ten Societies. Intensive Care Med (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-019-05907-4)