'Nowhere and no one is safe': spatial analysis of damage to critical civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip during the first phase of the Israeli military campaign, 7 October to 22 November 2023.

BACKGROUND: Since the Hamas attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023, the Israeli military has launched an assault in the Gaza Strip, which included over 12,000 targets struck and over 25,000 tons of incendiary munitions used by 2 November 2023. The objectives of this study include: (1) the descriptive and inferential spatial analysis of damage to critical civilian infrastructure (health, education, and water facilities) across the Gaza Strip during the first phase of the military campaign, defined as 7 October to 22 November 2023 and (2) the analysis of damage clustering around critical civilian infrastructure to explore broader questions about Israel's adherence to International Humanitarian Law (IHL). METHODS: We applied multi-temporal coherent change detection on Copernicus Sentinel 1-A Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery to detect signals indicative of damage to the built environment through 22 November 2023. Specific locations of health, education, and water facilities were delineated using open-source building footprint and cross-checked with geocoded data from OCHA, OpenStreetMap, and Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team. We then assessed the retrieval of damage at and with close proximity to sites of health, education, and water infrastructure in addition to designated evacuation corridors and civilian protection zones. The Global Moran's I autocorrelation inference statistic was used to determine whether health, education, and water facility infrastructure damage was spatially random or clustered. RESULTS: During the period under investigation, in the entire Gaza Strip, 60.8% (n = 59) of health, 68.2% (n = 324) of education, and 42.1% (n = 64) of water facilities sustained infrastructure damage. Furthermore, 35.1% (n = 34) of health, 40.2% (n = 191) of education, and 36.8% (n = 56) of water facilities were functionally destroyed. Applying the Global Moran's I spatial inference statistic to facilities demonstrated a high degree of damage clustering for all three types of critical civilian infrastructure, with Z-scores indicating < 1% likelihood of cluster damage occurring by random chance. CONCLUSION: Spatial statistical analysis suggests widespread damage to critical civilian infrastructure that should have been provided protection under IHL. These findings raise serious allegations about the violation of IHL, especially in light of Israeli officials' statements explicitly inciting violence and displacement and multiple widely reported acts of collective punishment.

Thoracic trauma in military settings: a review of current practices and recommendations.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To examine current literature on thoracic trauma related to military combat and to explore its relevance to the civilian population. RECENT FINDINGS: Damage control resuscitation (DCR) has improved the management of hemorrhaging trauma patients. Permissive hypotension below 110 mmHg and antifibrinolytic use during DCR is widely accepted, whereas the use of freeze-dried plasma and whole blood is gaining popularity. The Modified Physiologic Triaging Tool can be used for primary triage and it may have applications in civilian trauma systems. Although Tactical Combat Casualty Care protocol recommends the Cric-Key device for surgical cricothyroidotomies, other devices may offer comparable performance. Recommendations for regional anesthesia after blunt trauma are not well defined. Increasing amounts of evidence favor the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for refractory hypoxemia and resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) for severe hemorrhage. REBOA outcomes are potentially improved by partial occlusion and small 7 Fr catheters. SUMMARY: The Global War on Terror has provided opportunities to better understand and treat thoracic trauma in military settings. Trauma registries and other data sources have contributed to significant advancements in the management of thoracic trauma in military and civilian populations.

Trauma and transfusion in the geriatric patient.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The percentage of people over the age of 65 is growing rapidly and anesthesiologists must develop a medical understanding that is comprehensive to meet the unique medical needs of this population. The changing physiology of an elderly population makes them extremely vulnerable to trauma and the administration of blood products. Although most of these cases involve orthopedic attention, it is not less dangerous as a blunt trauma case. RECENT FINDINGS: This article addresses some of the main concerns for the anesthesiologists of providing a hemostatic resuscitation in the geriatric population. Should blood that is new lead to better outcomes than blood that was collected more than 14 days from the injury? What role does patient frailty have in trauma and transfusion outcomes? Is the massive transfusion protocol safe for the geriatric population? As this subset of the population grows, the number of patients on anticoagulation therapy will grow. Knowledge of the bone marrow plays an important role in geriatric trauma. How does head trauma in the elderly differ from the younger patient? SUMMARY: The information in this article is by no means comprehensive. Nongeriatric trauma protocols are far from being validated. Applying these protocols to the geriatric protocols must be investigated in terms of safety and benefits.

Measuring determinants of career satisfaction of anesthesiologists: validation of a survey instrument.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To measure the parameter of job satisfaction among anesthesiologists. DESIGN: Survey instrument. SETTING: Academic anesthesiology departments in the United States. SUBJECTS: 320 anesthesiologists who attended the annual meeting of the ASA in 2009 (95% response rate). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The anonymous 50-item survey collected information on 26 independent demographic variables and 24 dependent ranked variables of career satisfaction among practicing anesthesiologists. Mean survey scores were calculated for each demographic variable and tested for statistically significant differences by analysis of variance. Questions within each domain that were internally consistent with each other within domains were identified by Cronbach's alpha ≥ 0.7. P-values ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Cronbach's alpha analysis showed strong internal consistency for 10 dependent outcome questions in the practice factor-related domain (α = 0.72), 6 dependent outcome questions in the peer factor-related domain (α = 0.71), and 8 dependent outcome questions in the personal factor-related domain (α = 0.81). Although age was not a variable, full-time status, early satisfaction within the first 5 years of practice, working with respected peers, and personal choice factors were all significantly associated with anesthesiologist job satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Improvements in factors related to job satisfaction among anesthesiologists may lead to higher early and current career satisfaction.

The beneficial impact of temporary porto-caval shunt in orthotopic liver transplantation: a single center analysis.

The use of temporary porto-caval shunt (TPCS) has been shown to improve hemodynamic stability and renal function in patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). We evaluated the impact of TPCS in OLT and analyzed the differences according to model for end-stage liver disease (MELD), donor risk index (DRI) and D-MELD. This is a retrospective single-center analysis of 148 consecutive OLT. Fifty-eight OLT were performed using TPCS and 90 without TPCS. Donor and recipient data with pre-OLT, intraoperative and postoperative variables were reviewed. Overall graft survival was 89.9% at 3 months and 81.7% at 1 year. Graft survival at 3 months and 1 year was 93.1% and 79.2%, respectively, in TPCS group versus 85.6% and 82.2%, respectively, in non-TPCS group (P = NS). Intraoperative packed red blood cells requirement was lower in TPCS group (7.5 ± 5.8 vs. 12.2 ± 14.2, P = 0.006) and non-TPCS group required higher intraoperative total dose of phenylephrine (16% vs. 28%, P = 0.04). TPCS group had lower 30-day postoperative mortality (1.7% vs. 10%, P = 0.04), no difference was observed at 90 days. Graft survival was lower in patients with high DRI; in this group graft loss was higher at 1 month (25% vs. 4.3%, P = 0.005) and 3 months (25% vs. 4.3%, P = 0.005) when TPCS was not used. TPCS improves perioperative outcome, this being more evident when high-risk grafts are placed into high-risk patients.

Recombinant factor VIIa in trauma patients without coagulation disorders.

Recombinant activated factor VIIa (rFVIIa) has many clinical applications for patients with congenital bleeding disorders and in a variety of clinical settings. Additional studies in the future are ongoing and should provide the clinical anesthesiologist an additional option during certain bleeding states. Specific recommendations as to timing of administration and frequent monitoring of ionized calcium status are suggested at this time. Optimization of fibrinogen levels, platelet levels, pH, and body temperature will enhance efficacy of rFVIIa.

The awake Glidescope intubation: an additional alternative to the difficult intubation.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of difficult intubations has consistently remained between 8 and 9%. We found a novel approach to the difficult intubation using a Glidescope in the awake spontaneously breathing patient. METHODS: In a difficult airway, the same approach for an awake fiberoptic intubation including excellent nerve blocks and sedation can be used with a Glidescope in the same fashion as a fiberoptic bronchoscope. RESULTS: The skill level for the awake Glidescope appears to be less, making it a useful tool for emergency room physicians and critical care physicians when used for awake intubation. It is particularly useful for the patient who fails the airway exam and also has macroglossia. CONCLUSION: This case report confirms that while not applicable to every patient, the awake Glidescope intubation does add to the previous existing armamentarium in this clinically challenging situation.

Transesophageal echocardiography utilization in high-volume liver transplantation centers in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) during liver transplantation (LT) has been shown to be helpful in managing fluid therapy, monitoring myocardial function, and identifying intraoperative LT complications. The present study sought to investigate the current utilization of TEE by anesthesiologists during LT as well as issues of training and credentialing in this monitoring modality. DESIGN: A survey distributed by electronic mail. SETTING: LT centers in the United States in which more than 50 liver transplantation procedures were performed annually. PARTICIPANTS: Survey respondents were contact persons in the LT divisions of the anesthesiology department of selected centers. INTERVENTIONS: Data collection only. MEASUREMENT AND MAIN RESULTS: A total of 40 high-volume LT centers were identified, and survey responses were received from 30 of those. Among 217 anesthesiologists, 86% performed TEE in some or all LT cases. Most users performed a limited-scope examination, although some performed a comprehensive TEE examination during LT. Most users acquired their TEE skills informally. Only 12% of users were board certified to perform TEE, and only 1 center reported having a policy related to credentialing requirements for TEE. CONCLUSIONS: There is high utilization of intraoperative TEE by anesthesiologists to perform limited-scope examinations during LT cases. Training to perform such examinations is mostly informal, and credentialing processes are lacking. An opportunity exists to establish guidelines, training programs, and standards for quality assurance in the use of this valuable monitoring modality.

Dexmedetomidine and low-dose ketamine provide adequate sedation for awake fibreoptic intubation.

PURPOSE: We report the use of the alpha2 agonist, dexmedetomidine, with low-dose ketamine as a safe and effective treatment strategy to provide adequate comfort and sedation for a patient who fulfilled criteria of a difficult airway and required awake fibreoptic intubation (AFOI). CLINICAL FEATURES: A 52-yr-old male with prostate cancer presented for radical prostatectomy. He reported several failed intubations with previous surgeries and airway examination was consistent with a difficult intubation. In addition, previous fibreoptic intubations were unsuccessful. The patient reported extreme apprehension concerning his airway management. The goal of medicating patients for AFOI includes providing comfort and sedation without causing a change in ventilatory status. Dexmedetomidine has a high affinity for the alpha2 receptor and results in sedation without change in ventilatory status. In addition, dexmedetomidine is a potent anti-sialgogue which makes it desirable for cases involved with airway instrumentation. A loading dose of dexmedetomidine followed by a continuous infusion provided comfort and sedation within ten minutes. While bradycardia and hypotension have been reported with dexmedetomidine use, concurrent low-dose ketamine was employed in this case for it's cardiostimulatory properties and no bradycardia and hypotension were noted. The airway was anesthetized with selective nerve blocks and conditions for airway instrumentation were excellent. There was no change in oxygen saturation or ventilatory status during the administration of medications or airway manipulation. The patient was comfortable, sedated and tolerated the procedures well. There was no recall of the procedure. CONCLUSION: Dexmedetomidine and concurrent low-dose ketamine provided sedation and comfort to this patient who required an AFOI.

Propofol: a new treatment strategy for refractory migraine headache.

Migraine headache remains a treatment dilemma in headache clinics, pain clinics, and emergency departments throughout the country. In the late nineties, investigators reported that a standard hypnotic anesthetic, propofol (2,6 di-isopropylphenol), dramatically improved pain scores of patients suffering from refractory migraine headaches. Case reports over the last few years have appeared in the medical literature describing the use of propofol for migraine treatment. Dosing regimens are not clear, and mechanisms of action to terminate or markedly curtail ongoing intractable headaches are not described. This case report, of two hospitalized patients with refractory migraine, increases the existing literature on the use of propofol therapy in migraine headache. In the first case, three different scenarios and dosages are described in the same patient. In the second case, the use of different dosages of propofol is described. A self-reported scale was employed by the patients to determine the efficacy of propofol therapy. In the first case, the patient's self-reported migraine score was an average of 100/100 and decreased to 10/100. In the second case, the patient's self-reported migraine score improved from 92/100 to 40/100. We propose that the improvements in the self-reported migraine score in both patients after propofol therapy may be due to GABAA agonist effects and cerebral vasoconstriction.