Der Anaesthesist
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The prevalence of malignant hyperthermia (MH) in Germany is 1:2000-1:3000 and therefore more common than previously assumed, so that anesthesia personnel will more often be confronted with susceptible patients in the clinical setting. After the initial treatment with 2.5 mg/kg body weight dantrolene, further therapy using up to 10 mg/body weight dantrolene can be indicated for 24 h. ⋯ For outpatient anesthesia a stockage of dantrolene is not necessary as long as the use of MH trigger substances in general is strictly avoided. The introduction of Ryanodex® (Eagle Pharmaceuticals, Woodcliff Lake, NJ, USA), a preparation of dantrolene with clearly improved pharmacological properties, in the clinical practice has not yet been realized in Germany.
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The discovery of barbituric acid and research on its derivatives have long been of importance in advancements in modern anesthesia. Decades of clinical use of barbiturates worldwide and their abuse has led to an enormous amount of knowledge. Thiopental and methohexital are ultra-short acting derivatives of barbiturates. ⋯ Currently it is mainly used in obstetrics for induction of cesarean sections under general anesthesia. A disadvantage, when properly used to induce anesthesia, is usually only the prolonged elimination kinetics of barbiturates. It is beneficial that barbiturates do not require side effect provoking solubilizers.
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Palliative sedation (PS) serves as a therapeutic option in cases of otherwise intractable suffering. As the use of sedative and hypnotic medication in many diverse situations is a core competency of anesthesiology, anesthesiologists are confronted with questions of sedative therapy at the end of life in institutions for specialized palliative care, in intensive care units and intermediate care wards. In recent years a number of guidelines have been published internationally but so far no official guidelines exist in Germany. The most recognized document is the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) framework on PS. This project aims to develop a German language template for the preparation, application, documentation and evaluation of PS according to the current frameworks, especially the EAPC framework on PS. ⋯ This article provides an empirically based, multiprofessional consented documentation template for PS. Core elements of the documentation of PS are the indications and the decision process towards PS. During the treatment, at least the level of sedation and the symptom burden have to be recorded. The documentation of vital signs during PS remains a highly disputed topic. The presented data suggest that especially in outpatient settings and in hospices measuring and documentation of vital parameters is uncommon and therefore is often regarded as not feasible. This template can help to support the medically and ethically sound use of PS and facilitate research. The template can be accessed at http://www.palliativmedizin.uk-erlangen.de/forschung/downloads/ .
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A hybrid suite is an operating theater with imaging equipment equivalent to that used in an angiography suite with computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). They are often situated outside the operating room area and typically serve as multifunctional rooms designed to support a variety of catheter-based endovascular procedures and open surgery to be performed in the same location. The possibility to perform these in the same location facilitates the combination of both approaches to so-called hybrid procedures. ⋯ The challenge in anesthesia is to ensure that when patients are taken to these complex environments the resources available enable high standards of care to be provided. With future developments in imaging technology combined with more powerful hardware and software, a far greater integration of all these imaging and navigation technologies will be seen in future operating rooms. Finally, patients are becoming more aware of medical developments via the world wide web and increasingly request what they consider to be state of the art treatment.
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For cardiac surgery patients who were employed prior to surgery, the return to their professional life is of special importance. In addition to medical reasons, such as pre-existing conditions, the success of the operation or postoperative course and patient-intrinsic reasons, which can be assessed with the Sense of Coherence (SOC) scale by Antonovsky, may also play a role in the question of a possible return into working life. ⋯ Patients with an SOC score < 130 are at greater risk not to return to their professional life after cardiac surgery. The SOC is an easily obtainable score that reliably predicts the probability of return to work after cardiac surgery.