Minerva anestesiologica
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Minerva anestesiologica · Jul 2020
Review Meta AnalysisDrugs for anaesthesia and analgesia in the preterm infant.
There is largely an absence of validated evidence-based therapies in term- and preterm newborn infants, due to a lack of pharmacological clinical trials. As a consequence, the drugs and doses used in clinical practice are extrapolated from dose-ranging trials performed in older patients. Drugs administered to the preterm infant are invariably off-label. The aim of this current review is to identify commonly used anesthetic and analgesic agents in this patient population, assess the existing evidence base, in terms of safety, efficacy, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, current indications and doses. ⋯ Preterm infants are characterized by remarkable metabolic and developmental differences when compared with adults. It is not possible to derive guidelines or clinical recommendations based on the existing evidence.
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The standard conditions of critical illness (including sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and multiorgan failure) cause enormous global mortality and a growing economic burden. Increasing evidence suggests that critical illness may be associated with loss of commensal microbes and overgrowth of potentially pathogenic and inflammatory bacteria. ⋯ Although the precise mechanisms of microbiome-directed treatments such as prebiotics, probiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation remain to be determined, they can be utilized in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) setting. The current review aims to offer intensivists an evidenced-based approach on what we currently know about the role of the microbiome in critical illness and how the microbiome could be targeted in the clinical practice to improve ICU-related outcomes.
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From the initial hypothesis considering 30 years ago the gut as the "motor" of multiple organ failure (MOF) related to an induced hyperpermeability leading to bacterial translocation into the systemic circulation, the reality becomes significantly more complex. The gut contains three interplaying components - the epithelium, the microbiome, and the immune system - that have to cooperate to maintain two opposite function: adsorption of nutrients and maintenance of a barrier to prevent the crossing of intraluminal microbes or their products to avoid host response. ⋯ This review tries to give a comprehensive description of these mechanisms, focused on induced sepsis. Some new therapeutic strategies are discussed.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Jun 2020
Review Meta AnalysisValue of new ST-Segment / T-Wave changes for prediction of major adverse cardiac events after vascular surgery: a meta-analysis.
The aim of this review is to examine current evidence on value of new ST-segment or T-wave changes for prediction of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) after vascular surgery. ⋯ Current evidence suggests that in the setting of vascular surgery, new ST-segment/T-wave changes could serve as predictor of MACE with reasonable accuracy. Heterogeneity across studies, possibility of publication bias and paucity of eligible studies are potential limitations to these conclusions.
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Minerva anestesiologica · May 2020
ReviewVasopressors to treat refractory septic shock: a narrative review.
Norepinephrine is the first line vasopressor used in patients with septic shock. However, norepinephrine doses above 1 µg/kg/min are associated with mortality rates of over 80%, suggesting a need to implement adjunctive strategies prior to reaching this dosage. The present study therefore sought to review the existing and emergent vasopressor agents for patients with refractory septic shock. ⋯ Angiotensin II is another emerging option that uses a different signaling pathway. However, nitric oxide synthase inhibitors and methylene blue do not appear to be appropriate in the management of patients with refractory septic shock. In conclusion, the use of different adjunctive agents in combination with the use of norepinephrine may be useful in patients with refractory septic shock, but care must be taken to avoid excessive vasoconstriction.