British journal of anaesthesia
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Review Meta Analysis
Dexamethasone and haemorrhage risk in paediatric tonsillectomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Summary In children undergoing tonsillectomy, dexamethasone is recommended to reduce the risk of postoperative nausea and vomiting while non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used for pain relief. We aimed to determine whether children who receive dexamethasone or dexamethasone with NSAID are more likely to experience haemorrhage post-tonsillectomy. Randomized and non-randomized studies in which children undergoing tonsillectomy received dexamethasone or dexamethasone and NSAID were sought within bibliographic databases and selected tertiary sources. ⋯ Clinical heterogeneity was observed between studies. The pooled analysis did not demonstrate a statistically significant increase in the risk of post-tonsillectomy haemorrhage with dexamethasone with/without NSAID use in children. However, the majority of the included studies were not designed to investigate this endpoint, and thus large studies which are specifically designed to collect data on haemorrhage rate are needed.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Does circumferential spread of local anaesthetic improve the success of peripheral nerve block?
The relation between the pattern of local anaesthetic (LA) spread and the quality of peripheral nerve block is unclear. ⋯ DRKS 00003826.
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Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is associated with at least transient episodes of hypertension and tachycardia. Beta-blocking agents may be indicated to prevent cardiovascular complications and may shorten seizure duration. This review evaluates studies that used beta-blocking agents during ECT to determine which agent has the most favourable outcomes on cardiovascular variables and seizure duration. ⋯ Labetalol has been studied to a lesser extent and may have prolonged cardiovascular effects. The included studies varied in design, methodology, and the amount of exact data provided in the publications. Further study of beta-blocking agents in ECT is clearly necessary.
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial Observational Study
EuroSCORE II and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide for risk evaluation: an observational longitudinal study in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery.
Postoperative heart failure remains the major cause of death after cardiac surgery. As N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a predictor for postoperative heart failure, the aim was to evaluate if preoperative NT-proBNP could provide additional prognostic information to the recently launched EuroSCORE II. ⋯ NCT00489827.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Association between preoperative glucocorticoids and long-term survival and cancer recurrence after colectomy: follow-up analysis of a previous randomized controlled trial.
The effect of anaesthetic drugs on long-term oncological outcomes after cancer surgery is an area of current interest. Dexamethasone is widely used in anaesthetic practice; however, its effect on long-term survival and cancer outcomes is not known. This study presents the results of a 5-yr follow-up of patients receiving dexamethasone before elective colectomy as part of a previous randomized clinical trial. ⋯ Preoperative dexamethasone was associated with a higher rate of distant recurrence in patients undergoing colectomy for colon cancer. Given the small sample size, this finding should be interpreted with caution, but warrants further investigation in a prospective study.