[Application and significance of prone position in the treatment of patients with severe pneumonia in intensive care unit].

OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect of prone position on the prognosis of patients with severe pneumonia in intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS:A retrospective cohort study was conducted. The patients with severe pneumonia admitted to the ICU of Qingdao Municipal Hospital from May 2022 to August 2023 were enrolled. The general information, etiology, underlying diseases, vital signs and laboratory indicators at ICU admission, clinical treatment and prognosis during ICU hospitalization were collected. The above clinical data of patients with different prognosis were compared. Multifactorial Logistic regression analysis was used to screen the related factors affecting survival during ICU in patients with severe pneumonia. The change in oxygenation index (PaO2/FiO2) of patients with severe pneumonia were observed at 1 hour before the first prone position, 1 hour after the first prone position, and 1 hour after the end of the first prone position. The effect of prone position on oxygenation in patients with severe pneumonia was analyzed. Spearman correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlation between the duration to first prone position and the change in the PaO2/FiO2 before and after prone position in patients with severe pneumonia. RESULTS:Finally, a total of 144 patients with severe pneumonia were enrolled, 45 survived and 99 died during ICU hospitalization, with a mortality of 68.8%. Compared with the survival group, the patients in the death group were older [years old: 81.00 (70.75, 86.00) vs. 71.00 (60.50, 81.50), P < 0.01], the proportion of pre-existing lung disease, heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), blood lactic acid (Lac) and the ratio of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) were higher [ratio of pre-existing lung disease: 23.2% (23/99) vs. 8.9% (4/45), HR (bpm): 99.61±22.47 vs. 91.49±18.76, RR (times/min): 22.50 (19.75, 29.25) vs. 20.00 (17.50, 24.50), Lac (mmol/L): 2.00 (1.55 , 3.25) vs. 1.60 (1.20, 1.95), CRRT ratio: 25.3% (25/99) vs. 6.7% (3/45), all P < 0.05], and the proportion of prone position was lower [41.4% (41/99) vs. 68.9% (31/45), P < 0.01]. Multifactorial Logistic regression analysis showed that age [odds ratio (OR) = 0.946, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 0.912-0.980, P = 0.002] and Lac (OR = 0.563, 95%CI was 0.340-0.930, P = 0.025) were negatively correlated with survival during ICU hospitalization in severe pneumonia patients, while prone position was positively correlated with survival (OR = 2.551, 95%CI was 1.067-6.095, P = 0.035), indicating that prone position was beneficial for improving ICU prognosis in severe pneumonia patients. The results of PaO2/FiO2 at different time points in prone position showed that PaO2/FiO2 at 1 hour of the first prone position in the patients with severe pneumonia was significantly higher than that at 1 hour before the first prone position [mmHg (1 mmHg ≈ 0.133 kPa): 146.69 (113.92, 257.25) vs. 111.75 (70.15, 212.20), P < 0.01], indicating that the prone position had a relevant effect on the improvement of oxygenation in patients. Spearman correlation analysis showed that the duration of the first prone position in patients with severe pneumonia was significantly and positively correlated with the improvement of oxygenation at 1 hour of the first prone position (r = 0.565, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS:The prone position is a therapeutic measure that can independently influence the prognosis of patients with severe pneumonia during ICU hospitalization. The prone position effectively improves oxygenation in patients with severe pneumonia and the first change in oxygenation in patients is related to the duration of the prone position.