Anesthesiology
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Moderate Hyperventilation during Intravenous Anesthesia Increases Net Cerebral Lactate Efflux.
Hyperventilation is known to decrease cerebral blood flow (CBF) and to impair cerebral metabolism, but the threshold in patients undergoing intravenous anesthesia is unknown. The authors hypothesized that reduced CBF associated with moderate hyperventilation might impair cerebral aerobic metabolism in patients undergoing intravenous anesthesia. ⋯ Moderate hyperventilation, when compared with moderate hypoventilation, in patients with cardiovascular disease undergoing intravenous anesthesia increased net cerebral lactate efflux and markedly reduced CBF and partial pressure of oxygen of the jugular venous bulb, suggesting partial impairment of cerebral aerobic metabolism at clinically relevant levels of hypocapnia.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Impact of Risk Assessments on Prophylactic Antiemetic Prescription and the Incidence of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting: A Cluster-randomized Trial.
Clinical prediction models have been shown to have moderate sensitivity and specificity, yet their use will depend on implementation in clinical practice. The authors hypothesized that implementation of a prediction model for postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) would lower the PONV incidence by stimulating anesthesiologists to administer more "risk-tailored" prophylaxis to patients. ⋯ Implementation of a PONV prediction model did not reduce the PONV incidence despite increased antiemetic prescription in high-risk patients by anesthesiologists. Before implementing prediction models into clinical practice, implementation studies that include patient outcomes as an endpoint are needed.
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In the last decade, preclinical investigations of electroacupuncture mechanisms on persistent tissue injury (inflammatory), nerve injury (neuropathic), cancer, and visceral pain have increased. These studies show that electroacupuncture activates the nervous system differently in health than in pain conditions, alleviates both sensory and affective inflammatory pain, and inhibits inflammatory and neuropathic pain more effectively at 2 to 10 Hz than at 100 Hz. ⋯ These include opioids, which desensitize peripheral nociceptors and reduce proinflammatory cytokines peripherally and in the spinal cord, and serotonin and norepinephrine, which decrease spinal N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunit GluN1 phosphorylation. Additional studies suggest that electroacupuncture, when combined with low dosages of conventional analgesics, provides effective pain management which can forestall the side effects of often-debilitating pharmaceuticals.
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Intact pharyngeal function and coordination of breathing and swallowing are essential for airway protection and to avoid respiratory complications. Postoperative pulmonary complications caused by residual effects of neuromuscular-blocking agents occur more frequently in the elderly. Moreover, elderly have altered pharyngeal function which is associated with increased risk of aspiration. The purpose of this study was to evaluate effects of partial neuromuscular block on pharyngeal function, coordination of breathing and swallowing, and airway protection in individuals older than 65 yr. ⋯ Partial neuromuscular block in healthy elderly individuals causes an increased incidence of pharyngeal dysfunction from 37 to 71%, with impaired ability to protect the airway; however, the authors were unable to detect an effect of partial neuromuscular block on coordination of breathing and swallowing.