Minerva anestesiologica
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Minerva anestesiologica · May 2020
Meta AnalysisEffectiveness of quadratus lumborum block for postoperative pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
This study aimed to evaluate the effect of quadratus lumborum (QL) block on pain after surgeries under general or spinal anesthesia. ⋯ QL block may be a good multimodal analgesic approach for pain after abdominal surgeries.
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Over the last 20 years, an increasing number of patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy underwent different types of elective non-cardiac and cardiac surgery. Despite surgery is safer today than in the past, rate of perioperative major adverse cardiovascular events is still attracting significant attention from both clinicians and researchers. The perioperative myocardial infarction (PMI), a permanent damage of the heart, is a major cause of short- and long-term morbidity and mortality in current surgical populations. ⋯ These findings challenge our view of what may be feasible in terms of perioperative cardioprotection, despite technological limitations. Here, we will first analyze recent large-scale trials regarding current cardioprotective aids in non-cardiac and cardiac surgery. Finally, we will review novel cardioprotective targets translatable to surgical patients.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Mar 2020
Meta AnalysisPredictive parameters of difficult intubation in thyroid surgery: a meta-analysis.
Airway management is a fundamental goal for the anesthesiologist. The rate of difficult laryngoscopy in patients undergoing thyroid surgery ranges from 6.8% to 9.6%. An accurate and detailed preoperative evaluation of the airway seems to be a promising tool to predict a potentially difficult airway management. We aimed to identify possible risk factors and physical findings that predict difficult intubation in thyroid surgery. ⋯ In thyroid patients, the presence of high Mallampati Score, shorter thyromental distance, interincisor gap, tracheal deviation (the unique thyroid pathology linked parameter), obesity and male gender were risk factors for difficult intubation. However, all these significant parameters should be used in preoperative assessment to anticipate difficult intubation in thyroid surgery.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Mar 2020
ReviewBenefits and boundaries of processed electroencephalography (pEEG) monitors when they do not concur with standard anesthetic clinical monitoring. Light and shadow.
Numerous clinical conditions that have a direct effect on electroencephalography (EEG) cerebral function could also directly influence brain function monitors (BFM) indices. There is no conventional comparator technology for BFM assessment. The conventional comparator technology used as a benchmark for assessing BFMs technologies chosen by the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to reflect the currently used standards in the National Health Service (NHS), was demarcated as "standard anesthetic clinical monitoring" and precisely defined as "the combination of routine clinical observation and electronic monitoring used in clinical practice to assess the adequacy of anesthesia." Because BFMs are EEG-derived parameters, all conditions that can "alter" the raw EEG signal would subsequently change BFM indices to reflect other unrelated EEG events of patient-dependent pathophysiologic perturbations. ⋯ Changes in BFM indices during acute cerebral pathology would be highly beneficial to trained informed clinicians as it alerts to something they would not otherwise be aware was happening. This fact-based, citation-supported, narrative review article provides better understanding of BFMs' limitations through examining various published reports of all values that did not coincide with a "standard anesthetic clinical monitoring" whether arising from an underlying alteration of patients' own EEG or those due to shortcomings in the BFM design or performance. The notion of just "riding the numbers" seems to be not a good anesthesia practice; rather we should interpret these BFM indices within context and limitations.
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Cerebral ultrasound is a developing point of care tool for intensivists and emergency physicians, with an important role in the diagnosis of acute intracranial pathology, such as the assessment of cerebrovascular diseases and in the noninvasive intracranial pressure measurement both in the acute clinical settings and in intensive care unit (ICU). The traditional application of transcranial doppler (TCD) by assessing blood flow velocities in the main cerebral arteries, allows the evaluation and follow up of cerebral vasospasm, cerebral perfusion pressure, cerebral autoregulation and intracranial hypertension. The use of TCD, traditionally limited to the neurosonology laboratories settings, has expanded over the last years following the introduction of B-mode ultrasound and color Doppler, the transcranial color-coded duplex ultrasonography (TCCS), opening a new window to the assessment of cerebral anatomy not only in the neurocritical patients, but also in general ICU and emergency room patients. Here we report a brief review with the intent to up-to-date and describe the main applications and use of TCD/TCCS in the setting of Neurointensive Care.