Journal of cardiothoracic and vascular anesthesia
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J. Cardiothorac. Vasc. Anesth. · Aug 2022
ReviewPost-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome for Anesthesiologists: A Narrative Review and a Pragmatic Approach to Clinical Care.
Post-acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) syndrome is a novel, poorly understood clinical entity with life-impacting ramifications. Patients with this syndrome, also known as "COVID-19 long-haulers," often present with nonspecific ailments involving more than one body system. The most common complaints include dyspnea, fatigue, brain fog, and chest pain. ⋯ Perioperative care should be viewed through the prism of best practices already in use, such as avoidance of benzodiazepines in patients with cognitive impairment and use of lung-protective ventilation. Recommendations especially relevant to the COVID-19 long-haulers include assessment of critical care myopathies and neuropathies to determine suitable neuromuscular blocking agents and reversal, preoperative workup of insidious cardiac or pulmonary pathologies in previously healthy patients, and, thorough medication review, particularly of anticoagulation regimens and chronic steroid use. In this article, the authors define the syndrome, synthesize the available scientific evidence, and make pragmatic suggestions regarding the perioperative clinical care of COVID-19 long-haulers.
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J. Cardiothorac. Vasc. Anesth. · Aug 2022
Multicenter StudyPostoperative Pulmonary Complications After Cardiac Surgery: The VENICE International Cohort Study.
Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPC) remain a main issue after cardiac surgery. The objective was to report the incidence and identify risk factors of PPC after cardiac surgery. ⋯ Both individual risk factors and ventilatory settings were shown to explain the high level of PPCs. These findings require further investigations to assess a bundle strategy for optimal ventilation strategy to decrease PPC incidence.
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J. Cardiothorac. Vasc. Anesth. · Aug 2022
Urinary Cell-Cycle Arrest Biomarkers as Early Predictors of Acute Kidney Injury After Ventricular Assist Device Implantation or Cardiac Transplantation.
Acute kidney injury (AKI) remains a leading source of morbidity and mortality after cardiothoracic surgery. Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7 (IGFBP7), and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2 (TIMP-2), are novel early-phase renal biomarkers that have been validated as sensitive predictors of AKI. Here the authors studied the efficacy of these biomarkers for predicting AKI after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation and cardiac transplantation. ⋯ Assessment of TIMP-2 and IGFBP7 within six hours after surgery appeared effective at predicting AKI in patients with LVADs. Larger studies are warranted to validate these findings.