Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Aug 2015
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative StudyRationale and Design of the Balanced Anesthesia Study: A Prospective Randomized Clinical Trial of Two Levels of Anesthetic Depth on Patient Outcome After Major Surgery.
An association between relatively deep anesthesia, as guided by the bispectral index (BIS), and increased postoperative mortality has been demonstrated in 6 of 8 published observational studies, but association does not necessarily mean causality. Small clinical trials of anesthetic depth have demonstrated increased delirium and postoperative cognitive dysfunction in patients who were relatively deeply anesthetized, but have been inadequately powered to study mortality. A large-scale randomized study is required to determine whether causality exists. ⋯ This randomized controlled trial should definitively answer the question of whether titrating anesthetic depth makes a difference to patient outcome in a vulnerable patient group.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Aug 2015
Mechanistic Modeling of the Effects of Acidosis on Thrombin Generation.
Acidosis, a frequent complication of trauma and complex surgery, results from tissue hypoperfusion and IV resuscitation with acidic fluids. While acidosis is known to inhibit the function of distinct enzymatic reactions, its cumulative effect on the blood coagulation system is not fully understood. Here, we use computational modeling to test the hypothesis that acidosis delays and reduces the amount of thrombin generation in human blood plasma. Moreover, we investigate the sensitivity of different thrombin generation parameters to acidosis, both at the individual and population level. ⋯ Acidosis affected all quantitative parameters of thrombin and TAT generation. While maximum slope of the thrombin curve showed the highest sensitivity to acidosis at the individual-subject level, it may be outperformed by CT, thrombin peak time, and prothrombin time as an indicator of acidosis at the subject-group level.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Aug 2015
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyTransversus Abdominis Plane Block Versus Caudal Epidural for Lower Abdominal Surgery in Children: A Double-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial.
TAP block provides superior analgesia to caudal block, though is less effective at preventing bladder spasms after paediatric lower abdominal surgery.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Aug 2015
ReviewCan the Viscoelastic Parameter α-Angle Distinguish Fibrinogen from Platelet Deficiency and Guide Fibrinogen Supplementation?
Viscoelastic tests such as thrombelastography (TEG, Haemoscope Inc., Niles, IL) and thromboelastometry (ROTEM, Tem International GmbH, Munich, Germany), performed in whole blood, are increasingly used at the point-of-care to characterize coagulopathic states and guide hemostatic therapy. An algorithm, based on a mono-analysis (kaolin-activated assay) approach, was proposed in the TEG patent (issued in 2004) where the α-angle and the maximum amplitude parameters are used to guide fibrinogen supplementation and platelet administration, respectively. Although multiple assays for both the TEG and ROTEM devices are now available, algorithms based on TEG mono-analysis are still used in many institutions. ⋯ Therefore, although TEG mono-analysis is useful for identifying a coagulopathic state, it cannot be used to discriminate between fibrin/fibrinogen and/or platelet deficits, respectively. Conversely, the use of viscoelastic methods where 2 assays can be run simultaneously, one with platelet inhibitors and one without, can effectively allow for the identification of specific coagulopathic states, such as insufficient fibrin formation or an insufficient contribution of platelets to clot strength. Such information is critical for making the appropriate choice of hemostatic therapy.
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Intraoperative cell salvage is a strategy to decrease the need for allogeneic blood transfusion. Traditionally, cell salvage has been avoided in the obstetric population because of the perceived risk of amniotic fluid embolism or induction of maternal alloimmunization. ⋯ No definite cases of amniotic fluid embolism have been reported and appear unlikely with modern equipment. Cell salvage is cost-effective in patients with predictably high rates of transfusion, such as parturients with abnormal placentation.