Minerva anestesiologica
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Minerva anestesiologica · Aug 2018
Editorial CommentOffice-based anesthesia: hot topics and expert opinions.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Aug 2018
Comparative StudyInjection pressure mapping of intraneural vs. perineural injections: further lessons from cadaveric studies.
The aim of the study was to investigate the difference between intraneural and perineural injection pressures in human cadavers. Targeted nerves included the cervical roots, the supraclavicular and infraclavicular brachial plexus, the sciatic-subgluteal nerve and the common peroneal and tibial nerves. ⋯ The study has consistently demonstrated statistically significant differences between intraneural and perineural injection pressures. It effectively created a "map" of intraneural injection pressures for the most common peripheral nerves blocks and demonstrated a pattern between proximal and distal locations. The study also revealed limitations of either techniques, ultrasound and injection pressure monitoring reinforcing the concept of their simultaneous application.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Aug 2018
Multicenter StudyWorkload and severity of illness of patients on intensive care units with available intermediate care units: a multicenter cohort study.
Intermediate Care Units (IMCU) are established in many hospitals to better match the requirements of patient care with respect to their personnel, equipment and other resources. This should relieve Intensive Care Unit (ICU) capacities for more severely ill patients and reduce readmissions to ICU. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of IMCU use on ICU populations. ⋯ The use of IMCUs influences resource utilization of ICUs. Severity of illness and workload was higher in ICUs with high IMCU and more scheduled discharges occurred during the main working hours while readmission rates were similar.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Aug 2018
Hepatic encephalopathy and cirrhotic cardiomyopathy in Intensive Care Unit.
Acute and chronic liver diseases may escalate to hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and multiple organ failure, requiring admission and organ support in Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Hepatic dysfunction in ICU is a broad and complex topic; unfortunately, up to now, the understanding of its underlying pathophysiology is far from complete. HE and cirrhotic cardiomyopathy (CCM) need timely diagnostic and therapeutic measures aiming at the identification and elimination of causative factors, to improve patients' prognosis. Through this short review, we tried to answer the most asked questions about clinical features of HE and CCM at the ICU stage.