Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthésie
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Hospital policies forbidding or limiting families from visiting relatives on the intensive care unit (ICU) has affected patients, families, healthcare professionals, and patient- and family-centered care (PFCC). We sought to refine evidence-informed consensus statements to guide the creation of ICU visitation policies during the current COVID-19 pandemic and future pandemics and to identify barriers and facilitators to their implementation and sustained uptake in Canadian ICUs. ⋯ Existing guidance on policies that disallowed or restricted visitation in intensive care units were confusing, hard to operationalize, and often lacked supporting evidence. Prioritized, succinct, and clear consensus statements allowing for local adaptability are necessary to guide the creation of ICU visitation policies and to optimize PFCC.
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Case Reports
A red flag for diagnosing brain death: decompressive craniectomy of the posterior fossa.
Brain death/death by neurologic criteria (BD/DNC) may be determined in many countries by a clinical examination that shows coma, brainstem areflexia, and apnea, provided the conditions causing reversible loss of brain function are excluded a priori. To date, accounts of recovery from BD/DNC in adults have been limited to noncompliance with guidelines. ⋯ Therapeutic decompressive craniectomy of the posterior fossa may allow for delayed reversal of apnea. In these patients, proof of cerebral circulatory arrest should be mandatory for diagnosing BD/DNC.
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Hip fractures are debilitating in older adults because of their impact on quality of life. Opioids are associated with adverse effects in this population, so oral acetaminophen is commonly prescribed to minimize opioid use. Intravenous (iv) acetaminophen has been reported to have superior efficacy and bioavailability than oral acetaminophen. Nevertheless, its effect on postoperative outcomes in emergency hip fractures is unclear. This systematic review assessed the effect of iv acetaminophen on postoperative outcomes in older hip fracture patients. ⋯ PROSPERO (CRD42021198174); registered 15 August 2021.
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To evaluate the perceptions and practices of Canadian cardiovascular anesthesiologists and intensivists towards intravenous albumin as a resuscitation fluid in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. ⋯ The majority of Canadian anesthesiologists and intensivists (62%) use albumin in cardiac surgical patients. There is clinical equipoise regarding its utility, and an acknowledged need for higher quality evidence to guide practice.