Minerva anestesiologica
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Minerva anestesiologica · Aug 2011
Review Meta AnalysisThe preventive role of higher PEEP in treating severely hypoxemic ARDS.
This review summarizes knowledge and evidence on the use of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) in patients with severely hypoxemic acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). More specifically, it documents the current evidence on the effects of higher PEEP in preventing (or attenuating) lung damage during the ventilatory management of patients with severely hypoxemic ARDS. No established threshold has been set to define severely hypoxemic ARDS and higher PEEP. ⋯ Higher PEEP should be used with caution in patients less severe hypoxemic (acute lung injury). To deliver optimal PEEP to those ARDS patients with the highest lung recruitability, this technique should be monitored at the bedside. Alternative methods are under investigation as part of a decremental PEEP trial.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Dec 2010
Review Meta AnalysisPalliative care in Italy: problem areas emerging from the literature.
The aim of this study was to review the Italian literature regarding attitudes toward palliative care in cancer patients, as well as cultural, educational and organizational problems in Italy with respect to palliative care services. The Italian literature published in the last ten years on PUBMED was reviewed. Clinical trials were excluded from this analysis, as their focus was beyond the scope of this study. ⋯ An appropriate place to die was often not guaranteed and was dependent on the availability of local resources. However, the most striking finding was that there were geographical differences in the distribution of palliative care resources. The development of a range of palliative care programs integrating primary territorial care and specialized palliative services may constitute the ideal synthesis to respond to patients' needs.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Nov 2010
Review Meta AnalysisPositive end-expiratory pressure, prone positioning, and activated protein C: a critical review of meta-analyses.
The results of meta-analyses on the effectiveness of high positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) and prone positioning in acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are not consistent. In addition, the meta-analyses on the activated protein C in patients with sepsis combine trials with discordant results. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to give a critical review of these meta-analyses. ⋯ A high level of PEEP and prone ventilation was shown to reduce the mortality in patients with severe acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. Although the evidence for the efficacy of activated protein C is not conclusive, it should be considered in patients that are at a high risk for death without any contraindications related to bleeding risk. Meta-analysis models can be very useful for clinical decisions if they include all of the similar papers on a medical topic and are correct from the methodological point of view; however, these results must be checked by a careful and well-informed reader.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Jun 2010
Review Meta AnalysisProne positioning improves survival in severe ARDS: a pathophysiologic review and individual patient meta-analysis.
Prone positioning has been used for over 30 years in the management of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This maneuver has consistently proven capable of improving oxygenation in patients with acute respiratory failure. Several mechanisms can explain this observation, including possible intervening net recruitment and more homogeneously distributed alveolar inflation. ⋯ The available randomized clinical trials, however, have failed to demonstrate that prone positioning improves the outcomes of patients with ARDS overall. In contrast, the individual patient meta-analysis of the four major clinical trials available clearly shows that with prone positioning, the absolute mortality of severely hypoxemic ARDS patients may be reduced by approximately 10%. On the other hand, all data suggest that long-term prone positioning may expose patients with less severe ARDS to unnecessary complications.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Apr 2010
Review Meta AnalysisLevosimendan reduces mortality in critically ill patients. A meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies.
Critically ill patients often need catecholamines, but these agents could be associated with an increased risk of death and other adverse cardiac events. Levosimendan is a calcium sensitizer that is able to enhance myocardial contractility without increasing myocardial oxygen use. We conducted a meta-analysis to determine the impact of levosimendan on mortality in critically ill patients. ⋯ Levosimendan has cardioprotective effects that could result in a reduced mortality in critically ill patients. A large randomized controlled study is warranted in this setting.