BMC anesthesiology
-
Comparative Study Observational Study
Procalcitonin kinetics after burn injury and burn surgery in septic and non-septic patients - a retrospective observational study.
Early sepsis diagnosis is crucial for the correct management of burn patients, and it clearly influences outcomes. The systemic inflammatory response triggered by burns mimics sepsis presentation and complicates early sepsis diagnosis. Biomarkers were advocated to aid the diagnosis of early sepsis. Serum procalcitonin (PCT) exhibits fair accuracy and good correlation with sepsis severity, being used in diverse clinical settings. However, few studies have evaluated perioperative changes in PCT levels in burn patients. The present study evaluated PCT kinetics during the first days after burn injury and subsequent surgical interventions to assess PCT utility in distinguishing septic from non-septic inflammatory responses. ⋯ PCT kinetics coupled with a clinical examination may be helpful for sepsis diagnosis during the first days after burn injury and burn surgery.
-
Case Reports
Ultrasound-guided phrenic nerve block for intraoperative persistent hiccups: a case report.
Continuous hiccups during surgery not only affect the surgical procedure, they can also cause adverse effects for the patient. Apart from active investigation of the cause of the hiccups, their timely termination is also necessary. ⋯ During intraoperative continuous hiccups, ultrasound guided phrenic nerve block may be a suitable treatment option when physical methods and drug therapy are not effective. However, given the absence of a vital risk related to hiccups, this block should imply the complete absence of any respiratory contraindication and a prolonged postoperative respiratory monitoring.