Guideline adherence in the management of acute pulmonary oedema: Study protocol for a French survey involving cardiologists, emergency physicians and intensivists

Abstract

Background: Because of their high morbidity and mortality, patients with acute pulmonary oedema (APE) require early recognition of symptoms, identification of precipitating factors and admission to specialized care units (cardiac critical care or intensive care). APE is at the crossroads of different specialties (cardiology, emergency medicine and intensive care medicine). Although multidisciplinary expertise and management may be a strength, it can also be a source of confusion, with unexpected heterogeneity in patient care. We hypothesized that the management of severe APE may be heterogeneous between specialties and, in some situations, may differ from international recommendations.

Aim: We designed a survey to compare management of different APE phenotypes according to the physicians' medical specialty, and to compare the results with what experts would do and European guidelines.

Methods: Four clinical cases of typical APE with questions pertaining to the latest guidelines were designed by a Scientific Committee designated by the French Scientific Societies for Cardiology, Emergency Medicine and Intensive Care Medicine. We focused on oxygenation and ventilation strategies, management of precipitating factors, including timing of coronary revascularization, use of diuretics and management of diuretic resistance, and discharge coverage. From 20 June 2022 until 09 September 2022, the four cases of APE (two during hypertensive crises, two during acute coronary syndromes) were proposed to French physicians involved in APE care, and to experts, using an open online survey. To avoid any diagnostic ambiguity, the diagnosis of APE was given at the beginning of each clinical case.

Results: The intention is to present the results at national and international conferences and publish them in a peer-reviewed journal.

Conclusions: The results of this survey are intended to pave the way for the generation of novel hypotheses for future clinical trials in case of equipoise between subsets of therapeutic procedures in APE.

Keywords: Acute heart failure; Acute pulmonary oedema; Guidelines adherence; Survey.