Anaesthesia
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Retrospective studies suggest that inhalational volatile anaesthetic agents may contribute to an increased risk of metastasis and reduction in survival rates when used during cancer surgery. This relationship may vary between cancer types due to different tumour biology and differences in surgical procedures. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the type of anaesthetic used for maintenance of anaesthesia (propofol or inhalational volatile anaesthetic agent) and survival in patients with stage 1-3 colorectal cancer who underwent resection surgery under general anaesthesia in Sweden between 2014 and 2019. ⋯ We found no association between the choice of agent for maintenance of anaesthesia and long-term survival outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer.
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Review
Mechanisms underlying neurocognitive dysfunction following critical illness: a systematic review.
Cognitive impairment is a significant healthcare problem globally and its prevalence is projected to affect over 150 million people worldwide. Survivors of critical illness are impacted frequently by long-term neurocognitive dysfunction regardless of presenting illness, but the mechanisms are poorly understood. The goal of this review was to synthesise the existing evidence regarding potential mechanisms underlying neurocognitive dysfunction following critical illness in order to guide potential avenues for future research. ⋯ The underlying pathophysiology of neurocognitive decline after critical illness is not yet understood fully. The mechanisms implicated in other neurodegenerative conditions suggest that this may represent an accelerated version of the same processes. Large scale studies are required to further elucidate the cause of this significant problem for survivors of critical illness.
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Iron deficiency, with or without anaemia, is common during the peri-operative period. It has been hypothesised that pre-operative iron deficiency is associated with an increased incidence of postoperative infection. We designed the CARIPO prospective observational study to assess the incidence of postoperative infection in patients with and without iron deficiency undergoing a variety of major surgeries. ⋯ Iron deficiency was not associated with a higher rate of postoperative infection relative to an iron replete state. While iron deficiency was associated with a higher rate of surgical site infection, this result is hypothesis-generating, and further prospective studies are required.
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General anaesthesia and regional anaesthesia are used for hip and knee arthroplasty but their impact on long-term outcomes remains unclear. This study aimed to compare one-year clinical outcomes and healthcare utilisation in patients receiving general or regional anaesthesia for hip or knee arthroplasty. ⋯ Although general anaesthesia and regional anaesthesia showed comparable one-year mortality, general anaesthesia was associated with lower risks of major depression and care provider dependency but higher readmission rates than regional anaesthesia. These findings suggest that the choice of anaesthesia may have important implications for long-term outcomes beyond mortality.