Current Issue : July-September Volume : 2025 Issue Number : 3 Articles : 5 Articles
Background: Optimizing fluid therapy is critical for maintaining hemodynamic stability in elderly patients undergoing major surgeries. Dynamic arterial elastance (Eadyn), defined as the ratio of pulse pressure variation (PPV) to stroke volume variation (SVV), has been proposed as a predictor of fluid responsiveness, especially in challenging conditions like prone-positioned spine surgery under general anesthesia. Methods: Hemodynamic parameters were measured before and after fluid loading with 500 mL of crystalloid solution. Patients were classified as responders or non-responders based on a ≥15% increase in mean arterial pressure (MAP) post-fluid administration. Predictive performance of these parameters was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results: Of the 37 patients, 15 were classified as responders and 22 as non-responders. Eadyn demonstrated poor predictive performance (AUC = 0.508). In contrast, SVV (AUC = 0.808), PPV (AUC = 0.738), and C (AUC = 0.741) exhibited moderate to high predictive ability. Responders exhibited significantly higher baseline SVV, PPV, and net arterial compliance compared to non-responders. Conclusions: Dynamic arterial elastance (Eadyn) showed limited predictive ability for fluid responsiveness in elderly patients undergoing spine surgery in the prone position. In contrast, stroke volume variation (SVV), pulse pressure variation (PPV), and net arterial compliance (C) demonstrated superior reliability, with SVV emerging as the most accurate predictor....
Background/Objectives: The aim of this paper was to evaluate the safety of surgical intervention using anesthesia and ophthalmological parameters in pediatric strabismus patients. The design involved retrospective case series. Methods: The setting was the Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University Vienna, Austria. Participants: In total, 208 children aged 0–18 years who underwent strabismus surgery due to exotropia or esotropia between 2013 and 2020 were included. Main outcomes and measures: Information regarding the duration of surgery, intra- and postoperative complications, the postoperative angle of deviation (AoD), and functional outcomes (visual acuity, stereovision) were analyzed. Results: The mean age at the time of surgery was 6.0 ± 4.1 years (range 0.6–18.0). The mean anesthesia time among all patients was 75.9 ± 19.3 min. The mean surgery and anesthesia time did not differ between the age groups. Longer anesthesia durations and surgery durations did not have a significant effect on the occurrence of intraoperation complications (p = 0.610 and p = 0.190, respectively). Intraoperative complications were recorded in 53% (most frequent triggering of oculocardiac reflex (OCR)) of the patients, and postoperative complications in 22% (the most frequent were postoperative nausea and vomiting and pain). An OCR was triggered more often in children older than 6 years than in younger children (p = 0.016). The mean angle of deviation was significantly reduced from preoperative to postoperative measurements. Preoperative stereovision tests were positive in 35% of the patients and increased to over 80% postoperatively. Conclusions: Strabismus surgery performed under general anesthesia in children aged 0 to 18 years is safe with regard to both surgical and anesthetic complications. A significant decrease in the angle of deviation and high rate of stereovision could be achieved with a low rate of re-treatments. However, the retrospective design, absence of standardized documentation, and limited sample size may affect the consistency and comparability of this study’s findings....
Cardiac surgery is continuously evolving, with increasing skills required by the cardiac anaesthesiologist. Following the advent of intraoperative echocardiography, we are witnessing a potential new revolution for the cardiac anaesthesiologist. A new era has indeed started with the implementation of thoracic fascial blocks (TFBs) in the field of cardiac surgery. TFBs provide several advantages in the context of multimodal analgesia, with improved pain control and reduction of the side effects related to large doses of opioids. We envisage that implementation of TFBs is likely to become a pivotal concept in the field of enhanced recovery after cardiac surgery. We describe the main TFBs for the anterior and/or antero-lateral chest wall, and their peculiar use in cardiac surgery. In particular, we discuss indications and tips and tricks to enhance clinical results for the following blocks: (1) Pecto-Intercostal Plane (superficial and deep); (2) Rectus Sheath; (3) Interpectoral Plane and Pectoserratus Plane; (4) Serratus Anterior Plane; (5) Erector Spinae Plane. Nonetheless, the scientific evidence for the use of TFBs in the field of cardiac anaesthesia is not robust yet, mostly based on small-sized single-centre studies, making it difficult to achieve a high quality of evidence. Further, it remains unclear which cardiac surgery patients may benefit the most from these techniques....
Background and Objectives: Postoperative delirium (POD) is a transient but significant complication in geriatric patients following hip or femur surgery. POD occurs in 19–65% of patients after hip surgeries, with notable risks associated with augmented morbidity, mortality, and prolonged hospitalization. The perioperative administration of benzodiazepines, particularly midazolam, is associated with an increased incidence of POD. Remimazolam, a novel ultra-short-acting benzodiazepine, has potential benefits, such as hemodynamic stability and ease of reversal, but its effect on POD occurrence remains unclear. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study investigated patients who were aged 65 years old and older who underwent hip or femur surgery. Following the application of exclusion criteria, 502 patients were grouped according to whether anesthesia was maintained with remimazolam (R group) or sevoflurane (S group). Data regarding patients’ baseline characteristics, anesthetic details, and postoperative outcomes, including the incidence of POD, were gathered and analyzed. Propensity score matching and logistic regression were conducted to identify factors associated with POD and compare outcomes between the two groups. Results: Among the 502 patients, POD was observed in 161 (32%). The POD incidence was not statistically significantly different between the groups (p = 1.000). A multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that remimazolam was not a determinant of POD (p = 0.860), whereas being male and polypharmacy were (p = 0.022; p = 0.047). Initial disparities in age and comorbid conditions between the groups were rectified through matching, demonstrating that remimazolam had a similar POD risk to sevoflurane. Conclusions: This study showed that remimazolam did not exacerbate the risk of POD in elderly patients undergoing hip or femur surgery. Remimazolam is a reliable anesthetic option for this vulnerable demographic. Also, this study’s results indicated that polypharmacy and being male are POD risk factors, suggesting that meticulous perioperative medication management may help alleviate the risk of POD....
Background/objectives: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in the intensive care unit (ICU) has gained much attention in the last few years as an alternative to the classic ways of assessing and diagnosing life-threatening conditions in critical patients. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we proposed a POCUS protocol based on the airway, breathing, and circulation (ABC) approach to quickly evaluate and diagnose life-threatening diseases in critical patients with acute respiratory failure and shock, and later, we used it as a curriculum to teach POCUS to anesthesia and intensive care trainees. Methods: We developed an evaluation protocol where evaluators with experience in POCUS in critically ill patients had to assess the trainee’s ultrasound scan; this was based on the ABC protocol taught in the simulation laboratory and applied in a clinical setting at the bedside. Results: Statistically significant differences were observed in some categories evaluated regarding independence and diagnosis. Conclusions: Initial POCUS simulation-based training using an ABC POCUS protocol (that demonstrated good results in the simulation laboratory) is useful when transferring US skills to the bedside and is applicable in daily clinical practice with good results in terms of operator independence....
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