Current opinion in anaesthesiology
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Apr 2021
ReviewThe Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order in the perioperative setting: practical considerations.
Addressing patients' Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) status in the perioperative setting is important for shared patient decision-making. Although the inherently resuscitative nature of anesthesia and surgery may pose an ethical quandary for clinicians tasked with caring for the patient, anesthesiologist-led efforts need to evaluate all aspects of the DNR order and operative procedures. ⋯ Efforts must be made to address the DNR order in the perioperative setting. The fundamental tenets of medical ethics, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and patient autonomy can help to guide this oftentimes challenging discussion.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Apr 2021
ReviewDonation after circulatory death: opportunities on the horizon.
Organ transplantation remains the gold standard therapy for many end-organ diseases. The demand for donor organs continues to grow to far exceed supply. This review summarizes recent protocols, procedures, and ethics surrounding the increased utilization of donors after circulatory death for transplantation. ⋯ Donation after circulatory death offers a real opportunity to narrow the supply and demand issue with organ donation. Outcomes are improving, and protocols continue to evolve.
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The current article reviews recent findings on the monitoring and hemodynamic support of septic shock patients. ⋯ Resuscitation should be personalized and based on global and regional markers of tissue hypoxia as well as the fluid responsiveness indices. The beneficial effect of multimode approach with different types of vasopressors, remains to be determined.
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Advances in the care of inhalational injuries have not kept pace with advances that have been seen in the treatment of cutaneous burns. There is not yet a standard of care for best outcomes for airway management of patients with known or suspected inhalational injuries. Clinicians must decide if to intubate the patient, and if so, whether to intubate early or late in their presentation. Unnecessary intubation affects morbidity and mortality. This review will summarize literature that highlights present practices in the treatment of patients with inhalation injuries. ⋯ Inhalational injuries are a significant source of morbidity and mortality in thermally injured patients. Treatment modalities, such as modified ventilator settings, alteration in fluid resuscitation, and a standardized grading system may improve morbidity and mortality.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Apr 2021
ReviewDoes thoracic epidural anaesthesia constitute over-instrumentation in video- and robotic-assisted thoracoscopic lung parenchyma resections?
Effective and sustained perioperative analgesia in thoracic surgery and pulmonary resection is beneficial to patients by reducing both postoperative pulmonary complications and the incidence of chronic pain. In this review, the indication of thoracic epidural anaesthesia in video- (VATS) and robotic-assisted (RATS) thoracoscopy shall be critically objectified and presented in a differentiated way. ⋯ Since clear evidence-based recommendations for optimal postoperative analgesia are still lacking in VATS and RATS, there can be no universal recommendation that fits all centres and patients. In this context, thoracic epidural analgesia is the most effective analgesia procedure for perioperative pain control in VATS and RATS-assisted surgery for patients with pulmonary risk factors.