Anaesthesiology intensive therapy
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Anaesthesiol Intensive Ther · Jan 2015
Multicenter StudyResults of the severe sepsis registry in intensive care units in Poland from 2003-2009.
Severe sepsis remains the most common cause of death in intensive care units (ICUs) according to many epidemiological studies. There are no data in Poland on the extent of severe sepsis cases treated in ICUs. The aim of the study was to analyse the course and outcome of severe sepsis patients treated in Polish ICUs. ⋯ Patients with severe sepsis involved in the 7-year registry were critically ill in half of the cases because of intra-abdominal infections, and the majority of them had multi-organ dysfunction. The mortality of registered patients was high, but it significantly decreased during the observation time. Based on the results obtained from this voluntary registry, the authors conclude that mandated sepsis registries should be established in Polish hospitals to improve the strategy of diagnosing and managing this syndrome.
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Anaesthesiol Intensive Ther · Jan 2015
Does epidural anaesthesia reduce the incidence of postoperative oxygen desaturation episodes in patients undergoing open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair?
Postoperative desaturation can lead to severe hypoxaemia and even tissue hypoxia, followed by cardiological and neurological complications. Opioid usage is the one of the most important risk factors of postoperative desaturation and hypoxemia. Epidural anaesthesia is recommended for vascular surgery for many reasons; the reduction or elimination of opioid doses is one reason. The aims of the study were to evaluate the incidence of desaturation episodes in patients after surgical procedures with abdominal aortic clamping, to determine whether the episodes in question lead to clinical symptoms of hypoxia and to determine whether epidural anaesthesia decreases the incidence of desaturation episodes. ⋯ Epidural anaesthesia did not protect against postoperative desaturation. Though oxygen therapy was used, desaturation was observed in approximately 90% of patients.