Current opinion in anaesthesiology
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With an aging cardiac surgery population, prefrail and frail patients are becoming more common. Anesthesiologists will be faced with the decision of how best to provide care to frail patients. Identification, management, and outcomes in frail patients will be discussed in this review. ⋯ As frailty will likely only increase amongst cardiac surgery patients, it is important to develop multicenter trials to study management and treatment options. Until those studies are performed, the care of frail cardiac surgery patients may be best provided by high-volume surgical centers with expertise in the management of frail patients.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Feb 2022
ReviewCritically appraising the 2018 United Network for Organ Sharing donor allocation policy: adding life boats or rearranging the deck chairs?
Due to the growing mismatch between donor supply and demand as well as unacceptably high transplant waitlist mortality, the heart organ allocation system was revised in October 2018. This review gives an overview of the changes in the new heart organ allocation system and its impact on heart transplant practice and outcomes in the United States. ⋯ The new United Network for Organ Sharing allocation policy confers significant advantages over the prior algorithm, allowing for decreased waitlist times and improved waitlist mortality without major impact on posttransplant survival.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Feb 2022
ReviewAnesthesia for tracheal and carinal resection and reconstruction.
The aim of this review is to provide an overview of current anesthetic management of tracheal and carinal resection and reconstruction. ⋯ The spectrum of available anesthetic techniques for major airway surgery is immense. To find the safest approach for the individual patient, comprehensive interdisciplinary planning is essential. The location and anatomic consistency of the stenosis, comorbidities, the functional status of respiratory system, as well as the planned reconstructive technique need to be considered. Until more data is available, however, a reliable evidence-based comparison of different approaches is not possible.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Feb 2022
ReviewPreoperative evaluation in thoracic surgery: limits of the patient's functional operability and consequence for perioperative anaesthesiologic management.
Preoperative evaluation of older and more morbid patients in thoracic surgery is getting more advanced. In this context, early risk stratification has a crucial role for adequate informed decision-making, and thus for generating favourable effects of clinical outcome. ⋯ A comprehensive risk stratification by anaesthesiologists generates valuable guidance for the best strategy of clinical treatment. This includes preoperative, peri-operative and postoperative interventions, provided by interdisciplinary healthcare providers, resulting in an Early Risk Stratification and Strategy ('ERSAS') pathway.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Feb 2022
ReviewMechanical circulatory support devices in geriatric patients: more than just age.
The use of mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices, such as left ventricular assist device and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in the elderly have been rapidly increasing in various clinical settings over the past two decades. This review briefly summarizes recent literature on the role and outcomes of such mechanical circulatory support devices use in the elderly. ⋯ MCS device use continue to rise in the elderly population. Meticulously selected elderly patients could be successfully supported with MCS devices with favorable outcomes and acceptable mortality and complication rate.