Der Anaesthesist
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A hybrid suite is an operating theater with imaging equipment equivalent to that used in an angiography suite with computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). They are often situated outside the operating room area and typically serve as multifunctional rooms designed to support a variety of catheter-based endovascular procedures and open surgery to be performed in the same location. The possibility to perform these in the same location facilitates the combination of both approaches to so-called hybrid procedures. ⋯ The challenge in anesthesia is to ensure that when patients are taken to these complex environments the resources available enable high standards of care to be provided. With future developments in imaging technology combined with more powerful hardware and software, a far greater integration of all these imaging and navigation technologies will be seen in future operating rooms. Finally, patients are becoming more aware of medical developments via the world wide web and increasingly request what they consider to be state of the art treatment.
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Besides the well-known analgesic effects of amide-linked local anesthetics exerted via the inhibition of the voltage-gated sodium channel, these substances also possess a certain number of properties, which bear the potential to positively influence the outcome after surgery. The results of several experimental as well as clinical studies suggest the possibility of an enhanced recovery after surgery, reduction in the incidence of chronic pain, preservation of endothelial barrier function during acute lung injury and the prevention of metastasis of solid tumors by systemic effects of local anesthetic administration. Mechanistic studies were able to identify several "new targets", such as the inhibition of spinal glycine transporters or of inflammatory signaling as induced by tumor necrosis factor alpha. Further elucidation of these mechanistic pathways as well as the translation of these promising experimental results into clinical practice is a crucial component of research activities in the field of anesthesia.
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Review Meta Analysis
[Meta-analyses on measurement precision of non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring technologies in adults].
An ideal non-invasive monitoring system should provide accurate and reproducible measurements of clinically relevant variables that enables clinicians to guide therapy accordingly. The monitor should be rapid, easy to use, readily available at the bedside, operator-independent, cost-effective and should have a minimal risk and side effect profile for patients. An example is the introduction of pulse oximetry, which has become established for non-invasive monitoring of oxygenation worldwide. ⋯ Most studies found an acceptable bias with wide limits of agreement. Thus, most non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring technologies cannot be considered to be equivalent to the respective reference method. Studies testing the impact of non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring technologies as a trend evaluation on outcome, as well as studies evaluating alternatives to the finger for capturing the raw signals for hemodynamic assessment, and, finally, studies evaluating technologies based on a flow time measurement are current topics of clinical research.
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Sepsis-induced changes in pharmacokinetic parameters are a well-known problem in intensive care medicine. Dosing of antibiotics in this setting is therefore challenging. Alterations to the substance-specific kinetics of anti-infective substances have an effect on the distribution and excretion processes in the body. ⋯ Current international guidelines recommend individualized dosing strategies and adaptation of doses according to measured serum levels and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) parameters as concepts to optimize anti-infective therapy in the critically ill. Likewise, the recommendation to adjust the administration form of beta-lactam antibiotics to prolonged or continuous infusion can be found increasingly more often in the literature. This article reviews the background of the individual dosing in intensive care patients and their applicability to the clinical routine.
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Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) are characterized as self-contained units of work in a given typical clinical context, which may be entrusted to a trainee for independent execution at a certain point of training. An example could be the intraoperative anesthesia management of an ASA 1 patient for an uncomplicated surgical intervention as an EPA in early postgraduate anesthesia training. ⋯ It is a more holistic view of a trainee. Experience with this new concept is so far limited, therefore, further studies are urgently needed to determine whether and how EPAs can contribute to improvements in further training.