Current opinion in anaesthesiology
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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease affects more than 65 million people worldwide. Lung transplantation is the only definitive treatment. However, donor availability is limited in meeting the demand. ⋯ The lung's ability to regenerate extensively after injury suggests that this capability could be promoted in diseases in which loss of lung tissue occurs. Lung bioengineering offers the potential to drastically extend life expectancy in patients with end-stage lung disease. If lung reengineering were successful, it would revolutionize the world of transplantation.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Nov 2024
The autonomous nervous system and the cholinergic anti-inflammatory reflex in postoperative neurocognitive disorders.
Postoperative delirium (POD) is a common and serious complication after surgery. It is associated with postoperative neurocognitive disorder (PNCD). The vagal cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAP) has been hypothesized to play a role in POD/PNCD and may be a target for interventions such as transcutaneous auricular stimulation (taVNS). We aim to review associations of heart rate variability (HRV) as an indicator of vagal function with POD and postoperative immune reaction as well as taVNS as a potential preventive intervention for POD. ⋯ Our review provides no evidence that CAP suppression is associated with POD/PNCD. Future studies should consider that high vagal tone may also mediate immunosuppression in surgical patients, yielding an increased risk for postoperative infections. Although taVNS is a promising approach to prevent POD/POCD, future studies should take these concerns into account.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Nov 2024
The climate crisis - actions to prioritize for anaesthesiologists.
Climate change is the biggest threat to human health and survival in the twenty-first century. Emissions associated with healthcare contribute to climate change and there are many personal and professional actions that can reduce carbon emissions. This review highlights why action is necessary and what anaesthetists and healthcare workers can do. ⋯ This article shows that, while patient safety and quality of care must remain healthcare's top priority, considering the climate implications of care is part of that duty. Many actions that reduce the carbon impact of care simultaneously improve the quality of care and reduce financial cost. More research into sustainable healthcare is needed. Departments and hospitals and must create environments in which climate conversations are welcomed and can result in positive advancements.
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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.