British journal of anaesthesia
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Gastric pH and residual volume after 1 vs 2 h fasting time for clear fluids in children†
Current guidelines suggest a fasting time of 2 h for clear fluids, which is often exceeded in clinical practice, leading to discomfort, dehydration and stressful anaesthesia induction to patients, especially in the paediatric population. Shorter fluid fasting might be a strategy to improve patient comfort but has not been investigated yet. This prospective clinical trial compares gastric pH and residual volume after 1 vs 2 h of preoperative clear fluid fasting. ⋯ The study was approved by the local ethics committee (KEK-ZH-Nr. 2011-0034) and registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01516775).
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Observational Study
Intraoperative positive end-expiratory pressure evaluation using the intratidal compliance-volume profile.
Lung-protective mechanical ventilation during general surgery including the application of PEEP can reduce postoperative pulmonary complications. In a prospective clinical observation study, we evaluated volume-dependent respiratory system compliance in adult patients undergoing ear-nose-throat surgery with ventilation settings chosen empirically by the attending anaesthetist. ⋯ In most patients, a PEEP of 5 cm H2O during intraoperative mechanical ventilation is too low to prevent intratidal recruitment/derecruitment. The analysis of the intratidal compliance profile provides the rationale to individually titrate a PEEP level that stabilizes the alveolar recruitment status of the lung during intraoperative mechanical ventilation.
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Current non-invasive respiratory-based methods of measuring cardiac output [Formula: see text] make doubtful assumptions and encounter significant technical difficulties. We present a new method using an iterative approach [Formula: see text], which overcomes limitations of previous methods. ⋯ [Formula: see text] measurement is capable of providing an automated semi-continuous non-invasive measure of [Formula: see text].
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Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is increasingly used in the preoperative assessment of patients undergoing major surgery. The objective of this study was to investigate whether CPET can identify patients at risk of reduced survival after abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. ⋯ CPET variables are independent predictors of reduced survival after elective AAA repair and can identify a cohort of patients with reduced survival at 3 years post-procedure. CPET is a potentially useful adjunct for clinical decision-making in patients with AAA.