Anesthesiology
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Multicenter Study
Diffusion tensor imaging to predict long-term outcome after cardiac arrest: a bicentric pilot study.
Prognostication in comatose survivors of cardiac arrest is a major clinical challenge. The authors' objective was to determine whether an assessment with diffusion tensor imaging, a brain magnetic resonance imaging sequence, increases the accuracy of 1 yr functional outcome prediction in cardiac arrest survivors. ⋯ Quantitative diffusion tensor imaging indicates that white matter damage is widespread after cardiac arrest. A prognostic model based on FA values in selected white matter tracts seems to predict accurately 1 yr functional outcome. These preliminary results need to be confirmed in a larger population.
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Multicenter Study
Relationship of erythrocyte transfusion with short- and long-term mortality in a population-based surgical cohort.
When comparing transfused versus nontransfused patients, erythrocyte transfusion is consistently associated with increased mortality. Nonetheless, unmeasured confounding may unduly influence this comparison. This unmeasured risk may have less influence on comparisons of patients undergoing surgery at hospitals with differing transfusion rates. ⋯ The association of transfusion with postoperative mortality differed significantly when comparing transfused versus nontransfused patients, as opposed to comparing hospitals with differing transfusion rates. This discrepancy raises questions about the true relationship between transfusion and mortality.
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An increasing number of elderly patients are treated for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Given that elderly age is associated with both poor outcome and an increased risk of hydrocephalus, we sought to investigate the interaction between age and hydrocephalus in outcome prediction. ⋯ In this observational study, elderly age and admission hydrocephalus predicted poor outcome, but elderly age without hydrocephalus did not. An external validation, however, will be needed to generalize this finding.
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Xenon has been proven to be neuroprotective in experimental brain injury. The authors hypothesized that xenon would improve outcome from focal cerebral ischemia with a delayed treatment onset and prolonged recovery interval. ⋯ Xenon improved focal ischemic outcome at 7, but not 28 days postischemia. Xenon combined with subtherapeutic hypothermia produced sustained recovery benefit. Xenon improved intracerebral hemorrhage outcome. Xenon may have potential for clinical stroke therapy under carefully defined conditions.
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Sevoflurane has become the gold standard for inhalation induction in children. However in children as in adults, epileptiform electroencephalographic signs have been described under high concentrations of sevoflurane. The aim of this study was to determine the minimal alveolar concentration (MAC) of sevoflurane associated with the occurrence of major epileptiform signs (MES) in 50% children under steady-state conditions. The MAC of MES (MAC MES) was determined in 100% oxygen and with the addition of 50% nitrous oxide or after the injection of alfentanil (ALFENTA). ⋯ In children premedicated with hydroxyzine, the MAC MES of sevoflurane calculated in 100% O2 corresponded to 1.75 surgical MAC. In addition, our results have demonstrated a moderate effect of nitrous oxide and alfentanil in raising the threshold of MES.