British journal of anaesthesia
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Arterial blood pressure is the driving force for organ perfusion. Although hypotension is common in acute care, there is a lack of accepted criteria for its definition. Most practitioners regard hypotension as undesirable even in situations that pose no immediate threat to life, but hypotension does not always lead to unfavourable outcomes based on experience and evidence. ⋯ We emphasise that hypotension does not always lead to organ hypoperfusion; to the contrary, hypotension may preserve or even increase organ perfusion depending on the relative changes in perfusion pressure and regional vascular resistance and the status of blood pressure autoregulation. Evidence from RCTs does not support the notion that a higher arterial blood pressure target always leads to improved outcomes. Management of blood pressure is not about maintaining a prespecified value, but rather involves ensuring organ perfusion without undue stress on the cardiovascular system.
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Miscommunication is a leading cause of preventable incidents in healthcare. A number of checklists have been created in an attempt to improve patient outcomes with only a small impact. However, the 2009 WHO Surgical Safety Checklist demonstrated benefits in terms of reduced morbidity and mortality. Our aim was to determine whether use of a Postanaesthesia Team Handover (PATH) checklist would reduce hypoxaemic events in the postanaesthesia care unit (PACU). ⋯ NCT03972423.
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Thyroid storm is a feared complication in patients with hyperthyroidism undergoing surgery. We assessed the risk of thyroid storm for different preoperative treatment options for patients with primary hyperthyroidism undergoing surgery. ⋯ Evidence assessing the risk of perioperative thyroid storm is of insufficient quality. Given the seriousness of this complication and the impossibility of identifying patients at increased risk, preoperative treatment of these patients remains warranted.
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Meta Analysis
Convalescent plasma for COVID-19: a meta-analysis, trial sequential analysis, and meta-regression.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific antibodies, particularly those preventing interaction between the viral spike receptor-binding domain and the host angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor, may prevent viral entry into host cells and disease progression. ⋯ CRD42021234201 (PROSPERO).
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Cognitive dysfunction after surgery is a major issue in older adults. Here, we determined the effect of APOE4 on perioperative neurocognitive function in older patients. ⋯ Postoperative change trajectories for cognition and CSF Aβ, tau or p-tau levels did not differ between community dwelling older APOE4 carriers and non-carriers. APOE4 carriers showed greater preoperative functional connectivity and greater postoperative decreases in functional connectivity in key Alzheimer's disease-risk regions, which occur via Aβ-independent mechanisms.