Proning During Pandemic: The Rapid Institution of a Safe, Transferable, and Effective Prone Positioning Program at Nychhc/elmhurst Hospital, A Situationally Resource Limited Facility, During the Peak of the Covid 19 Surge
Authors: Astua Alfredo J , Michaels Eli K , Michaels Andrew J 
Published: May 2020

Introduction:The use of prone positional therapy for moderate and severe hypoxicAcute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is known to decrease mortality. There are barriers to the routine use of Intermittent Prone Positioning (IPP), yet medical facilities are being overwhelmed with hypoxic patients due to COVID 19. We present the evolution of a high reliability protocolized program for IPP using minimal materials at the peak of the surge of COVID 19 patients that is applicable in settings of significant limitations and austerity.Methods:In the second week of April 2020 the program evolved through a series of short loop quality-based changes based in the principles of High Reliability Organizations (HROs) and Crew Resource Management (CRM). Patients with moderate to severe ARDS [PaO2:FiO2 ratio (PFr) was < 150 on an FiO2> 0.6 and a PEEP > 5 cm H2O] were eligible to receive IPP.The prone team consists of five to seven persons and patients were placed in the prone position for 16 hours and supine for 8 hours each day. When their PFr was > 200 for > 8 hours supine, positional therapy ceased. Patients were positioned prone using only available materials without additional work from the bedside physicians, registered nurses (RNs) or respiratory therapists (RTs).Arterial blood gases (ABGs) provided the measures of PaO2, PaCO2 and FiO2 and enabled calculation of the PFr and the SaO2:FiO2 ratio (SaFr). Data were collected concurrently by prospective intention for quality assessment. Data are reported as number (n) and percent (%) or mean ± standard error of the mean (SEM) and range. Changes in PaCO2, PF ratios, and SaF ratios are made by paired sample t-tests (2-tailed). Associations of PFr and SaFr at one hour pre-prone are evaluated using Pearson’s correlation and simple linear regression. Data were evaluated using R® Version 1.2.1335 (R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna Austria) and significance is noted at α < 0.05 (p < 0.05).Results:Patients were treated between 14APR2020 and 09MAY2020. The peak of COVID 19 related deaths in New York was the 15th of April 2020. There have been 202 movements to the prone position and patients have received between 1 and 15 IPPs. There are 32 patients in the reported cohort and currently 12 patients are receiving IPP each day. Patients were 58.3± 1.7 years of age (37 to 73 years), 77% were male and had a BMI (body mass index) of 27.9 ± 0.7 (21 to 35). Pressor agents were being used in 74%, 16% were receiving dialysis, the white blood cell counts were 17.0 ± 1.5 (103/mcL) and their D dimers were 4630.0 ± 1588.0 ng/mL. At the time of consultation for prone positional therapy the patient’s arterial blood gas analyses were pH 7.28 ± 0.02, PaCO2 63.1 ± 3.53 mmHg, PaO2 of 80.5 ± 5.3 mmHg, HCO3 of 27.8 ± 1.0 mmol/L.The PFr prior to IPP was 108.0 ± 5.4and 1 hour after IPP was 152.8 ± 11.2 (p < 0.001). PFr after the patients were placed supine was 128.8 ± 9.2 (p = 0.014). Pre-prone PaCO2 was 59.7 ± 2.4 and the 1-hour post-prone PaCO2 was 68.9 ± 3.5 (p = 0.017 compared to pre-prone). The PaCO2measured supine one hour after IPP was 60.7 ± 3.3 (NS compared to pre-prone).The SaFr prior to IPP was 121.3 ± 4.2 and the SaFr 1 hour after positioning was 131.5 ± 5.1 (p = 0.012). The SaFr after the patients were placed supine was 139.7 ± 5.9 (p < 0.001 compared to pre-prone).Using regression coefficients, the SaF ratios predicted by PF ratios of 150 and 200 are 133.2 and 147.3, respectively.Conclusions:A program for prone positioning of adult patients with severe hypoxic ARDS due to COVID 19 can be designed and implemented rapidly, safely, and effectively during an overwhelming mass casualty scenario. This report describes one simple method that does not require any additional materials or labor from the already overburdened staff at the bedside. This approach may be equally applicable in both traditionally austere environments and in otherwise capable centers facing situational resource challenges.