British journal of anaesthesia
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Meta Analysis
Effect of intraoperative hyperoxia on the incidence of surgical site infections: a meta-analysis.
Whether supplemental intraoperative oxygen reduces surgical site infections remains unclear. Recent recommendations from the World Health Organization and Center for Disease Control to routinely use high inspired oxygen concentrations to reduce infection risk have been widely criticized. We therefore performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the influence of inspired oxygen on infection risk, including a recent large trial. ⋯ When considering all available data, intraoperative hyperoxia reduced wound infection incidence. However, no significant benefit remained when analysis was restricted to objective- or investigator-identified low-bias studies, although those analyses were not as well-powered. Meta-analysis of the most reliable studies does not suggest that supplemental oxygen substantively reduces wound infection risk, but more research is needed to fully answer this question.
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Meta Analysis
Perioperative psychotherapy for persistent post-surgical pain and physical impairment: a meta-analysis of randomised trials.
Persistent post-surgical pain affects 10-80% of individuals after common operations, and is more common among patients with psychological factors such as depression, anxiety, or catastrophising. ⋯ PROSPERO CRD42016047335.
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There has been increasing use of invasive techniques, such as extracorporeal organ support, in intensive care units (ICU), and declining autopsy rates. Thus, new measures are needed to maintain high-quality standards. We investigated the potential of computed tomography (CT)-based virtual autopsy to substitute for medical autopsy in this setting. ⋯ NCT01541982.
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Cardiorespiratory fitness can inform patient care, although to what extent natural variation in CRF influences clinical practice remains to be established. We calculated natural variation for cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) metrics, which may have implications for fitness stratification. ⋯ These findings support a reappraisal of current clinical interpretation of cardiorespiratory fitness highlighting the potential for incorrect fitness stratification when natural variation is not accounted for.
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Perioperative anaphylaxis (POA) is infrequent, but remains an important and potentially life-threatening complication of general anaesthesia. The diagnostic uncertainty surrounding the investigation of anaesthetic allergy poses numerous challenges. We aimed to inform practice by auditing the outcomes of repeat anaesthesia, after an investigation for previous POA. ⋯ In our cohort, the incidence of repeat anaphylaxis after a comprehensive assessment in the drug-allergy clinic for suspected POA was 4%. Important risk factors include the completeness of referral information provided to the assessor and the role of exacerbating disorders, particularly SM.