Transplantation proceedings
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The goal of sedation in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) is to produce a calm and comfortable child, free from pain and discomfort. Children receiving liver transplantation need analgesics to control pain from surgical incisions, drains, vascular access, or endotracheal suctioning. Sedatives are used to facilitate the delivery of nursing care, to prevent self-extubation, and to facilitate mechanical ventilation. ⋯ Oversedation delays extubation, promotes ventilator-associated pneumonia, and increases the risk of reintubation. The use of written sedation policies to guide practice at the bedside reduces the length of time for which patients require mechanical ventilation and the length of PICU stay. Protocols for drug administration practices increase patient safety during mechanical ventilation, promote nursing autonomy, and facilitate communication between nurses and physicians as well as between nurses.
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Patients subjected to open donor nephrectomy with epidural analgesia were analyzed to determine whether there was a relation between catheter placement site and the appearance of complications and satisfactory analgesia and to determine whether this factor had an impact upon recovery and return to preoperative life. ⋯ Without a control group, we can hardly evaluate the impact of epidural analgesia on perioperative outcome. Notwithstanding, the obtained pain control may justify its use in these patients. An important issue is to maintain a low VAS (<3), especially in the first 24 hours, which may make a clinically important difference for early ambulation.
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Comparative Study Controlled Clinical Trial
Use of a blood gas analyzer to measure blood hemoglobin during liver transplantation: a study of 935 paired samples.
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Critically ill patients who require intensive care need effective analgesia and sedation to control potentially unpleasant symptoms, such as pain and anxiety. Analgesics and sedatives are also used to allow patients to tolerate nursing procedures and tracheal intubation as well as to aid mechanical ventilation. ⋯ The use of a score system to ensure sufficient but not excessive sedation should be mandatory. Sufentanil and remifentanil are more predictable opioids that are suitable for either sedation or analgesia in critically ill patients to achieve an adequate Ramsay score from 2 to 4.