Current opinion in anaesthesiology
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Apr 2020
ReviewMedical science faces the post-truth era: a plea for the grassroot values of science.
Science and its public perception are compromised by scientific fraud and predatory journals, and also by the general erosion of the meaning of truth in the so-called post-truth era. These developments have significant influence on scientific medicine and their impact on the public discourse. The purpose of this article is to show how fake science, and also the uncritical dissemination of compromised results in public and social media, threatens scientific medicine. ⋯ In the post-truth era, publication of false results in predatory journals and by fraudulent authors become even more dangerous for the health and life of patients, as their dissemination via new social media is nearly unstoppable and in the public perception truth is losing its meaning. The scientific community has implemented specific counter-measures to minimize the chances of false results being published. However, it is even more important that every participant in the scientific process assumes the responsibility according to his or her role. An orientation towards the values that have constituted and formed science is helpful in fulfilling this responsibility.
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Predatory publishing poses a serious educational end ethical threat to the credibility of science. The aim of this review is to discuss the main features of this deceptive open-access model, its potential consequences and relevance for the whole scientific community. ⋯ Predatory journals and conferences are two sides of the same coin. As here reviewed, their deceptive practices have negative implications for scientists and clinicians, both educational and ethical. These range from publication of experimental data that are unreliable and poorly verified to inflated curricula and 'doped' academic careers. Because clinical practice is heavily based on research data, a solution is needed to ultimately ensure patients' safety.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Apr 2020
ReviewOld, older, the oldest: red blood cell storage and the potential harm of using older red blood cell concentrates.
Over the last decades, clinical studies have suggested that transfusion of red blood cells (RBCs) might negatively impact patient outcomes. Even though large randomized clinical trials did not show differences in mortality when transfusing fresh versus standard-issue RBC units, data imply that RBCs at the very end of storage could elicit negative effects. ⋯ Further research to improve the quality of RBC units and to study populations potentially at risk is warranted. Until the question whether transfusion of old blood is detrimental for specific patient populations has been answered, a deliberate use of RBC transfusion should be implemented.
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This review aims to surmise a bioethical approach to the phenomenon of cancelling patient operations. There is increasing public and political interest in the matter with a rise in the frequency of cancellations. Cancellations are emotional for patients and are difficult clinical decisions. ⋯ Although cancellations are undesirable, they are inevitable and form part of the duties of a doctor. When they do occur, care must remain patient-centred, asking how we can improve this situation.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Apr 2020
ReviewFrom the ICU to the operating room: how to manage the patient?
To outline key points for perioperative ICU optimization of nutrition, airway management, blood product preparation and transfusion, antibiotic prophylaxis and transport. ⋯ ICU patients who require surgery may benefit from appropriate perioperative management.