Der Anaesthesist
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Review Meta Analysis
[Interdisciplinary management of trauma patients : Update 3 years after implementation of the S3 guidelines on treatment of patients with severe and multiple injuries.]
The recommendations still have to be implemented 3 years after publication of the S3 guidelines on the treatment of patients with severe and multiple injuries. ⋯ The recommendations on interdisciplinary trauma management contained in the S3 guidelines on the treatment of patients with severe and multiple injuries should be implemented into the clinical routine. Additionally, the knowledge gained from more recent scientific studies is necessary for anesthetists and emergency physicians to be able to adequately implement the core statements of the S3 guidelines for the treatment of patients with severe and multiple injuries.
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Review Meta Analysis
[Current concepts of augmented spontaneous breathing : New modes of effort-adapted weaning.]
The use of augmented spontaneous breathing is an important component in a bundle concept of weaning from mechanical ventilation as it was demonstrated that controlled ventilation with diaphragmatic underuse induces rapid muscle atrophy and impairs successful weaning. On the other hand spontaneous breathing is often associated with disturbed patient-ventilator interaction resulting in asynchrony (e.g. ineffective triggering, early termination of inspiration and overflow or underflow). ⋯ It was shown in some smaller clinical investigations that these newer modes are able to improve patient-ventilator interaction, to reduce the burden on respiratory muscles and to increase ventilation comfort. Although large randomized controlled studies are lacking, effort-adapted modes of augmented breathing will become a routine part in the management of weaning from mechanical ventilation.
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Review Meta Analysis
[Update on preemptive analgesia : Options and limits of preoperative pain therapy.]
Wall created the term preemptive analgesia in 1988 and in doing so set in motion a movement to prevent acute and chronic postsurgical pain. The concept of preemptive analgesia implies the administration of analgesic drugs or an intervention before a surgical procedure. A preemptive analgesic approach can comprise non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) and cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors (coxibs) used to decrease the production of prostaglandins, local anesthetics (e.g. epidural) to reduce nociceptive input to the spinal cord as well as opioids, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonists, antidepressants and anticonvulsants, all of which have an inhibitory influence on the central nervous system. ⋯ Reduction of chronic postoperative pain is an important medical function which is also justified from socioeconomic perspectives. Future studies should combine several procedures for perioperative pain therapy in order to do justice to the multifactorial aspects of pain chronification and should also be planned over a sufficiently long observation time period.
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Review Meta Analysis
[Corticosteroid administration for acute respiratory distress syndrome : therapeutic option?].
Despite a number of clinical trials there is still controversy about the role of corticosteroid therapy in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). In addition recent meta-analyses differed markedly in the conclusions. ⋯ A low-dose corticosteroid regime given for 4 weeks may potentially be helpful and can be considered in acute or unresolved ARDS in less than 14 days after onset of ARDS, if a close infection surveillance program is available, if neuromuscular blockade can be avoided and if a stepwise dose reduction of corticosteroids is performed. The total daily dose at the beginning of treatment should not exceed 2 mg/kg body weight (BW) methylprednisolone.
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Review Meta Analysis
[Age rationing : means of resource allocation in healthcare systems].
The necessity of limiting resource in healthcare systems is becoming increasingly more evident. The population has requirements especially in the field of healthcare which are principally unlimited. ⋯ One example of these models is called age rationing which means that defined services are only offered to patients up to a particular age. The aim of this article is to discuss the model of age rationing in the context of an optimized use of resources in the healthcare system.