Minerva anestesiologica
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Minerva anestesiologica · May 2004
ReviewAnesthetic considerations in patients with chronic pulmonary diseases.
Increasing age and co-morbidities of patients admitted for surgery impose new challenges on the anesthesiologist. ⋯ Assessing the functional status of patients admitted to surgery remains a difficult task, and in patients identified at risk by clinical examination additional spirometry and blood gases may be helpful. If there are signs of respiratory failure, the anaesthetist should monitor the patient closely and invasively, yet there is no reason to deny any patient a substantially beneficial operation.
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The last few years have clarified the tight link between inflammation and coagulation. In addition to the identification of new regulatory mechanisms of the coagulation system and of an explosive number of mediators of inflammation, it is now clear that the existence of a positive feed-back between inflammation and coagulation leads to reciprocal activation of both pathways. Plasma levels of acute phase proteins involved in coagulation and fibrinolysis are elevated during inflammation, while natural anticoagulant mechanisms are depressed. ⋯ The protein C system, in addition to dumping thrombin formation, specifically modulates inflammation by cell signaling. This system is markedly depressed in severe sepsis. The infusion of activated protein C, or restoring normal levels of protein C within the circulation - depending on the individual bleeding risk are powerful tools to treat the endothelitis responsible for the clinical sequelae of severe sepsis.
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Minerva anestesiologica · May 2004
Review[Analgesia, sedation and neuromuscular block in pediatric intensive care units: present procedures and recent progress].
Anxiolysis and pain control are a duty for physicians and must be treated very carefully in the Pediatric Intensive Care Units, although it is very difficult to assess them: in critically ill children sedatives and/or analgesic medications are routinely provided and titrated to obtain a satisfactory level of sedation, but different evaluation scores are needed to discriminate between light or inadequate and deep or excessive sedation, especially when the clinical examination is unavailable. It is usual to associate a benzodiazepin with an opioid, more often Midazolam and Morphine or Fentanyl; other drugs as Propofol, Clonidine and Ketamine have specific indications, brief painful procedures and weaning from long periods of sedation to avoid withdrawal. Sometimes it can be useful to add a neuromuscular blocking agent to help mechanical ventilation. Adverse sedation events are relatively frequent, associated with drug overdoses and drug interactions, particularly when 3 or more drugs are used: all class of medications and all routes of administration are involved.
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Minerva anestesiologica · May 2004
Review[Use of protein C concentrate in critical conditions: clinical experience in pediatric patients with sepsis].
The coagulation disturbance, typical of septic conditions, is associated to a reduction of clotting factors in plasma with an "acquired" deficiency (from consumption) of protein C. As observed with "purpura fulminans" in neonates affected by congenital protein C deficiency, administration of protein C concentrate has proved to reduce thrombotic manifestations and to improve morbidity and mortality of children with septic shock. The Protein C concentrate is presently utilized as a therapy for patients with a congenital deficiency of protein C and several papers in the literature support the efficacy of protein C concentrate in the treatment of children with meningococcus septicemia, with the aim of correcting the acquired protein C deficiency often seen in septic conditions and shown to be strongly correlated to a higher morbidity and mortality. ⋯ At our PICU 8 children, with sepsis, septic shock and purpura have been treated with protein C concentrate (Ceprotin); because the plasma protein C level was lower than the normal range (mean value 0.32 IU/ml, range 0.11-0.6 IU/ml). Six children have shown a rapid response to all therapeutic efforts and survived without sequelae and two are died. No adverse reaction was observed during and after Ceprotin administration to all patients.
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This study was conceived to assess a pattern of Italian prehospital critical care team, especially referring to the advanced life support (ALS) rescue team. Function and management of ALS rescue team and its relationship with other members of the emergency medical system (intra hospital physician, basic life support team, general practitioner) are analysed; stress is laidon the knowledge, the background and the complexity of the emergency procedures. The benefit of 2 major prehospital options of the ALS team, composed by 1 physician and 1 nurse staffing or by 2 trained nurse staffing, is discussed; the importance of educational programs for ambulance teams, a comparison of cost-effectiveness and the number of emergency teams availability is underlined. The authors, finally emphasize the advantages of a territorial coverage with an integrated system of ambulances staffed with specially trained rescuers or technicians, ambulances with rescuers and nurses, and ALS teams staffed with emergency physician and 1 nurse (integrated or not with ambulances with 2 trained nurses), being perfectly capable to face up any background in pre-hospital emergency medicine setting.