Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Nov 2019
Intraoperative Awareness With Recall: A Descriptive, Survey-Based, Cohort Study.
Unintended intraoperative awareness with recall (AWR) is a potential complication of general anesthesia. Patients typically report recollections of (1) hearing sounds or conversations, (2) being unable to breathe or move, (3), feeling pain, and/or (4) experiencing emotional distress. The purpose of the current study was to identify and further characterize AWR experiences identified through postoperative surveys of a large unselected adult surgical cohort. ⋯ The complication of AWR continues to occur during intended general anesthesia. Many reports of AWR episodes occur in patients receiving sedation or regional anesthesia and relate to incorrect expectations regarding anesthetic techniques and conscious experiences, representing a potential target for intervention.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Nov 2019
Comparative StudyIntravascular Cooling Device Versus Esophageal Heat Exchanger for Mild Therapeutic Hypothermia in an Experimental Setting.
Targeted temperature management is a standard therapy for unconscious survivors of cardiac arrest. To date, multiple cooling methods are available including invasive intravascular cooling devices (IVDs), which are widely used in the clinical setting. Recently, esophageal heat exchangers (EHEs) have been developed providing cooling via the esophagus that is located close to the aorta and inferior vena cava. The objective was to compare mean cooling rates, as well as differences, to target temperature during maintenance and the rewarming period of IVD and EHE. ⋯ After insertion, target temperatures could be reached faster by IVD compared to EHE. Cooling performance of IVD and EHE did not significantly differ in maintaining target temperature during a targeted temperature management process and in active rewarming protocols according to intensive care unit guidelines in this experimental setting.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Nov 2019
Comparative StudyCulture-Negative and Culture-Positive Sepsis: A Comparison of Characteristics and Outcomes.
The primary objective of this study was to compare the characteristics of culture-positive and culture-negative status in septic patients. We also determined whether culture status is associated with mortality and whether unique variables are associated with mortality in culture-positive and culture-negative patients separately. ⋯ While culture status is important for tailoring antibiotics, culture-negative and culture-positive patients with sepsis demonstrate similar characteristics and, after adjusting for severity of illness, similar mortality. The most important factor associated with negative cultures is receipt of antibiotics during the preceding 48 hours. The risk of death in patients suspected of having an infection is most associated with severity of illness. This is aligned with the Sepsis-3 definition using Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score to better identify those suspected of infection at highest risk of a poor outcome.
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Family caregivers are centrally involved in cancer pain management, especially for patients with advanced disease. This issue is becoming ever more important as care shifts to the outpatient setting and home care and as the aging population creates more patients who have multiple illnesses and family caregivers who often live with serious illnesses. This narrative review evaluated current knowledge and literature regarding family caregivers' involvement in cancer pain management and identified areas for future research and clinical practice. There is a need for additional research in this area and for clinical models of support for family caregivers as they provide pain management for patients with cancer.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Nov 2019
Long Intravascular Persistence of 20% Albumin in Postoperative Patients.
Albumin may persist intravascularly for a shorter time in patients after major surgery than in healthy volunteers due to a surgery-induced breakdown (shedding) of the endothelial glycocalyx layer. ⋯ Twenty percent albumin caused a long-lasting plasma volume expansion of similar magnitude in postoperative patients and volunteers.