Minerva anestesiologica
-
Advances in critical care medicine have led to improved survival rates among patients admitted to the Intensive Care unit (ICU), but complications experienced during admittance in an ICU may influence long-term outcome and the neurocognitive state of these patients. Coagulation disorders, glucose intolerance, diabetes, pro-inflammatory state and underlying severe pathologies are common risk factors for stroke development in ICU patients. Stroke may result in very serious consequences like motor function impairment, neglect and aphasia, but in some cases, stroke may not result in any clinical sign in acute phase. ⋯ Until now, epidemiological studies in this field evaluating incidence and consequences of stroke in ICU setting are lacking, and prospective studies are required to evaluate the impact of this condition on the quality of life, neurocognitive outcome and mortality of ICU patients. We believe that when stroke occurs in critically ill patients, more attention is typically given to the underlying pathologies than stroke, and this may influence the long-term outcome. Guidelines for the early management of stroke, commonly used in Stroke Units, should be followed, even in critically ill patients in an ICU setting.
-
Minerva anestesiologica · May 2009
ReviewRevolving back to the basics in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Since the 1970s, most of the research and debate regarding interventions for cardiopulmonary arrest have focused on advanced life support (ALS) therapies and early defibrillation strategies. During the past decade, however, international guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) have not only emphasized the concept of uninterrupted chest compressions, but also improvements in the timing, rate and quality of those compressions. In essence, it has been a ''revolution'' in resuscitation medicine in terms of ''coming full circle'' to the 1960s when basic CPR was first developed. ⋯ New devices have now been developed to modify, in real-time, the performance of basic CPR, during both training and an actual resuscitative effort. Several new adjuncts have been created to augment chest compressions or enhance venous return and evolving technology may now be able to identify ventricular fibrillation (VF) without interrupting chest compressions. A renewed focus on widespread CPR training for the average person has also returned to center stage with ground-breaking training initiatives including validated video-based adult learning courses that can reliably teach and enable long term retention of basic CPR skills and automated external defibrillator (AED) use.
-
More and more frequently anaesthetists must be able to provide complete, integrated anaesthetic care outside the traditional environment of the operating room. Providing non-operating room anaesthesia (NORA) has gained widespread popularity. Both the number and the complexity of these therapeutic and diagnostic procedures is increasing. ⋯ From what is available in the literature paediatric patients carry a high risk of complications; monitored anaesthesia care is associated with more complications and substandard care is often present. Despite these potential risks, the mortality and morbidity related to NORA is infrequently studied and poorly described. Most authors agree that improvements in monitoring are essential to decrease the complication rate.
-
Minerva anestesiologica · May 2009
ReviewLung ultrasound in acute respiratory failure an introduction to the BLUE-protocol.
Critical ultrasound, apparently a recent field, is in fact the outcome of a slow process, initiated since 1946. The lung was traditionally not considered as part of ultrasound, yet we considered its inclusion as a priority in our definition of critical ultrasound. Acute respiratory failure is one of the most distressing situations for the patient. ⋯ The BLUE-protocol can be achieved in three minutes, because the use of an intelligent machine, a universal probe, and standardized points allow major time-saving. Lung ultrasound in the critically ill was long available. In a domain where everything must be fast and accurate, the BLUE-protocol can play a major role in the diagnosis of an acute respiratory failure, usually answering immediately to questions where only sophisticated techniques were hitherto used.
-
Minerva anestesiologica · May 2009
Case ReportsProbable case of vascular air embolism during endonasal CO2 laser surgery.
Laser surgery in narrow luminal cavities can lead to venous air embolism (VAE) due to high pressure or high flow clearing/cooling systems. We report the first case of initially misdiagnosed VAE during endonasal CO(2) laser surgery. A 56-year-old patient underwent uvulopalatopharyngoplasty and septoplasty with bilateral CO(2) laser turbinoplasty for turbinate hypertrophy and uvula deviation. ⋯ The literature reports cases of VAE during laser surgery in narrow luminal cavities. When operating in narrow luminal cavities, using a liquid instead of a gas as a clearing/cooling system for the distal end of the probe in laser instruments and avoiding direct contact with tissues is advisable. Anesthesiologists, surgeons and the nursing staff practicing endoscopic laser surgery should have wide knowledge of the risks linked to this technique in order to minimize risk to the patient and to manage VAE should it eventually occur.