Minerva anestesiologica
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Minerva anestesiologica · Jul 2021
Chronic Pain and COVID-19: pathophysiological, clinical and organizational issues.
During the lockdown phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, a call not to neglect the continuum of care of patients who present with chronic diseases, including pain, was made. In the field of pain, COVID-19 had an impact both from a clinical (i.e., the influence of SARS-CoV-2 infection on pain) and organizational (i.e., how patients with chronic pain should be managed in the post-COVID-19 era) perspective. Furthermore, patients with chronic pain are also frequently frail subjects, affected from multiple comorbidities and hence are at increased risk of infection. On these bases, how the necessity to continue pain therapy will be pursued in the post-COVID-19 era? In this paper, we comment on the above-mentioned topics, on the basis of available data and our experience as pain therapists.
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Core body temperature (CBT) patterns associated with sleep have not been described in the critically ill. This study aimed to characterize night-time sleep and its relationship to CBT in ICU patients. ⋯ Patients recovering in ICU commonly have CBT loss of rhythmicity or a significant phase shift with loss of normal night-time patterns of sleep architecture. Appropriate care plans to promote sleep and circadian rhythm require further investigation of contributing factors such as environment, clinical care routines, illness type and severity.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Jul 2021
Observational StudyDetermination of the initial minimum effective dose of 0.5% bupivacaine with 20mcg of fentanyl for an operative fixation of fractured neck of femur. A prospective, observational trial.
Fractured neck of femur (FNF) is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in elderly. Spinal catheter allows fractionation of local anesthetic dose which combined with intrathecal opioid leads to a dose reduction and better hemodynamic stability. The primary objective of this paper was to investigate the initial minimum local anesthetic dose (iMLAD) of 0.5% isobaric bupivacaine with 20 μg of fentanyl administered via spinal catheter in order to commence the operative fixation of FNF. ⋯ This study demonstrates that the placement of a spinal catheter allows for careful titration of local anesthetic, enabling a reduction of the initial intrathecal dose of 0.5% isobaric bupivacaine below 0.4 mL (2 mg) and leading to a significant reduction of a dose required for the whole surgery when combined with an intrathecal opioid.
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Perioperative medicine is a patient-centered, multidisciplinary and integrated clinical practice that starts from the moment of contemplation of surgery until full recovery. Every perioperative phase (preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative) must be studied and planned in order to optimize the entire patient management. Perioperative optimization does not only concern a short-term outcome improvement, but it has also a strong impact on long term survival. ⋯ Perioperative medicine is the cornerstone of surgical patient management and the tools deriving from the application of AI seem very promising as a support in optimizing the management of each individual patient. Despite the increasing help that will derive from the use of AI tools, the uniqueness of the patient and the particularity of each individual clinical case will always keep the role of the human mind central in clinical and perioperative management. The role of the physician, who must analyze the outputs provided by AI by following his own experience and knowledge, remains and will always be essential.