Der Anaesthesist
-
In order to improve perioperative subjective quality of care it seems desirable to shorten preoperative fasting times as much as possible within acceptable safety limits. These efforts should result in a measurable reduction of preoperative thirst and hunger as well as in improvements of patient well-being. It is unknown to what extent preoperative patient comfort is limited by thirst and hunger from a patient point of view. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of a traditional fasting regimen on preoperative patient discomfort. ⋯ Patient comfort is compromised by traditional fasting rules and liberalization of these policies is desired by patients. However, efforts to reduce preoperative anxiety and tenseness might have an additional, important potential to improve perioperative quality of care from a patient's perspective.
-
A recent survey conducted by the publicly funded Competence Network Sepsis (SepNet) reveals that severe sepsis and/or septic shock occurs in 75,000 inhabitants (110 out of 100,000) and sepsis in 79,000 inhabitants (116 out of 100,000) in Germany annually. This illness is responsible for approximately 60,000 deaths and ranges as the third most frequent cause of death after acute myocardial infarction. Direct costs for the intensive care of patients with severe sepsis alone amount to approximately 1.77 billion euros, which means that about 30% of the budget in intensive care is used to treat severe sepsis. ⋯ Therefore, the German Sepsis Society initiated the development of guidelines which are based on international recommendations by the International Sepsis Forum (ISF) and the Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) and take into account the structure and organization of the German health care system. Priority was given to the following guideline topics: a) diagnosis, b) prevention, c) causative therapy, d) supportive therapy, e) adjunctive therapy. The guidelines development process was carefully planned and strictly adhered to the requirements of the Working Group of Scientific Medical Societies (AWMF).
-
The endovascular treatment of diseases of intracranial and spinal vessels has become widely accepted in recent years. The patient is usually treated under general anesthesia and in choosing an appropriate anesthesia regimen and an optimized pre-interventional preparation, the anesthesiologist can influence the postinterventional result. The working environment in the angiography suite should address the requirements of a routine procedure and the necessities of complication management. ⋯ After the procedure the patient has to be monitored for at least 24 h. Peri-interventional and postinterventional complications, such as thrombo-embolism or hemorrhage, must be managed aggressively and consequently by the anesthesist to improve the postinterventional outcome. Therefore a close collaboration between the anesthesiologist and the neuroradiologist is essential.
-
In recent years great efforts in clinical sepsis research have led to a better understanding of the underlying pathophysiology and new therapeutic approaches including drugs and supportive care. Despite this success, severe sepsis remains a serious health care problem. Each year approximately 75,000 patients in Germany and approximately 750,000 patients in the USA suffer from severe sepsis. ⋯ Some drugs and strategies already offer promising results and will probably play a major role in the future. Even though their cost-effectiveness is likely, intensive care medicine has to carry a substantial economic burden. This article summarizes studies focusing on the evaluation of direct or indirect costs of sepsis and the cost-effectiveness of new therapies.
-
There is uncertainty whether surgical patients with severe sepsis have a benefit from therapy with Drotrecogin alfa (activated). In the PROWESS and ENHANCE studies 4,068 patients were included and 3,228 were treated with Drotrecogin alfa (activated). Approximately 28% of the PROWESS patients and 41% of the ENHANCE patients were surgical patients. ⋯ Serious bleeding was more frequent in patients treated with Drotrecogin alfa (activated): 2.4-3.6% vs. 1.0% in the placebo group. In surgical patients bleeding was not more frequent than in non-surgical patients (3.1% vs. 2.1%, difference not significant). Surgical patients with severe sepsis, especially with peritonitis, should receive therapy with Drotrecogin alfa (activated), if severely ill.