BioMed research international
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Delirium is a primary adverse event in ventilated patients who receive long-term monosedative treatment. Sequential sedation may reduce these adverse effects. This study evaluated risk factors for delirium in sequential sedation patients. ⋯ Older age, higher SOFA score, regular smoking, and higher maintenance dose of midazolam and fentanyl when patients met sequential criteria were independent risk factors of delirium in sequential sedation patients. Sequential sedation with dexmedetomidine reduced risk of delirium.
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Background. There have not yet been any studies to validate the intubation difficulty scale (IDS) in obese parturients. Objectives of this study were to determine the performance of the IDS in defining difficult intubation (DI) and to identify the optimal cutoff points of the IDS among obese parturients. ⋯ Conclusions. The IDS scoring is a good tool for defining DI among obese parturients. The IDS scores of ≥3 and ≥5 are the optimal cutoff points to define somewhat DI and DI, respectively.
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This review outlines the anatomy of the obturator nerve and the indications for obturator nerve block (ONB). Ultrasound-guided ONB techniques and unresolved issues regarding these procedures are also discussed. An ONB is performed to prevent thigh adductor jerk during transurethral resection of bladder tumor, provide analgesia for knee surgery, treat hip pain, and improve persistent hip adductor spasticity. ⋯ Several proximal approaches involving different patient and transducer positions are reported. The proximal approach may be superior for reducing the dose of local anesthetic and providing successful blockade of the obturator nerve, including the hip articular branch, when compared with the distal approach. This hypothesis and any differences between the proximal ONB techniques need to be explored in future studies.
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Organ transplantation is the sole treatment to improve or save the life of patients with final-stage organ failure. The shortage of available organs for transplantation constitutes a universal problem, estimating that 10% of patients on waiting lists die. Brain death is an undesirable result; nevertheless, it has beneficial side-effects since it is the most frequent source of organs for transplantation. ⋯ To perform elective nontherapeutic ventilation (ENTV), a patient's anticipated willingness to donate organs and/or explicit acceptance by his/her relatives is required. This process should focus exclusively on those patients with catastrophic brain injuries and imminent risk of death which, due to its acute damage, are not considered treatable. This article defends ENTV as an effective strategy to improve donation rate, analyzing its ethical and legal basis.
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Postoperative delirium (POD) is a very common complication in operative disciplines, especially in those elderly patients after cardiac surgery. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between C-reactive protein (CRP) and POD in elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery for colon carcinoma. ⋯ This present study highlighted the predictive role of preoperative CRP concentrations for POD in elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery for colon carcinoma.