Minerva anestesiologica
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Minerva anestesiologica · May 2017
European implementation of the "2014 ESC/ESA guideline on non-cardiac surgery: cardiovascular assessment and management".
Substandard implementation of a guideline is a major factor contributing to poor guideline adherence and has the potential to result in preventable patient harm. This study aims to quantify the uptake of the European guideline on non-cardiac surgery by European anesthetists. ⋯ Current implementation and knowledge of the guideline on non-cardiac surgery in Europe needs to be improved.
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Minerva anestesiologica · May 2017
Nosocomial blood stream infections in patients treated with venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for acute respiratory distress syndrome at the Croatian referral center for respiratory extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
The incidence of complication rates in patients treated with venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV ECMO) remains substantial and impacts the results of any future trial dealing with ECMO efficacy. Of these complications blood stream infections (BSI) are less well studied. Our objective was to report influence of BSI in ARDS patients treated with VV ECMO. ⋯ Our study found that BSI incidence increases with the duration of an ECMO run and bleeding complications with no effect on hospital mortality. Further studies of BSI in this risk group should address the problem of rapid diagnosis and appropriate antimicrobial therapy in an era of growing multiresistance.
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Minerva anestesiologica · May 2017
Palliative sedation: the position statement of the Italian National Committee for Bioethics (INCB).
In January 2016 the Italian National Bioethics Committee (NBC) published a position statement entitled Deep and continuous palliative sedation in the imminence of death, related to the use of sedation and analgesia for relief from pain and psychological distress in dying patients. In this statement the Committee points out the clinical and ethical appropriateness of palliative sedation as a therapeutic procedure. ⋯ At the same time, the position statement, once and for all, makes clear that palliative sedation cannot and must not be equated with the practice of euthanasia. Thus, this document should be known by health professionals caring for dying patients not only in palliative as well as in intensive care settings, but it should be also considered as a milestone aimed to encourage and ease a widespread implementation of this procedure in all health care settings.