Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Apr 2007
Randomized Controlled TrialThe effects of levosimendan in cardiac surgery patients with poor left ventricular function.
Patients with poor left ventricular function often require inotropic drug support immediately after cardiopulmonary bypass. Levosimendan improves cardiac function by a novel mechanism of action compared to currently available drugs. We hypothesized that, in patients with severely compromised ventricular function, the use of levosimendan would be associated with better postoperative cardiac function than with inotropic drugs that increase myocardial oxygen consumption. ⋯ In cardiac surgery patients with a low preoperative ejection fraction, stroke volume was better maintained with the combination of dobutamine with levosimendan than with the combination of dobutamine with milrinone.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Apr 2007
Validation of the Chinese version of pain self-efficacy questionnaire.
Self-efficacy is a person's belief in his or her ability to perform a certain behavior that achieves a desired outcome. Belief in self-efficacy influences the use of pain-coping strategies, physical and psychological function, and rehabilitation outcome in chronic pain patients. We conducted this prospective study to validate the psychometric properties of a Chinese version of the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ-HK). ⋯ PSEQ-HK is a reliable Chinese clinical assessment tool with satisfactory psychometric properties. Our results provided preliminary support for the construct validity of PSEQ-HK in a heterogeneous Chinese population with chronic nonmalignant pain.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Apr 2007
Comparative StudySupraventricular arrhythmias in intensive care unit patients: short and long-term consequences.
Supraventricular arrhythmias (SVA), including atrial fibrillation and flutter, are common in surgical and nonsurgical intensive care unit (ICU) patients. There is increased mortality among surgical ICU patients who develop new-onset atrial arrhythmias after noncardiac, non-thoracic surgery. We sought to determine the preadmission and intra-ICU factors associated with the development of new-onset SVA and mortality in these patients. ⋯ New-onset SVA occur frequently in ICU patients and are markers of extremely high in-hospital and 1-yr mortality.