Also available on YouTube. The mechanism by which volatile anesthetics cause immobility to noxious stimulation remains a mystery. Can changes in energy levels affect the sensitivity to anesthetics? Dr. Zhongcong Xie, Geriatric Anesthesia Research Unit, Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, and colleagues sought […]
Also available on YouTube. Airway exchange catheters are semi-rigid. As such, they have the potential to damage the respiratory tract if mishandled when used for endotracheal tube exchange. Dr. Robert Axe, Department of Anaesthesia, Royql United hospital, Bath, England, and colleagues used pig trachea and lung specimens less than 48 h postmortem. These tracheas were […]
Also available on YouTube Crystalloids versus colloids: the argument never ceases. Adequate fluid administration plays a major role in the management of hospitalized patients. However, the choice of intravenous fluids and the place of colloids remain controversial. Some experts have recently challenged the physiological concept that less intravenous colloid need to be administered than crystalloids […]
Also available on YouTube Adult patients who require transfusion following cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) are at increased risk of adverse outcomes including death. Such studies have been done in children as well, with similar results, but none have previously been limited to neonates. Neonates may be more likely to bleed after cardiopulmonary bypass: the fixed bypass […]
Also available on YouTube. Mechanical ventilation in the operating room frequently includes application of positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP). This is done to improve intraoperative oxygen delivery, as well as to improve lung mechanics postoperatively. PEEP increases intrathoracic pressure, decreasing venous return, and potentially raising venous pressure. This raises potential concern that PEEP may increase […]
Also available on YouTube. How many patients die as a result of cardiac arrest under the care of an anesthesiologist? The number is sufficiently low that we need large databases to answer the question. Many perioperative databases are composed of patients who underwent an operative procedure. Anesthesiologists provide anesthesia care for patients both inside and […]
