Anaesthesia
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Over 30,000 adult cardiac operations are carried out in the UK annually. A small number of these patients need to return to theatre in the first few days after the initial surgery, but the exact proportion is unknown. The majority of these resternotomies are for bleeding or cardiac tamponade. ⋯ The rate (95%CI) of needing renal replacement therapy was 23.4% (20.6-26.5). This UK-wide audit has demonstrated that resternotomy after cardiac surgery is associated with prolonged intensive care stay, high rates of blood transfusion, renal replacement therapy and very high mortality. Further research into this area is required to try to improve patient care and outcomes in patients who require resternotomy in the first 24 h after cardiac surgery.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Measurement of airway pressure during high-flow nasal therapy in apnoeic oxygenation: a randomised controlled crossover trial.
It is recognised that high-flow nasal therapy can prevent desaturation during airway management. Studies in spontaneously breathing patients show an almost linear relationship between flow rate and positive airway pressure in the nasopharynx. Positive airway pressure has been suggested as one of the possible mechanisms explaining how high-flow nasal therapy works. ⋯ This study shows an increase in airway pressures with closed mouths that depends on flow rate. The generated pressure is negligible with an open mouth. These data question positive airway pressure as an important mechanism for maintenance of oxygenation during apnoea.
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Comparative Study
A comparison of postoperative respiratory complications associated with the use of desflurane and sevoflurane: a single-centre cohort study.
Sevoflurane and desflurane are the most commonly used volatile anaesthetics for maintenance of anaesthesia. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between choice of volatile anaesthetic and early postoperative respiratory complications, and to address a critical knowledge gap in safety outcomes between these two commonly used agents. We performed a retrospective analysis of adult (non-cardiac surgery) patients who received sevoflurane or desflurane for the maintenance of general anaesthesia at our institution between 2005 and 2018. ⋯ These findings were consistent across all sub-groups of high-risk patients and in the propensity score matched cohort. In summary, desflurane use was not associated with reduced postoperative respiratory complications when compared with sevoflurane. In the context of environmental and cost concerns with volatile anaesthetic agents, our study provides important data to support organisational decisions regarding the use of desflurane.