Minerva anestesiologica
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Minerva anestesiologica · Jul 2015
ReviewSurveillance samples and selective digestive decontamination in the intensive care unit.
Surveillance cultures are essential in the management of infection in the intensive care unit. They are crucial in the assessment of the efficacy of selective digestive decontamination.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Jul 2015
Review Meta AnalysisThe evidence of peripheral nerve blocks for cancer-related pain: a systematic review.
The European Association for Palliative Care has initiated a comprehensive program to achieve an over-all review of the evidence of multiple cancer pain management strategies in order to extend the current guideline for treatment of cancer pain. The present systematic review analyzed the existing evidence of analgesic efficacy for peripheral nerve blocks in adult patients with cancer. A search strategy was elaborated with words related to cancer, pain, peripheral nerve and block. ⋯ In general, most cases reported good pain relief and no side effects. The use of peripheral blocks is based upon anecdotal evidence. However, this review only demonstrates the lack of studies, which does not equal a lack of effectiveness.
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Brain injury is frequently observed after sepsis and may be primarily related to the direct effects of the septic insult on the brain (e.g., brain edema, ischemia, seizures) or to secondary/indirect injuries (e.g., hypotension, hypoxemia, hypocapnia, hyperglycemia). Management of brain injury in septic patients is first focused to exclude structural intracranial complications (e.g., ischemic/hemorrhagic stroke) and possible confounders (e.g., electrolyte alterations or metabolic disorders, such as dysglycemia). Sepsis-associated brain dysfunction is frequently a heterogeneous syndrome. ⋯ Together with EEG and evoked potentials (EP), MRI is also important for coma prognostication. Emerging clinical evidence suggests monitoring of the brain in septic patients can be implemented in the ICU. The objective of this review was to summarize recent clinical data about the role of brain monitoring - including TCD, NIRS, EEG, EP, CT, and MRI - in patients with sepsis and to illustrate its potential utility for the diagnosis, management and prognostication.