SpringerPlus
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Although pedicle or lateral mass screws are usually chosen to fix atlantoaxial (C1-C2) instability, there is an increased risk for vertebral artery (VA) injury when used in patients with bone or arterial anomalies or osteoporotic bone. Here we report the C1 posterior arch screw as a new technique for upper cervical fixation. ⋯ Although there have been few comparable studies, and the long-term outcome is unknown, fixation with a posterior arch screw could be a beneficial choice for surgeries involving the upper cervical region.
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Subdural hematoma (SDH) is a well described risk factor in the development of Status Epilepticus (SE), however the epidemiology of SE after SDH is unknown. In this study, we sought to determine the epidemiology of SE, the prevalence of risk factors, and impact on hospital mortality using a large administrative dataset. ⋯ Our study demonstrates that the incidence of admissions of SDH is increasing in the United States. Despite a decline in the overall SDH related mortality, SE increased the risk of in-hospital death in patients with a primary diagnosis of SDH.
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Based on the American Society of Anesthesiologists' Practice Guidelines for Sedation and Analgesia by Non-Anesthesiologists (ASA-SED), a sedation training course aimed at improving medical safety was developed by the Japanese Association for Medical Simulation in 2011. This study evaluated the effect of debriefing on participants' perceptions of the essential points of the ASA-SED. A total of 38 novice doctors participated in the sedation training course during the research period. ⋯ The debriefing group showed a greater perception of the ASA-SED, as reflected in the significantly higher scores on the evaluation sheet (median, 16 points) than the control group (median, 13 points; p < 0.05). No significant differences were identified before or during sedation, but the difference after sedation was significant (p < 0.05). Debriefing after sedation training courses may contribute to better perception of the ASA-SED, and may lead to enhanced attitudes toward medical safety during sedation and analgesia.
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The initial evaluation of patients with suspected deep vein thrombosis includes the use of biomarkers reflecting activation of the coagulation system. However, the thromboembolic process and neighboring inflammatory responses also affect endothelial cells, and endothelial cell markers may therefore be altered by the disease. In the present population-based single-center study, we investigated the plasma levels of the endothelium-specific biomarkers soluble E-selectin and endocan in a consecutive and unselected group of 120 patients admitted to hospital for suspected deep vein thrombosis. ⋯ Plasma endocan and E-selectin levels did not differ between patients with thrombosis, healthy controls and the patients without verified thrombosis (i.e. patients with other causes of their symptoms, including various inflammatory and non-inflammatory conditions). However, the combined use of endothelial biomarkers, C-reactive protein and D-dimer could be used to identify patient subsets with different frequencies of venous thrombosis. Thus, analysis of plasma biomarker profiles including endothelial cell markers may be helpful in the initial evaluation of patients with deep vein thrombosis.
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Although commonly used in pediatric cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) optimal dose and timing of steroid administration is unclear. We hypothesized that early administration of a commonly used dose of methylprednisolone given the evening before surgery (ultra-early) would be more effective in decreasing CPB-related inflammatory response than when given at induction of anesthesia (early) or in pump prime (standard). This was a triple-arm, parallel, active control, superiority RCT including 54 infants <2 years old who were randomised to receive 30 mg/kg methylprednisolone at one of the 3 time points. ⋯ Ultra-early administration of methylprednisolone does not improve AaDO2 post-CPB, nor diminish cytokine release. Lower GSH:GSSG in the standard group suggests less oxidative stress. However despite statistical adjustments conclusions are limited by the unbalanced randomisation of the groups.