British journal of anaesthesia
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Review
The anaesthetist, opioid analgesic drugs, and serotonin toxicity: a mechanistic and clinical review.
Most cases of serotonin toxicity are provoked by therapeutic doses of a combination of two or more serotonergic drugs, defined as drugs affecting the serotonin neurotransmitter system. Common serotonergic drugs include many antidepressants, antipsychotics, and opioid analgesics, particularly fentanyl, tramadol, meperidine (pethidine), and methadone, but rarely morphine and other related phenanthrenes. Symptoms of serotonin toxicity are attributable to an effect on monoaminergic transmission caused by an increased synaptic concentration of serotonin. ⋯ This makes the perioperative period a relatively risky time for serotonin toxicity to occur. The intraoperative recognition of serotonin toxicity is challenging as it can mimic other serious syndromes, such as malignant hyperthermia, sepsis, thyroid storm, and neuroleptic malignant syndrome. Anaesthetists must maintain a heightened awareness of its possible occurrence and a readiness to engage in early treatment to avoid poor outcomes.
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Observational Study
Iron deficiency is associated with higher mortality in patients undergoing cardiac surgery: a prospective study.
Iron deficiency is frequent in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. The relevance of iron deficiency, however, is ill defined. Therefore, our study aimed to investigate the impact of iron deficiency (ferritin <100 μg L-1) with or without concomitant anaemia on clinical outcome after cardiac surgery. ⋯ NCT02031289.