British journal of anaesthesia
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Myocardial protection by glucose-insulin-potassium in acute coronary syndrome patients undergoing urgent multivessel off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery.
The aim of this randomized and controlled trial was to investigate the effect of a glucose-insulin-potassium (GIK) solution on myocardial protection in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients undergoing urgent multivessel off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) surgery. ⋯ GIK administration in ACS patients undergoing urgent multivessel OPCAB significantly attenuated the degree of ensuing myocardial injury without complications related to glycaemic control. Clinical Trial Registry. URL: http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01384656?term=GIK+AND+OPCAB&rank=1. Unique identification number NCT01384656.
-
Review Meta Analysis
Patients with end-stage renal disease admitted to the intensive care unit: systematic review.
The number of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is increasing worldwide, with a growing demand on healthcare services. A systematic review of the literature was performed to determine the requirement for intensive care unit (ICU) services, reasons for admission, predictors of mortality, and short- and long-term outcomes of ESRD patients admitted to ICU. Sixteen studies were identified, comprising 6591 ICU admissions. ⋯ Although the mortality rate remains high shortly after hospital discharge, the duration of increased mortality risk is unclear. Patients with ESRD frequently benefit from ICU admission, despite chronic co-morbidity. Further studies are required to modify and validate existing illness severity scores for ESRD patients admitted to the ICU, and to establish the duration of increased mortality risk after discharge from ICU.
-
Review Historical Article
The first intravenous anaesthetic: how well was it managed and its potential realized?
Our speciality commonly traces its origin to a demonstration of the inhalation of ether by a patient undergoing surgery in Boston in 1846. Less well known is the demonstration of the i.v. injection of opium with alcohol into a dog in Oxford in 1656, leading to anaesthesia followed by full long-term recovery. After gaining i.v. access, a mixture of opium and alcohol was injected, resulting in a brief period of anaesthesia. ⋯ It is important to consider why there was a failure to translate the results into clinical practice and nearly 200 yr of potentially pain-free surgery. Possible factors include lack of equipment for i.v. access, lack of understanding of dose-response effects, and a climate of scientific discovery rather than clinical application. Given the current interest in total i.v. anaesthesia, it seems appropriate to identify its origins well before those of inhalation anaesthesia.
-
Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a potentially fatal pharmacogenetic disorder in which intracellular calcium homeostasis in the skeletal muscle of susceptible individuals is disrupted upon exposure to halogenated anaesthetics. While MH is linked to the ryanodine receptor (RYR1) on chromosome 19 and the α1S subunit of the voltage-dependent L-type calcium channel (CACNA1S) on chromosome 1, mutations have been found in only 50-70% of patients, and subsequently, there is a need for a more powerful screening tool. ⋯ In this study, we successfully demonstrate the use of genomic DNA capture and next-generation sequencing for identification of putative mutations causing MH. We also suggest that whole exome sequencing may be necessary to identify MH causing mutations in patients where no mutations in RYR1 and CACNA1S have been identified thus far.