Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Aug 2016
Observational StudyThe Association Between Preoperative Frailty and Postoperative Delirium After Cardiac Surgery.
Delirium is common after cardiac surgery, and preoperative identification of high-risk patients could guide prevention strategies. We prospectively measured frailty in 55 patients before cardiac surgery and assessed postoperative delirium using a validated chart review. ⋯ In multivariable models, the relative risk of delirium was ≥2.1-fold greater in frail compared with nonfrail patients (relative risk, 18.3; 95% confidence interval, 2.1-161.8; P = 0.009). Frailty may identify patients who would benefit from delirium-prevention strategies because of increased baseline risk for delirium.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Aug 2016
ReviewAnesthetic Considerations for the Parturient After Solid Organ Transplantation.
Over the past 40 years, the success of organ transplantation has increased such that female solid organ transplant recipients are able to conceive and carry pregnancies successfully to term. Anesthesiologists are faced with the challenge of providing anesthesia care to these high-risk obstetric patients in the peripartum period. Anesthetic considerations include the effects of the physiologic changes of pregnancy on the transplanted organ, graft function in the peripartum period, and the maternal side effects and drug interactions of immunosuppressive agents. ⋯ Anesthetic management should consider the important task of protecting graft function. Optimal care of a woman with a transplanted solid organ involves management by a multidisciplinary team. In this focused review article, we review the anesthetic management of pregnant patients with solid organ transplants of the kidney, liver, heart, or lung.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Aug 2016
Comparative StudyThe Accuracy of 6 Inexpensive Pulse Oximeters Not Cleared by the Food and Drug Administration: The Possible Global Public Health Implications.
Universal access to pulse oximetry worldwide is often limited by cost and has substantial public health consequences. Low-cost pulse oximeters have become increasingly available with limited regulatory agency oversight. The accuracy of these devices often has not been validated, raising questions about performance. ⋯ Many low-cost pulse oximeters sold to consumers demonstrate highly inaccurate readings. Unexpectedly, the accuracy of some low-cost pulse oximeters tested here performed similarly to more expensive, ISO-cleared units when measuring hypoxia in healthy subjects. None of those tested here met World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists standards, and the ideal testing conditions do not necessarily translate these findings to the clinical setting. Nonetheless, further development of accurate, low-cost oximeters for use in clinical practice is feasible and, if pursued, could improve access to safe care, especially in low-income countries.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Aug 2016
Comparative StudyThe Biomechanical Effects of Resuscitation Colloids on the Compromised Lung Endothelial Glycocalyx.
The endothelial glycocalyx is an important component of the vascular permeability barrier, forming a scaffold that allows serum proteins to create a gel-like layer on the endothelial surface and transmitting mechanosensing and mechanotransduction information that influences permeability. During acute inflammation, the glycocalyx is degraded, changing how it interacts with serum proteins and colloids used during resuscitation and altering its barrier properties and biomechanical characteristics. We quantified changes in the biomechanical properties of lung endothelial glycocalyx during control conditions and after degradation by hyaluronidase using biophysical techniques that can probe mechanics at (1) the aqueous/glycocalyx interface and (2) inside the glycocalyx. Our goal was to discern the location-specific effects of albumin and hydroxyethyl starch (HES) on glycocalyx function. ⋯ Albumin and HES induced markedly different effects on glycocalyx mechanics and had notably different effects after glycocalyx degradation by hyaluronidase. We conclude that HES is not comparable with albumin for studies of vascular permeability and glycocalyx-dependent signaling. Characterizing the molecular and biomechanical effects of resuscitation colloids on the glycocalyx should clarify their indicated uses and permit a better understanding of how HES and albumin affect vascular function.