BMC anesthesiology
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Comparative Study
Brachial artery reactivity and vascular reactive hyperemia for preoperative anaesthesia risk assessment - an observational study.
Non-invasive measures of vascular reactivity have emerged to refine cardiovascular risk. However, limited data exists investigating vascular reactivity as a preoperative diagnostic tool for anesthesiologists. In this study, we compare the utility of two non-invasive techniques, Brachial Artery Reactivity Testing (BART) and Digital Thermal Monitoring (DTM), as surrogates for measuring vascular reactivity. ⋯ Our study suggests that impaired vascular reactivity as measured by BART is associated with the incidence of hyperlipidemia. Also, using a novel technique such as DTM may provide a simpler and more accessible point of care testing for vascular reactivity in a perioperative setting. Both non-invasive techniques assessing vascular function warrant further refinement to better assist preoperative optimization strategies aimed at improving perioperative vascular function.
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Complete heart block in pregnancy has serious implications particularly during the period of delivery. This is more so if the delivery is an operative one as the presence of heart block may produce haemodynamic instability in the intra operative period. We report a unique case of a pregnant mother with complete heart block undergoing hysterostomy, complicated by placenta accreta and intrauterine death. ⋯ Congenital heart block in pregnancies in the presence of potential massive bleeding is best managed by a team, with meticulous pre-operative optimization. Suggested strategies would include insertion of a temporary pacemaker and embolization of the uterine arteries to reduce the risk of the patient getting into life threatening situations.
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Resective epilepsy surgery is an established and effective method to reduce seizure burden in drug-resistant epilepsy. It was the objective of this study to assess intraoperative blood loss, transfusion requirements and the degree of hypothermia of pediatric epilepsy surgery in our center. ⋯ Resective epilepsy surgery is a safe procedure even in the pediatric population, however it is associated with significant blood loss especially during long surgical procedures.
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Adipose tissue has been identified as an endocrine organ secreting adipokines involved in metabolic and inflammatory pathways. Adiponectin, an anti-inflammatory adipokine, is reduced in sepsis. High Molecular Weight (HMW) adiponectin, the biologically most relevant molecule, has been investigated very little in human sepsis. Zinc-alpha2-glycoprotein (ZAG) is a novel adipokine and its expression in adipose tissue is positively correlated with adiponectin expression. It is not yet known whether ZAG has a role in sepsis. In this study we assessed levels of HMW adiponectin and ZAG during different stages of sepsis. ⋯ Our data demonstrate an increase in both HMW adiponectin and total adiponectin in patients who had clinically recovered from sepsis. The increase in HMW/total adiponectin ratio with improvement of the clinical condition suggests that HMW adiponectin may have a greater role in the inflammatory process and insulin resistance seen in sepsis. In this pilot study, we have also demonstrated a significant increase in ZAG in critically ill patients temporally related to recovery from sepsis.
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Comparative Study Observational Study
An evaluation of POSSUM and P-POSSUM scoring in predicting post-operative mortality in a level 1 critical care setting.
POSSUM and P-POSSUM are used in the assessment of outcomes in surgical patients. Neither scoring systems' accuracy has been established where a level 1 critical care facility (level 1 care ward) is available for perioperative care. We compared POSSUM and P-POSSUM predicted with observed mortality on a level 1 care ward. ⋯ Our data suggest a 30-60% reduction in O:E mortality. We suggest that the use of POSSUM models to predict mortality in patients admitted to level 1 care ward is inappropriate or that a recalibration of POSSUM is required to make it useful in a level 1 care ward setting.