Articles: surgery.
-
Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) is a form of intensive life support that has seen increasing use globally to improve outcomes for patients who experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Hospitals with advanced critical care capabilities may be interested in launching an ECPR program to offer this support to the patients they serve; however, to do so, they must first consider the significant investment of resources necessary to start and sustain the program. The existing literature describes many single-center ECPR programs and often focuses on inpatient care and patient outcomes in hospitals with cardiac surgery capabilities. ⋯ We focus on emergency medical services and ED clinician roles in identifying patients, mobilizing resources, initiation and management of veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) in the ED, and ongoing efforts to improve ECPR program quality. Each center experienced a significant learning curve to reach goals of arrest-to-flow times of cannulation for ECPR. Building consensus from multidisciplinary stakeholders, including out-of-hospital stakeholders; establishing shared expectations of ECPR outcomes; and ensuring adequate resource support for ECPR activation were all key lessons in improving our ECPR programs.
-
To evaluate long-term outcomes of surgical resection for congenital brain tumors (CBTs) in infants under one year of age and to identify factors related to survival. ⋯ Surgical resection remains crucial for treating CBTs in infants under one year, yet the aggressive nature of malignant tumors results in suboptimal outcomes regarding prognosis.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Restrictive versus Decision Support Guided Fluid Therapy During Major Hepatic Resection Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Fluid therapy during major hepatic resection aims at minimizing fluids during the dissection phase to reduce central venous pressure, retrograde liver blood flow, and venous bleeding. This strategy, however, may lead to hyperlactatemia. The Acumen assisted fluid management system uses novel decision support software, the algorithm of which helps clinicians optimize fluid therapy. The study tested the hypothesis that using this decision support system could decrease arterial lactate at the end of major hepatic resection when compared to a more restrictive fluid strategy. ⋯ Patients managed using a clinical decision support system to guide fluid administration during major hepatic resection had a lower arterial lactate concentration at the end of surgery when compared to a more restrictive fluid strategy. Future trials are necessary to make conclusive recommendations that will change clinical practice.