Articles: cations.
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Chest radiography (CXR), the most frequently performed imaging examination, is vulnerable to interpretation errors resulting from commonly missed findings. Methods to reduce these errors are presented. ⋯ Artificial intelligence is among the emerging and promising methods to enhance detection of CXR abnormalities. Despite their potential adverse consequences, errors offer opportunities for continued education and quality improvements in patient care, if managed within a just, supportive culture.
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Clinical Trial
Capsaicin treatment in neuropathic pain: axon reflex vasodilatation after four weeks correlates with pain reduction.
Capsaicin, an agonist at the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1, is used for the topical treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain. Reversible receptor defunctionalization and degeneration and subsequent regeneration of cutaneous nociceptors are discussed as its mechanism of action. Here, we hypothesize an accelerated functional recovery of a subclass of nociceptive afferents, the peptidergic vasoactive nociceptors, as the potential cause of capsaicin analgesia. ⋯ Patients with improved heat-evoked neurogenic vasodilatation at week 4 showed a greater pain reduction than those with deterioration. The degree of vasodilatation significantly correlated with pain reduction. These findings suggest that (1) regeneration of peptidergic nociceptors may be the mechanism behind capsaicin-induced analgesia and (2) that a disease-modifying effect of capsaicin on these fibers already occurs 4 weeks after application.
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The authors previously reported a broad suite of individualized Risk Stratification Index 3.0 (Health Data Analytics Institute, Inc., USA) models for various meaningful outcomes in patients admitted to a hospital for medical or surgical reasons. The models used International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, trajectories and were restricted to information available at hospital admission, including coding history in the previous year. The models were developed and validated in Medicare patients, mostly age 65 yr or older. The authors sought to determine how well their models predict utilization outcomes and adverse events in younger and healthier populations. ⋯ Predictive analytical modeling based on administrative claims history provides individualized risk profiles at hospital admission that may help guide patient management. Similar predictive performance in Medicare and in younger and healthier populations indicates that Risk Stratification Index 3.0 models are valid across a broad range of adult hospital admissions.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Mar 2023
Randomized Controlled TrialIntravenous lidocaine attenuates distention of the optical nerve sheath, a correlate of intracranial pressure, during endotracheal intubation.
By preventing hypoxia and hypercapnia, advanced airway management can save lives among patients with traumatic brain injury. During endotracheal intubation (ETI), tracheal stimulation causes an increase in intracranial pressure (ICP), which may impair brain perfusion. It has been suggested that intravenous lidocaine might attenuate this ICP response. We hypothesized that adding lidocaine to the standard induction medication for general anesthesia might reduce the ICP response to ETI. Here, we measured the optical nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) as a correlate of ICP and evaluated the effect of intravenous lidocaine on ONSD during and after ETI in patients undergoing anesthesia. ⋯ We found that the ONSD was distended during and after ETI in anesthetized patients, and intravenous lidocaine attenuated this effect.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Mar 2023
Patient and Operative Factors Predict Risk of Discretionary Prolonged Postoperative Mechanical Ventilation in a Broad Surgical Cohort.
Patients undergoing surgery with general anesthesia and endotracheal intubation are ideally extubated upon case completion, as prolonged postoperative mechanical ventilation (PPMV) has been associated with poor outcomes. However, some patients require PPMV for surgical reasons, such as airway compromise, while others remain intubated at the discretion of the anesthesia provider. Incidence and risk factors for discretionary PPMV (DPPMV) have been described in individual surgical subspecialties and intensive care unit (ICU) populations, but are relatively understudied in a broad surgical cohort. The present study seeks to fill this gap and identify the perioperative risk factors that predict DPPMV. ⋯ DPPMV was uncommon in this broad surgical cohort but could be accurately predicted using readily available patient-specific and operative factors. These results may be useful for preoperative risk stratification, postoperative resource allocation, and clinical trial planning.