Der Anaesthesist
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of Apolipoprotein Ε ε4 allele on early postoperative cognitive dysfunction after anesthesia.
Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is one of the main causes of morbidity after noncardiac surgery; however, the pathogenic mechanisms of POCD have remained unclear until now. In this study, we performed a pilot study to investigate the association between apolipoprotein E (ApoE) ε4 and POCD in older patients undergoing intravenous anesthesia (IVA) and inhalation anesthesia (IAA). ⋯ The results of the study indicated that the ApoΕ ε4/ε4 genotype was a risk factor for early POCD in older patients undergoing sevoflurane anesthesia.
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In-hospital mortality after cardiac surgery ranges from 2% to 8%. Many patients suffer from major adverse cardiovascular events, e.g. myocardial infarction, which in the long term can result in severe limitations in routine activities. Troponin plays the central role in identifying myocardial infarction; however, interpretation after cardiac surgery is difficult due to ischemia reperfusion injury and direct surgical trauma. ⋯ The characteristics of copeptin and H‑FABP might help to overcome the limitations of troponin. This short narrative review gives a concise overview on this topic. Moreover, a brief view of future perspectives in this field is given.
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An increasing number of patients reach the final stage of heart failure with heart transplantation as the only curative treatment. Mechanical circulatory support, such as left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) are becoming increasingly more important at this stage of the disease. An LVAD improves the quality of life and prolongs the lifespan. The LVAD is used as a bridge to transplantation (BTT) for patients waiting for a donor heart or as a destination therapy (DT) with no transplantation intended; nevertheless, implantation is often associated with complications and the prognosis remains unfavorable in DT cases or after transition from BTT to DT. For patients the device may be a source of physical and psychological distress and can become a burden for families and caregivers. So far it remains unclear whether LVAD treatment is an indication for concurrent palliative care. ⋯ The role of palliative care in LVAD patients in clinical practice in the German-speaking area is not standardized. Early and continuous integration of palliative care into the course of LVAD treatment can improve the quality of care. Benefits for LVAD patients, caregivers and clinicians are described. For this purpose, recommendations as well as professional training for palliative care practitioners are useful. Further studies are needed to clarify the impact of palliative care in both DT and BTT patients.
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Neuropathic pain is pain caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory nervous system. Scientific studies have shown that neuropathic pain is the result of complex altered signalling processes in the peripheral and central nervous system. ⋯ This review summarizes the contemporary diagnostics of neuropathic pain using frequent diseases as examples and presents the evidence from randomized controlled trials on the treatment of neuropathic pain. Treatment guidelines for pharmacological management of neuropathic pain include evidence-based use of antidepressants, anticonvulsants, opioids, capsaicin and lidocaine.
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This study aimed to determine the current state of implementation of the recommendations for the classification of emergency surgery published in 2016 by the German societies of anesthesiology (BDA/DGAI), surgery (BDC/DGCH) and operating room management (VOPM). ⋯ The recommendations for classifying emergency operations are an essential and generally accepted control mechanism in OR coordination. They simplify interdisciplinary coordination and communication when dynamically incorporating emergency procedures into an OR program. Most OR managers and coordinators view the recommendations as improving the speed of action in emergency care. To support the adoption of emergency classifications within an organization it may be advisable to incorporate them into the OR statutes and integrate them within the hospital information systems. The majority of participants supported additional specifications based on medical indicators for classifying the most frequent emergency operations. Being cognizant of key metrics concerning in-house emergency volume represents a crucial basis for interdisciplinary OR management and emergency care integration. Contrary to common perception, blocking fixed OR capacities remains the exception. When establishing a concept to provide emergency capacity, it is advisable to align developments with demand calculations based on in-house figures and to emphasize interdisciplinary participation and consensus.