Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Apr 2019
Multicenter StudyEvaluation of Job Stress and Burnout Among Anesthesiologists Working in Academic Institutions in 2 Major Cities in Pakistan.
Work stress is an integral part of anesthetic practice and has been a subject of many studies. Persistent stress can lead to burnout. There is limited published literature from lower- and middle-income countries where job stressors may be different from high-income countries. ⋯ In conclusion, a high rate of burnout was identified in anesthesiologists working in 2 major cities in Pakistan. Some new associated factors such as initial choice of specialty and city of work were highlighted. Based on these findings, preventive and coping strategies need to be introduced at institutional and national levels.
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There are occasionally intraoperative circumstances in which reduction of mean arterial pressure (MAP) to levels well below those that occur in nonanesthetized adults is necessary or unavoidable. In these situations, clinicians are inevitably concerned about the limits of the tolerance of the brain for hypotension. ⋯ The principal theses offered by this review are: (1) that the average lower limit of cerebral blood flow autoregulation in normotensive adult humans is not less than a MAP of 70 mm Hg; (2) that there is considerable intersubject variability in both the lower limit of cerebral blood flow autoregulation and the efficiency of cerebral blood flow autoregulation; (3) that there is a substantial blood flow reserve that buffers the normal central nervous system against critical blood flow reduction in the face of hypotension; (4) that there are several common clinical phenomena that have the potential to compromise that buffer, and that should be taken into account in decision making about minimum acceptable MAPs; and (5) that the average threshold for the onset of central nervous system ischemic symptoms is probably a MAP of 40-50 mm Hg at the level of the circle of Willis in a normotensive adult in a vertical posture and 45-55 mm Hg in a supine subject. However, these MAPs should probably only be approached deliberately when the exigencies of the surgical situation absolutely require it.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Apr 2019
ReviewLong-term Cognitive and Functional Impairments After Critical Illness.
As critical illness survivorship increases, patients and health care providers are faced with management of long-term sequelae including cognitive and functional impairment. Longitudinal studies have demonstrated impairments persisting at least 1-5 years after hospitalization for critical illness. Cognitive domains impacted include memory, attention, and processing speed. ⋯ Multifactorial prevention bundles are useful tools in improving care provided to patients in the intensive care unit. Data regarding cognitive rehabilitation are limited, while studies on functional rehabilitation have conflicting results. Continued investigation and implementation of prevention strategies and rehabilitation interventions will hopefully improve the quality of life for the ever-increasing population of critical illness survivors.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Apr 2019
ReviewAnesthetic Management of Emergency Endovascular Thrombectomy for Acute Ischemic Stroke, Part 1: Patient Characteristics, Determinants of Effectiveness, and Effect of Blood Pressure on Outcome.
In the United States, stroke ranks fifth among all causes of death and is the leading cause of serious long-term disability. The 2018 American Heart Association stroke care guidelines consider endovascular thrombectomy to be the standard of care for patients who have acute ischemic stroke in the anterior circulation when arterial puncture can be made within 6 hours of symptom onset or within 6-24 hours of symptom onset when specific eligibility criteria are satisfied. The aim of this 2-part review is to provide practical perspective on the clinical literature regarding anesthesia care of patients treated with endovascular thrombectomy. ⋯ With this background, in part 2 (the companion to this article), the observational literature is briefly summarized, largely to identify its weaknesses, but also to develop hypotheses derived from it that have been recently tested in 3 randomized clinical trials of sedation versus general anesthesia for endovascular thrombectomy. In part 2, these 3 trials are reviewed both from a functional outcomes perspective (meta-analysis) and a methodological perspective, providing specifics regarding anesthesia and hemodynamic management. Part 2 concludes with a pragmatic approach to anesthesia decision making (sedation versus general anesthesia) and acute phase anesthesia management of patients treated with endovascular thrombectomy.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Apr 2019
ReviewEscape From Oblivion: Neural Mechanisms of Emergence From General Anesthesia.
The question of how general anesthetics suppress consciousness has persisted since the mid-19th century, but it is only relatively recently that the field has turned its focus to a systematic understanding of emergence. Once assumed to be a purely passive process, spontaneously occurring as residual levels of anesthetics dwindle below a critical value, emergence from general anesthesia has been reconsidered as an active and controllable process. ⋯ In this narrative review, we focus on the burgeoning scientific understanding of anesthetic emergence, summarizing current knowledge of the neurotransmitter, neuromodulators, and neuronal groups that prime the brain as it prepares for its journey back from oblivion. We also review evidence for possible strategies that may actively bias the brain back toward the wakeful state.