Minerva anestesiologica
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Minerva anestesiologica · Dec 2009
ReviewLung parenchyma remodeling in acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), the most severe manifestation of acute lung injury (ALI), is described as a stereotyped response to lung injury with a transition from alveolar capillary damage to a fibroproliferative phase. Most ARDS patients survive the acute initial phase of lung injury and progress to either reparation of the lesion or evolution of the syndrome. Despite advances in the management of ARDS, mortality remains high (40%) and autopsies show extended pulmonary fibrosis in 55% of patients, suggesting the importance of deregulated repair in the morbidity and mortality of these patients. ⋯ In this line, mechanical ventilation may affect the macromolecules that constitute the extracellular matrix (collagen, elastin, fibronectin, laminin, proteoglycan and glycosaminoglycans), suffer changes and impact the biomechanical behavior of lung parenchyma. Furthermore, evidence suggests that acute inflammation and fibrosis may be partially independent and/or interacting processes that are autonomously regulated, and thus amenable to individual and specific therapies. In this review, we explore recent advances in the field of fibroproliferative ARDS/ALI, with special emphasis on 1) the physiological properties of the extracellular matrix, 2) the mechanisms of remodeling, 3) the impact of mechanical ventilation on lung fibrotic response, and (4) therapeutic interventions in the remodeling process.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Dec 2009
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyAmbulatory inguinal herniorrhaphy: paravertebral block versus spinal anesthesia.
Inguinal herniorrhaphy (IH) is a common surgical procedure that can be successfully performed by using general, regional or local anesthesia and is usually performed in an outpatient setting. In this study, recovery profile, incidence of adverse effects, postoperative pain scores and patient satisfaction between paravertebral block (PVB) and spinal anesthesia (SA) for fast track ambulatory IH were compared. ⋯ In ambulatory IH, PVB provided shorter home readiness time, long lasting postoperative analgesia and improved quality of recovery, and could be a good alternative to SA.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Dec 2009
Propofol sedation in a colorectal cancer screening outpatient cohort.
Colorectal cancer screening colonoscopies require sedation for both anxiety and pain. Propofol is used worldwide and allows for rapid and profound sedation with quick recovery after cessation of infusion. However, there is still a debate about whether it should be administered by anesthetists, gastroenterologists, or trained nurses. The aim of the study was to assess the number and proportion of patients who might benefit from the quality and safety of sedation under propofol during colonoscopies in a cohort of colorectal cancer screening outpatients. ⋯ Propofol sedation can be safely applied to colorectal cancer screening outpatients. Sedation was managed by a dedicated anesthetic staff and no patient suffered anesthesia-related complications.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Dec 2009
Case ReportsA case of ARDS associated with influenza A - H1N1 infection treated with extracorporeal respiratory support.
After the first outbreak identified in Mexico in late March 2009, influenza A sustained by a modified H1N1 virus ("swine flu") rapidly spread to all continents. This article describes the first Italian case of life-threatening ARDS associated with H1N1 infection, treated with extracorporeal respiratory assistance (venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation [ECMO]). A 24-year-old, previously healthy man was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the local hospital for rapidly progressive respiratory failure with refractory impairment of gas exchange unresponsive to rescue therapies (recruitment manoeuvres, pronation and nitric oxide inhalation). ⋯ ECMO was withheld after 15 days, while recovery of renal and respiratory function was slower. The patient was discharged from the ICU 34 days after admission. In this case, ECMO was life-saving and made the inter-hospital transfer of the patient possible.