Anesthesiology
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Biography Historical Article Classical Article
Succinylcholine-induced hyperkalemia and beyond. 1975.
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Multicenter Study
Pain assessment is associated with decreased duration of mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit: a post Hoc analysis of the DOLOREA study.
Critically ill patients frequently experience pain, but assessment rates remain below 40% in mechanically ventilated patients. Whether pain assessment affects patient outcomes is largely unknown. ⋯ Pain assessment in mechanically ventilated patients is independently associated with a reduction in the duration of ventilator support and of duration of ICU stay. This might be related to higher concomitant rates of sedation assessments and a restricted use of hypnotic drugs when pain is assessed.
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The safety of bilateral total knee arthroplasties (BTKAs) during the same hospitalization remains controversial. The authors sought to study differences in perioperative outcomes between unilateral and BTKA and to further compare BTKAs performed during the same versus different operations during the same hospitalization. ⋯ BTKAs carry increased risk of perioperative morbidity and mortality compared with unilateral procedures. Staging BTKA procedures during the same hospitalization offers no mortality benefit and may even expose patients to increased morbidity.
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Acute hypercapnic acidosis protects against lung injury caused by nonseptic insults and after both pulmonary and systemic sepsis. The authors wished to dissect the contribution of the acidosis versus hypercapnia per se to the effects of hypercapnic acidosis on the hemodynamic profile and severity of lung injury induced by systemic sepsis. ⋯ Both hypercapnic acidosis and buffered hypercapnia attenuate the hemodynamic consequences of systemic sepsis. In contrast, hypercapnic acidosis, but not buffered hypercapnia, reduced the severity of sepsis-induced lung injury.