British journal of anaesthesia
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Review
Propofol infusion syndrome: a structured literature review and analysis of published case reports.
Propofol infusion syndrome is a rare, potentially fatal condition first described in children in the 1990s and later reported in adults. We provide a narrative review of what is currently known about propofol infusion syndrome, including a structured analysis of all published case reports; child and adult cases were analysed separately as propofol is no longer used for long-term sedation in children. The review contains an update on current knowledge of the pathophysiology of this condition along with recommendations for its diagnosis, prevention, and management. ⋯ The cumulative dose of propofol was associated with an increased number of clinical features and the number of organ systems involved in adult cases only. Clinicians should consider propofol infusion syndrome in cases of unexplained metabolic acidosis, ECG changes, and rhabdomyolysis. We recommend early consideration of continuous haemofiltration in the management of propofol infusion syndrome.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Retroclavicular vs supraclavicular brachial plexus block for distal upper limb surgery: a randomised, controlled, single-blinded trial.
Regional anaesthesia for upper limb surgery is routinely performed with brachial plexus blocks. A retroclavicular brachial plexus block has recently been described, but has not been adequately compared with another approach. This randomised controlled single-blinded trial tested the hypothesis that the retroclavicular approach, when compared with the supraclavicular approach, would increase the success rate. ⋯ NCT02641613.
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Editorial Comment
Who watches the watchmen and the problem of recursive flea bites.
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Caudal epidural blockade in children is one of the most widely administered techniques of regional anaesthesia. Recent clinical studies have answered major pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic questions, thus providing the scientific background for safe and effective blocks in daily clinical practice and demonstrating that patient selection can be expanded to range from extreme preterm births up to 50 kg of body weight. This narrative review discusses the main findings in the current literature with regard to patient selection (sub-umbilical vs mid-abdominal indications, contraindications, low-risk patients with spinal anomalies); anatomical considerations (access problems, age and body positioning, palpation for needle insertion); technical considerations (verification of needle position by ultrasound vs landmarks vs 'whoosh' or 'swoosh' testing); training and equipment requirements (learning curve, needle types, risk of tissue spreading); complications and safety (paediatric regional anaesthesia, caudal blocks); local anaesthetics (bupivacaine vs ropivacaine, risk of toxicity in children, management of toxic events); adjuvant drugs (clonidine, dexmedetomidine, opioids, ketamine); volume dosing (dermatomal reach, cranial rebound); caudally accessed lumbar or thoracic anaesthesia (contamination risk, verifying catheter placement); and postoperative pain. ⋯ Performed on sedated children, they enable not only early ambulation, but also periprocedural haemodynamic stability and spontaneous breathing in patient groups at maximum risk of a difficult airway. These are important advantages over general anaesthesia, notably in preterm babies and in children with cardiopulmonary co-morbidities. Compared with other techniques of regional anaesthesia, a case for caudal blocks can still be made.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Depth of sedation as an interventional target to reduce postoperative delirium: mortality and functional outcomes of the Strategy to Reduce the Incidence of Postoperative Delirium in Elderly Patients randomised clinical trial.
The Strategy to Reduce the Incidence of Postoperative Delirium in the Elderly trial tested the hypothesis that limiting sedation during spinal anaesthesia decreases in-hospital postoperative delirium after hip fracture repair. This manuscript reports the secondary outcomes of this trial, including mortality and function. ⋯ ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00590707.