Anaesthesia
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We analysed how long it has taken for papers authored by Scott Reuben, Joachim Boldt and Yoshitaka Fujii to be retracted: investigations into these three anaesthetists have shown much of their research to be unethical or fraudulent. To date, 94% of their combined papers requiring retraction have been retracted; however, only 85% of the retraction notices were compliant with guidelines produced by the Committee on Publication Ethics. ⋯ In response to our enquiries, 16 articles have since been retracted; we have documented the journals' responses regarding the remaining papers and await further retractions in the future. There is room for improvement in the way that unethical or fraudulent papers are handled by journals and publishers, beyond the identification of the authors' misconduct.
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It is widely recognised that prolonged fasting for elective surgery in both children and adults serves no purpose, adversely affects patient well-being and can be detrimental. Although advised fasting times for solids remain unchanged, there is good evidence to support a 1-h fast for children, with no increase in risk of pulmonary aspiration. ⋯ As in children, there is no increase in risk of pulmonary aspiration. Further data are required to guide best practice in patients with diabetes.
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Observational Study
A prospective, observational study of cerebrovascular autoregulation and its association with delirium following cardiac surgery.
This aim of this prospective observational cohort study was to evaluate any association between postoperatively impaired cerebrovascular autoregulation and the onset of delirium following cardiac surgery. Previous studies have shown that impaired intra-operative cerebrovascular autoregulation during cardiopulmonary bypass is associated with delirium. However, postoperative changes in cerebrovascular autoregulation and its association with delirium have not been investigated. ⋯ All patients showed improvement in tissue oximetry index on postoperative day 1 compared with postoperative day 0. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated tissue oximetry index on postoperative day 0 to be independently associated with delirium; odds ratio 1.05 (95%CI 1.01-1.10), p = 0.043. In conclusion, we found an association between impaired cerebrovascular autoregulation, measured by near-infrared spectroscopy, and delirium in the early postoperative period.
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Pre-operative optimisation is a heterogenous group of interventions aimed at improving peri-operative outcomes. To understand the evidence for pre-operative optimisation in the developing world, we systematically reviewed Cochrane reviews on the topic according to the Human Developmental Index (HDI) of the country where patient recruitment occurred. We used summary statistics and cartograms to describe the HDI, year of publication, timing of pre-operative intervention and risk of bias associated with each included trial. ⋯ Half of the world's population live in low- and middle-HDI countries. This population is poorly represented in systematically reviewed evidence on pre-operative optimisation. Multinational trials increase the knowledge contribution from low- and middle-HDI countries and decrease risk of bias in systematic reviews.
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Observational Study
Electroencephalographic (EEG) density spectral array monitoring in children during sevoflurane anaesthesia: a prospective observational study.
Electroencephalographic density spectral array monitoring has been developed to facilitate the interpretation of unprocessed electroencephalogram signals. The primary aim of this prospective observational study, performed in a tertiary children's hospital, was to identify the clinical applicability and validity of density spectral array monitoring in infants and children during sevoflurane anaesthesia. We included 104 children, aged < 6 years, undergoing elective surgery during sevoflurane anaesthesia. ⋯ In infants younger than 6 months-old, α and β coherence are absent, whereas θ and δ oscillations have already emerged. In cases where anaesthesia was too deep, this presented as burst suppression on the electroencephalogram, θ disappeared, leaving the electroencephalographic activity in the δ range. Future research should address this issue, aiming to clarify whether the emergence of θ oscillations in infants helps to prevent sevoflurane overdosing.