British journal of anaesthesia
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Review Meta Analysis
Role of therapeutic hypothermia in improving outcome after traumatic brain injury: a systematic review.
This systematic review delineates the effect of primary therapeutic hypothermia (PTH) (initiated on presentation of the patient) on both mortality and neurological outcome in patients with traumatic brain injury. The safety profile of the therapy is also assessed. A systematic search of the following databases was performed: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Zetoc database of conference proceedings, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and the clinicaltrials.gov website, up to July 28, 2011. ⋯ Hypothermia was associated with cerebrovascular disturbances on rewarming and possibly with pneumonia in adult patients. Given the quality of the data currently available, no benefit of PTH on mortality or neurological morbidity could be identified. The therapy should therefore only be used within the confines of well-designed clinical trials.
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Large numbers of central venous catheters (CVCs) are placed each year and misplacement occurs frequently. This review outlines the normal and abnormal anatomy of the central veins in relation to the placement of CVCs. An understanding of normal and variant anatomy enables identification of congenital and acquired abnormalities. ⋯ If the misplaced catheter is lying within or traversing large and incompressible arteries or veins, it should not be removed before consideration of what is likely to happen when it is removed. Advice and further imaging should be sought, typically in conjunction with interventional radiology or vascular surgery. With regard to misplaced CVCs, in the short term, a useful aide memoir is: 'if in doubt, don't take it out'.