Current opinion in anaesthesiology
-
Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Feb 2025
ReviewPreventing, identifying and managing myocardial injury after non cardiac surgery - a narrative review.
There is mounting and convincing evidence that patients with postoperative troponin elevation, with or without any clinical symptoms, are at higher risk for both, short- and long-term morbidity and mortality. Myocardial injury after noncardiac surgery (MINS) is a relatively newly described syndrome, and the pathogenesis is not fully understood yet. MINS is now an established syndrome and multiple guidelines address potential etiologies, triggers, as well as preventive and management strategies. ⋯ MINS affects up to 20% of surgical patients, remains clinically mostly silent, but is associated with elevated morbidity and mortality. A multidisciplinary approach, that includes involvement of anesthesiologists, for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of MINS is recommended.
-
Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Feb 2025
ReviewPerioperative management of patients with mediastinal mass syndrome.
The mediastinal mass syndrome (MMS) can occur after induction of anesthesia, intraoperatively or even days after the surgical procedure. The focus of this review is on the management of pediatric and adult patients with a significant mediastinal mass. ⋯ Meticulous planning, implementation of anesthetic management protocols and protocols for emergency situations are essential to guarantee patient safety with a mediastinal mass.
-
Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Feb 2025
ReviewThe role of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in thoracic anesthesia.
Circulatory and respiratory support with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has gained widespread acceptance during high-end thoracic surgery. The purpose of this review is to summarize the recent knowledge and give an outlook for future developments. ⋯ Clinical practice during surgery on ECMO is increasingly personalized. The effect of personalization on morbidity and mortality must be examined in the future. Undoubtedly, an increase in knowledge can be expected from this trend towards personalization.
-
Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Feb 2025
ReviewPerioperative risk scores: prediction, pitfalls, and progress.
Perioperative risk scores aim to risk-stratify patients to guide their evaluation and management. Several scores are established in clinical practice, but often do not generalize well to new data and require ongoing updates to improve their reliability. Recent advances in machine learning have the potential to handle multidimensional data and associated interactions, however their clinical utility has yet to be consistently demonstrated. In this review, we introduce key model performance metrics, highlight pitfalls in model development, and examine current perioperative risk scores, their limitations, and future directions in risk modelling. ⋯ All perioperative risk scores have some limitations, highlighting the need for robust model development and validation. Advancements in machine learning present promising opportunities to enhance this field, particularly through the integration of diverse data sources that may improve predictive performance. Future work should focus on improving model interpretability and incorporating continuous learning mechanisms to increase their clinical utility.
-
Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Feb 2025
ReviewPro's and con's of different blocks for postoperative analgesia after video-assisted thoracic surgery.
Although there are a lot of studies examining the effects of different blocks for postoperative analgesia after video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), the results are controversial. ⋯ All three blocks can be suggested for daily practice, the choice should be based on personal experience and preference of the anesthetist. Better studies are required for objective decision.