Anesthesiology
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Iron-deficiency anemia is a common perioperative condition and increases perioperative morbidity and mortality. Timely diagnosis and treatment are important. This retrospective cohort study tested the hypothesis that a newly developed preprocedure evaluation protocol diagnoses more patients with iron-deficiency anemia than the traditional practice of obtaining a complete blood count followed by iron studies. ⋯ The preprocedure anemia evaluation improved identification of iron-deficiency anemia preoperatively. It is more effective and efficient, allowing anemia evaluation with a single patient visit.
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A comprehensive understanding of how anesthetics facilitate a reversible collapse of system-wide neuronal function requires measurement of neuronal activity with single-cell resolution. Multineuron recording was performed in Caenorhabditis elegans to measure neuronal activity at varying depths of anesthesia. The authors hypothesized that anesthesia is characterized by dyssynchrony between neurons resulting in a collapse of organized system states. ⋯ Anesthesia with isoflurane in C. elegans corresponds to high-frequency randomization of individual neuron activity, loss of coordination between neurons, and a collapse of system-wide functional organization.