Articles: function.
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Observational Study
Preoperative Falls and Their Association with Functional Dependence and Quality of Life.
No study has rigorously explored the characteristics of surgical patients with recent preoperative falls. Our objective was to describe the essential features of preoperative falls and determine whether they are associated with preoperative functional dependence and poor quality of life. ⋯ Preoperative falls might be common and are possibly often injurious in the presurgical population, across all ages. A history of falls could enhance the assessment of preoperative functional dependence and quality of life.
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Intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IVPCA) is often used to relieve pain after colorectal surgery. This study aimed to model the trajectory of analgesic demand over time after colorectal cancer surgery and explore potentially relevant influential factors using latent curve analysis, focusing on laparoscopic-assisted surgery and renal function. ⋯ Laparoscopic-assisted surgery and renal function affected the baseline trajectory of IVPCA demand over time, but had no significant effect on its shape.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Aug 2016
Observational StudyPostoperative Cognitive Dysfunction and the Change of Regional Cerebral Oxygen Saturation in Elderly Patients Undergoing Spinal Surgery.
In this study, we examined the relationship between postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) and intraoperative regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO2) in elderly patients undergoing spinal surgery. ⋯ This study showed that the duration of decline in rSO2 <60% during lumbar spinal surgery was correlated with the development of POCD at the seventh postoperative day in elderly patients.
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Journal of critical care · Aug 2016
EditorialNeuroscience and awareness in the dying human brain: Implications for organ donation practices.
Consciousness has 2 components: wakefulness (arousal) and awareness (perception of the self and the external environment). Functional neuroimaging has identified 2 distinctive functional networks that mediate external awareness of the surrounding environment and internal awareness of the self. Recent studies suggest that awareness is not always associated with wakefulness. ⋯ This aligns with the 5-minute no-touch time after the loss of arterial pulse, the current circulatory standard of death determination in non-heart-beating organ donation. We argue that the capacity for awareness may not be irreversibly lost after a relatively brief period of cessation of systemic circulation, and outline empirical data in support of the claim that awareness without wakefulness may be present. Obviously, if correct, this will have practical and ethical implications on organ donation practices.