Anesthesiology
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Tracheal intubation-associated events (TIAEs) are common (20%) and life threatening (4%) in pediatric intensive care units. Physician trainees are required to learn tracheal intubation during intensive care unit rotations. The authors hypothesized that "just-in-time" simulation-based intubation refresher training would improve resident participation, success, and decrease TIAEs. ⋯ Brief just-in-time multidisciplinary simulation-based intubation refresher training did not improve the resident's first attempt or overall tracheal intubation success.
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Animal studies suggest that regional anesthesia and optimal postoperative analgesia independently reduce cancer metastasis. Retrospective clinical studies suggest reductions in recurrence of several cancer types in patients receiving perioperative neuraxial analgesia. Thus, the authors determined the association between perioperative epidural analgesia and cancer recurrence in patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery. ⋯ In contrast to previous retrospective studies in the colon, breast, and prostate cancer surgery, the authors found that the use of epidural analgesia for perioperative pain control during colorectal cancer surgery was not associated with a decreased cancer recurrence; however, a potential benefit was observed in older patients. The benefit of regional anesthesia on cancer recurrence may thus depend on the specific tumor type.
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Hypercapnic acidosis frequently occurs when patients with acute lung injury are initially ventilated with low tidal volume "protective" strategies. Hypercapnic acidosis per se, in the absence of any change in tidal volume or airway pressure, is protective when instituted before the onset of injury. However, the mechanisms by which hypercapnic acidosis confers this protection are incompletely understood, in particular, the effects on pulmonary oxidative reactions, which are potent mediators of tissue damage, have not been previously examined in vivo. ⋯ Hypercapnic acidosis reduced oxidative reactions in the acutely injured lung in vivo, within minutes of onset and was not reliant on nitric oxide-dependent peroxynitrite production. This rapid onset antioxidant action is a previously undescribed mechanism by which hypercapnic acidosis could act, even when acute lung injury is well established.