Current opinion in anaesthesiology
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Apr 2014
ReviewMulticompartment management of patients with severe traumatic brain injury.
Intracranial pressure (ICP) control is a mainstay of traumatic brain injury (TBI) management. However, development of intracranial hypertension (ICH) may be affected by factors outside of the cranial vault in addition to the local effects of the TBI. This review will examine the pathophysiology of multiple compartment syndrome (MCS) and current treatment considerations for patients with TBI given the effects of MCS. ⋯ In MCS, intracranial, intrathoracic and intra-abdominal compartment pressures are interrelated. TBI patient care should include ICP control as well as minimization of intrathoracic and intra-abdominal pressure as clinically possible.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Apr 2014
ReviewPreventing and managing perioperative pulmonary complications following cardiac surgery.
To provide an update of research findings on the mechanisms underlying respiratory complications after cardiac surgery, especially acute respiratory distress syndrome, transfusion-related lung injury and ventilation-associated pneumonia. The article will review some of the preventive and therapeutic measures that can be implemented to reduce these complications, focusing on the use of protective invasive ventilation and postextubation noninvasive ventilation. ⋯ Postoperative pulmonary complications are common, but severe complications are infrequent. Their reduction requires measures to prevent infection and mechanical ventilation-associated lung injury through the use of low tidal volumes and early extubation. Noninvasive ventilation after extubation can be utilized to avoid reintubation and the associated increased morbidity and mortality. However, noninvasive ventilation should be done under rigorous conditions and by following strict criteria.
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Advances in medical care have led to an increasing elderly population. Elderly individuals should be able to participate in society as long as possible. However, with an increasing age their adaptive capacity gradually decreases, specially before and after major life events (like hospitalization and surgery) making them vulnerable to reduced functioning and societal participation. Therapeutic exercise before and after surgery might augment the postoperative outcomes by improving functional status and reducing the complication and mortality rate. ⋯ The perioperative exercise training protocol known under the name 'Better in, Better out' could be implemented in clinical care for the vulnerable group of patients scheduled for major elective surgery who are at risk for prolonged hospitalization, complications and/or death. Future research should aim to include this at-risk group, evaluate perioperative high-intensity exercise interventions and conduct adequately powered trials.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Apr 2014
ReviewPredicting postoperative pulmonary complications: implications for outcomes and costs.
This review of progress toward reliable prediction of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) discusses risk assessment against the background of patient management strategies, clinical outcomes, and cost of healthcare. ⋯ PPCs are associated with a higher incidence of life-threatening events and higher costs. Reliable PPC risk-stratification tools are essential for guiding clinical decision-making in the perioperative period. The care team can act on modifiable factors and optimize vigilance over nonmodifiable ones. It would be useful to focus resources on determining whether low-cost preemptive interventions improve outcomes satisfactorily or new strategies need to be developed.
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Physician-assisted suicide (PAS) and euthanasia have been increasingly discussed in end-of-life care, as PAS and euthanasia have now been legalized in three European countries and PAS has been legalized in Washington, Oregon, and Montana in the USA. This review focuses on some aspects of PAS and euthanasia and discusses deep terminal sedation (DTS), which is increasingly used to treat intractable symptoms at the end of life. ⋯ Caution is warranted regarding PAS and euthanasia, as vulnerable patients may still be at risk. More research is needed to characterize the use (and misuse) of DTS.