Best practice & research. Clinical anaesthesiology
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Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol · Jun 2004
ReviewAnaesthetic considerations for laparoscopic surgery in neonates and infants: a practical review.
Minimally invasive surgery is being applied to an increasing number of neonates and infants undergoing abdominal surgeries. Knowledge of specific implications, patient's health status and pathophysiological changes induced by the surgery allow the anaesthesiologist to provide safe anaesthesia to these high-risk patients. This chapter describes the specific pathophysiological effects, peri-operative management, major complications and contraindications related to endoscopic procedures.
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Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol · Mar 2004
ReviewPathophysiology of ischaemic acute renal failure.
This chapter summarizes the pathophysiology of ischaemic acute renal failure from both the experimental and clinical points of view. Traditionally, the abrupt fall in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is thought to be due to an interplay of haemodynamic and tubular abnormalities. The intrarenal haemodynamic alterations include renal vasoconstriction, leukocyte-endothelium interactions and loss of blood flow and GFR autoregulation. ⋯ During this recovery phase some of the damaged cells undergo de-differentiation--which is an important step in regeneration of the tubular epithelium. Recent evidence points to the possibility that infiltration of the kidney with bone-marrow-derived stem cells contributes to the repair process. The molecular mechanisms and the effect of growth factors are summarized.
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Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol · Mar 2004
ReviewRenal replacement therapy in acute renal failure.
Acute renal failure (ARF) is a common condition in hospitalized patients. The aetiology and physiological characteristics differ from those of chronic renal failure (CRF) and both conditions should be approached differently. At present, the approach to the management of ARF is very heterogeneous. ⋯ Each modality has advantages and disadvantages, but to date no evidence exists for the superiority of one over the other. On the other hand, the availability of multiple options allows us to provide tailor-made treatment: the best modality is chosen depending on local expertise and the individual clinical scenario. Practice guidelines based on the best available evidence and the author's opinion are suggested.
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Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol · Mar 2004
ReviewInfluence of renal replacement therapy on pharmacokinetics in critically ill patients.
Critical illness has a great impact on many pharmacokinetic parameters. An increased volume of distribution often results in drug underdosing, whereas organ impairment may lead to drug accumulation and overdosing. ⋯ Mechanisms of drug removal during RRT are reviewed together with methods for measuring or estimating RRT drug clearances. Approaches for drug-dosing adjustments are suggested and, at the end, the pharmacological principles for antibiotic prescription in the critically ill are discussed.
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Acute renal failure (ARF) is a common problem in intensive care medicine. Even modest degrees of ARF not requiring dialysis treatment increase the risk of death approximately fivefold. Despite the widespread appreciation of the role of nephrotoxic drugs in their contribution to ARF, these drugs continue to have an ongoing aetiological role. ⋯ Tubular injury initiated by toxins often results from a combination of acute renal vasoconstriction and direct cellular toxicity due to intracellular accumulation of the toxin, or, alternatively, may be mediated immunologically in case of interstitial nephritis. Patients with reduced renal functional reserve, cardiovascular co-morbidity, diabetes mellitus, and advanced age are at increased risk. Awareness of the range of toxins on the one hand and simple measures such as adequate pre-hydration of the patient and drug monitoring on the other hand may be sufficient to avoid drug-induced ARF or minimize its clinical severity in susceptible patients.