Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · May 2024
ReviewRenin as a Prognostic Marker in Intensive Care and Perioperative Settings: A Scoping Review.
Serum renin increases in response to sympathetic nerve activation and hypotension. Recent studies have reported the association of serum renin levels with adverse clinical outcomes in acute care settings. This scoping review aimed to systematically review the available literature on renin as a prognostic marker in intensive care and perioperative patients. ⋯ Two studies showed that renin was superior to lactate as a prognostic marker of mortality. Our scoping review showed that elevated serum renin levels may be associated with clinically relevant outcomes among various perioperative and intensive care populations. Increased serum renin levels may identify patients in which synthetic angiotensin II administration improves clinical outcomes and may outperform serum lactate in predicting mortality.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · May 2024
ReviewEthical Principles Do Not Support Mandatory Preanesthesia Pregnancy Screening Tests: A Narrative Review.
Respect for patient autonomy is a pillar of medical ethics, manifested predominantly through informed consent. Mandatory (routine) nonconsented preoperative urine pregnancy testing does not adequately respect patient autonomy, is potentially coercive, and has the potential to cause harm medically, psychologically, socially, and financially. ⋯ Not performing a preanesthesia pregnancy test has not been associated with significant medicolegal consequences. We review the ethical implications of mandatory preanesthesia pregnancy testing in light of these facts.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · May 2024
Randomized Controlled TrialSugammadex Versus Neostigmine for Reversal of Neuromuscular Blockade in Patients With Severe Renal Impairment: A Randomized, Double-Blinded Study.
Sugammadex is not advised for patients with severe renal impairment, but has been shown in a variety of other populations to be superior to neostigmine for reversal of neuromuscular blockade. The objective of this study was to determine if reversal of rocuronium-induced neuromuscular blockade with sugammadex versus reversal of cisatracurium-induced neuromuscular blockade with neostigmine results in a faster return to a train-of-four ratio (TOFR) ≥90% in patients with severe renal impairment. ⋯ In patients with severe renal impairment, neuromuscular blockade with rocuronium followed by reversal with sugammadex provides a significantly faster return of neuromuscular function compared to cisatracurium and neostigmine, without any major adverse effects.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · May 2024
ReviewAnemia and Optimal Transfusion Thresholds in Brain-Injured Patients: A Narrative Review of the Literature.
Anemia is a highly prevalent condition that may compromise oxygen delivery to vital organs, especially among the critically ill. Although current evidence supports the adoption of a restrictive transfusion strategy and threshold among the nonbleeding critically ill patient, it remains unclear whether this practice should apply to the brain-injured patient, given the predisposition to cerebral ischemia in this patient population, in which even nonprofound anemia may exert a detrimental effect on clinical outcomes. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the pathophysiological changes related to impaired cerebral oxygenation in the brain-injured patient and to present the available evidence on the effect of anemia and varying transfusion thresholds on the clinical outcomes of patients with acute brain injury.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · May 2024
ReviewPro-Con Debate: Universal Versus Selective Continuous Monitoring of Postoperative Patients.
In this Pro-Con commentary article, we discuss use of continuous physiologic monitoring for clinical deterioration, specifically respiratory depression in the postoperative population. The Pro position advocates for 24/7 continuous surveillance monitoring of all patients starting in the postanesthesia care unit until discharge from the hospital. The strongest arguments for universal monitoring relate to inadequate assessment and algorithms for patient risk. ⋯ The analysis and discussion of each point of view describes who, when, where, and how continuous monitoring should be implemented. Consideration of various system-level factors are addressed, including clinical resource availability, alarm design, system costs, patient and staff acceptance, risk-assessment algorithms, and respiratory event detection. Literature is reviewed, findings are described, and recommendations for design of monitoring systems and implementation of monitoring are described for the pro and con positions.