Anesthesia and analgesia
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Methylene blue (MB) has received much attention in the perioperative and critical care literature because of its ability to antagonize the profound vasodilation seen in distributive (also referred to as vasodilatory or vasoplegic) shock states. This review will discuss the pharmacologic properties of MB and review the critical care, liver transplantation, and cardiac anesthesia literature with respect to the efficacy and safety of MB for the treatment of shock. Although improved blood pressure has consistently been demonstrated with the use of MB in small trials and case reports, better oxygen delivery or decreased mortality with MB use has not been demonstrated. Large randomized controlled trials are still necessary to identify the role of MB in hemodynamic resuscitation of the critically ill.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jan 2016
Review Meta AnalysisTargeting Oliguria Reversal in Goal-Directed Hemodynamic Management Does Not Reduce Renal Dysfunction in Perioperative and Critically Ill Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
We investigated whether resuscitation protocols to achieve and maintain urine output above a predefined threshold-including oliguria reversal as a target--prevent acute renal failure (ARF). ⋯ Current literature favors targeting circulatory optimization by GDT without targeting oliguria reversal to prevent ARF. Future studies are needed to investigate the hypothesis that targeting oliguria reversal does not prevent ARF in critically ill and surgical patients.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jan 2016
ReviewQuantifying the Diversity and Similarity of Surgical Procedures Among Hospitals and Anesthesia Providers.
In this Statistical Grand Rounds, we review methods for the analysis of the diversity of procedures among hospitals, the activities among anesthesia providers, etc. We apply multiple methods and consider their relative reliability and usefulness for perioperative applications, including calculations of SEs. We also review methods for comparing the similarity of procedures among hospitals, activities among anesthesia providers, etc. ⋯ Thus, if quantifying the similarity of procedures among cases with a break or handoff versus cases without a break or handoff, a similarity index represents a correlation coefficient. There are several different measures of similarity, and we compare their features and applicability for perioperative data. We rely extensively on sensitivity analyses to interpret observed values of the similarity index.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jan 2016
Review Historical ArticleThe History of Target-Controlled Infusion.
Target-controlled infusion (TCI) is a technique of infusing IV drugs to achieve a user-defined predicted ("target") drug concentration in a specific body compartment or tissue of interest. In this review, we describe the pharmacokinetic principles of TCI, the development of TCI systems, and technical and regulatory issues addressed in prototype development. We also describe the launch of the current clinically available systems.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jan 2016
ReviewPerioperative Complications in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients Undergoing Surgery: A Review of the Legal Literature.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is common in patients undergoing surgery. OSA, known or suspected, has been associated with significant perioperative adverse events, including severe neurologic injury and death. This study was undertaken to assess the legal consequences associated with poor outcomes related to OSA in the perioperative setting. ⋯ Perioperative complications related to OSA are increasingly being reported as the central contention of malpractice suits. These cases can be associated with severe financial penalties. These data likely underestimate the actual medicolegal burden, given that most such cases are settled out of court and are not accounted for in the legal literature.