Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jun 2021
Association Between Ionized Calcium Concentrations During Hemostatic Transfusion and Calcium Treatment With Mortality in Major Trauma.
Transfusion of citrated blood products may worsen resuscitation-induced hypocalcemia and trauma outcomes, suggesting the need for protocolized early calcium replacement in major trauma. However, the dynamics of ionized calcium during hemostatic resuscitation of severe injury are not well studied. We determined the frequency of hypocalcemia and quantified the association between the first measured ionized calcium concentration [iCa] and calcium administration early during hemostatic resuscitation and in-hospital mortality. ⋯ In our study, though most patients had hypocalcemia during the 1st3h of trauma center care, neither first [iCa] nor administered calcium dose corrected for citrate load were significantly associated with in-patient mortality. Clinically, hypocalcemia during early hemostatic resuscitation after severe injury is important, but specific treatment protocols must await better understanding of calcium physiology in acute injury.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jun 2021
Association Between Antifibrinolytic Therapy and Perioperative Outcomes in Patients With Coronary Artery Stents Undergoing Noncardiac Surgery.
Patients with existing coronary artery stents are at an increased risk for major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) when undergoing noncardiac surgery (NCS). Although the use of antifibrinolytic (AF) therapy in NCS has significantly increased in the past decade, the relationship between perioperative AF use and its association with MACEs among patients with existing coronary artery stents has yet to be assessed. In this study, we aim to evaluate the association of MACEs in patients with existing coronary artery stents who receive perioperative AF therapy during orthopedic surgery. ⋯ The results of this study are inconclusive whether an association exists between perioperative AF use in patients with coronary artery stents and the outcome of MACEs compared to patients who did not receive perioperative AF therapy. The authors acknowledge that the imprecise CI hinders the ability to definitively determine whether an association exists in the study population. Further large prospective studies, powered to detect differences in MACEs, are needed to assess the safety of perioperative AF in patients with existing coronary artery stents and to clarify the mechanism of perioperative MACEs in this high-risk population.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jun 2021
A Survey of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia on the Use, Monitoring, and Antagonism of Neuromuscular Blockade.
Although the package insert clearly states that "the safety and efficacy of sugammadex in pediatric patients have not been established," we hypothesized that sugammadex is used widely in pediatric anesthetic practice supplanting neostigmine as the primary drug for antagonizing neuromuscular blockade (NMB). Additionally, we sought to identify the determinants by which pediatric anesthesiologists choose reversal agents and if and how they assess NMB in their practice. Finally, because of sugammadex's effects on hormonal contraception, we sought to determine whether pediatric anesthesiologists counseled postmenarchal patients on the need for additional or alternative forms of contraception and the risk of unintended pregnancy in the perioperative period. ⋯ Sugammadex is commonly used in pediatric anesthesia, particularly among anesthesiologists with fewer years of practice. Failure to warn postmenarchal adolescents of its consequences may result in unintended pregnancies. Finally, pediatric anesthesia training programs should emphasize objective monitoring of NMB, particularly with sugammadex use.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jun 2021
An Assessment of Anesthesia Capacity in Liberia: Opportunities for Rebuilding Post-Ebola.
The health system of Liberia, a low-income country in West Africa, was devastated by a civil war lasting from 1989 to 2003. Gains made in the post-war period were compromised by the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic. The already fragile health system experienced worsening of health indicators, including an estimated 111% increase in the country's maternal mortality rate post-Ebola. Access to safe surgery is necessary for improvement of these metrics, yet data on surgical and anesthesia capacity in Liberia post-Ebola are sparse. The aim of this study was to describe anesthesia capacity in Liberia post-Ebola as part of the development of a National Surgical, Obstetric, and Anesthesia Plan (NSOAP). ⋯ Overall, we noted several critical gaps in anesthesia and surgical capacity in Liberia, in spite of the massive global response post-Ebola directed toward health system development. Further investment across all domains is necessary to attain minimum international standards and to facilitate the provision of safe surgery and anesthesia in Liberia. The study results will be considered in development of an NSOAP for Liberia.