Articles: function.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
A pilot study of cerebral tissue oxygenation and postoperative cognitive dysfunction among patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting randomised to surgery with or without cardiopulmonary bypass.
Coronary artery bypass surgery, performed with or without cardiopulmonary bypass, is frequently followed by postoperative cognitive decline. Near-infrared spectroscopy is commonly used to assess cerebral tissue oxygenation, especially during cardiac surgery. Recent studies have suggested an association between cerebral desaturation and postoperative cognitive dysfunction. ⋯ Three months after surgery, 11 patients (39%) in the cardiopulmonary bypass group displayed cognitive dysfunction, compared with four (14%) in the non-cardiopulmonary bypass group (p = 0.03). The use of cardiopulmonary bypass was identified as an independent risk factor for the development of late cognitive dysfunction (OR 6.4 (95% CI 1.2-33.0) p = 0.027. In conclusion, although cerebral oxygen desaturation was rare in our population, postoperative cognitive decline was common in both groups, suggesting that factors other than hypoxic neuronal injury are responsible.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jun 2014
Curcumin Treatment Attenuates Pain and Enhances Functional Recovery after Incision.
Acute pain after surgery remains moderate to severe for 20% to 30% of patients despite advancements in the use of opioids, adjuvant drugs, and regional anesthesia. Depending on the type of surgery, 10% to 50% of patients experience persistent pain postoperatively, and there are no established methods for its prevention. Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) is one of the phenolic constituents of turmeric that has been used in Eastern traditional medicine as an antiseptic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic agent. It may be effective for treating postoperative pain. ⋯ Our studies suggest that curcumin treatment is effective in alleviating incision-induced inflammation, nociceptive sensitization, spontaneous pain, and functional gait abnormalities. Augmented transforming growth factor-β production provides one possible mechanism. These preclinical findings demonstrate curcumin's potential as a preventative strategy in postoperative pain treatment.
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Critical care medicine · Jun 2014
Randomized Controlled TrialNeuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase and Its Interaction With Soluble Guanylate Cyclase Is a Key Factor for the Vascular Dysfunction of Experimental Sepsis.
Vascular dysfunction plays a central role in sepsis, and it is characterized by hypotension and hyporesponsiveness to vasoconstrictors. Nitric oxide is regarded as a central element of sepsis vascular dysfunction. The high amounts of nitric oxide produced during sepsis are mainly derived from the inducible isoform of nitric oxide synthase 2. We have previously shown that nitric oxide synthase 2 levels decrease in later stages of sepsis, whereas levels and activity of soluble guanylate cyclase increase. Therefore, we studied the putative role of other relevant nitric oxide sources, namely, the neuronal (nitric oxide synthase 1) isoform, in sepsis and its relationship with soluble guanylate cyclase. We also studied the consequences of nitric oxide synthase 1 blockade in the hyporesponsiveness to vasoconstrictors. ⋯ Sepsis induces increased expression and physical association of nitric oxide synthase 1/soluble guanylate cyclase and a higher production of cyclic guanosine monophosphate that together may help explain sepsis-induced vascular dysfunction. In addition, selective inhibition of nitric oxide synthase 1 restores the responsiveness to vasoconstrictors. Therefore, inhibition of nitric oxide synthase 1 (and possibly soluble guanylate cyclase) may represent a valuable alternative to restore the effectiveness of vasopressor agents during late sepsis.
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The ultimate purpose of fluid administration in states of hypovolemia is to correct cardiac output to improve microcirculatory perfusion and tissue oxygenation. Observation of the microcirculation using handheld microscopes gives insight into the nature of convective and diffusive defect in hypovolemia. The purpose of this article is to introduce a new platform for hemodynamic-targeted fluid therapy based on the correction of tissue and microcirculatory perfusion assumed to be at risk during hypovolemia. ⋯ We hypothesized that the optimal amount of fluid needed for correction of hypovolemia is defined by a physiologically based functional microcirculatory hemodynamic platform where convection and diffusion need to be optimized. Future clinical trials using handheld microscopes able to automatically evaluate the microcirculation at the bedside will show whether such a platform will indeed optimize fluid therapy.
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Spontaneous breathing has been shown to induce both positive and negative effects on the function and on injury of lungs and diaphragm during critical illness; thus, monitoring of the breathing effort generated by the patient might be valuable for a better understanding of the mechanisms of disease and to set properly ventilation. The purpose of this review is to summarize the recent findings on the different techniques available to measure the patient's breathing effort, mainly during spontaneous assisted ventilation. ⋯ The development of measurement techniques and their introduction in clinical practice will allow us to understand the role of spontaneous breathing effort in the pathophysiology of lung injury and weaning failure, and how to adjust the breathing workload in an individual patient.