An in silico study of the effects of cardiovascular aging on carotid flow waveforms and indexes in a virtual population.

Cardiovascular aging is strongly associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality. Moreover, health and lifestyle factors may accelerate age-induced alterations, such as increased arterial stiffness and wall dilation, beyond chronological age, making the clinical assessment of cardiovascular aging an important prompt for preventative action. Carotid flow waveforms contain information about age-dependent cardiovascular properties, and their ease of measurement via noninvasive Doppler ultrasound (US) makes their analysis a promising tool for the routine assessment of cardiovascular aging. In this work, the impact of different aging processes on carotid waveform morphology and derived indexes is studied in silico, with the aim of establishing the clinical potential of a carotid US-based assessment of cardiovascular aging. One-dimensional (1-D) hemodynamic modeling was employed to generate an age-specific virtual population (VP) of N = 5,160 realistic carotid hemodynamic waveforms. The resulting VP was statistically validated against in vivo aging trends in waveforms and indexes from the literature, and simulated waveforms were studied in relation to age and underlying cardiovascular parameters. In our study, the carotid flow augmentation index (FAI) significantly increased with age (with a median increase of 50% from the youngest to the oldest age group) and was strongly correlated to local arterial stiffening (r = 0.94). The carotid pulsatility index (PI), which showed less pronounced age variation, was inversely correlated with the reflection coefficient at the carotid branching (r = -0.88) and directly correlated with carotid net forward wave energy (r = 0.90), corroborating previous literature where it was linked to increased risk of cerebrovascular damage in the elderly. There was a high correlation between corrected carotid flow time (ccFT) and cardiac output (CO) (r = 0.99), which was not affected by vascular age. This study highlights the potential of carotid waveforms as a valuable tool for the assessment of cardiovascular aging.NEW & NOTEWORTHY An age-specific virtual population was generated based on a 1-D model of the arterial circulation, including newly defined literature-based specific age variations in carotid vessel properties. Simulated carotid flow/velocity waveforms, indexes, and age trends were statistically validated against in vivo data from the literature. A comprehensive study of the impact of aging on carotid flow waveform morphology was performed, and the mechanisms influencing different carotid indexes were elucidated. Notably, flow augmentation index (FAI) was found to be a strong indicator of local carotid stiffness.

The correlation of urea and creatinine concentrations in sweat and saliva with plasma during hemodialysis: an observational cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: Urea and creatinine concentrations in plasma are used to guide hemodialysis (HD) in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). To support individualized HD treatment in a home situation, there is a clinical need for a non-invasive and continuous alternative to plasma for biomarker monitoring during and between cycles of HD. In this observational study, we therefore established the correlation of urea and creatinine concentrations between sweat, saliva and plasma in a cohort of ESRD patients on HD. METHODS: Forty HD patients were recruited at the Dialysis Department of the Catharina Hospital Eindhoven. Sweat and salivary urea and creatinine concentrations were analyzed at the start and at the end of one HD cycle and compared to the corresponding plasma concentrations. RESULTS: A decrease of urea concentrations during HD was observed in sweat, from 27.86 mmol/L to 12.60 mmol/L, and saliva, from 24.70 mmol/L to 5.64 mmol/L. Urea concentrations in sweat and saliva strongly correlated with the concentrations in plasma (ρ 0.92 [p<0.001] and 0.94 [p<0.001], respectively). Creatinine concentrations also decreased in sweat from 43.39 µmol/L to 19.69 µmol/L, and saliva, from 59.00 µmol/L to 13.70 µmol/L. However, for creatinine, correlation coefficients were lower than for urea for both sweat and saliva compared to plasma (ρ: 0.58 [p<0.001] and 0.77 [p<0.001], respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The results illustrate a proof of principle of urea measurements in sweat and saliva to monitor HD adequacy in a non-invasive and continuous manner. Biosensors enabling urea monitoring in sweat or saliva could fill in a clinical need to enable at-home HD for more patients and thereby decrease patient burden.

Postoperative circadian patterns in wearable sensor measured heart rate: a prospective observational study.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to describe the 24-hour cycle of wearable sensor-obtained heart rate in patients with deterioration-free recovery and to compare it with patients experiencing postoperative deterioration. METHODS: A prospective observational trial was performed in patients following bariatric or major abdominal cancer surgery. A wireless accelerometer patch (Healthdot) continuously measured postoperative heart rate, both in the hospital and after discharge, for a period of 14 days. The circadian pattern, or diurnal rhythm, in the wearable sensor-obtained heart rate was described using peak, nadir and peak-nadir excursions. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 137 bariatric and 100 major abdominal cancer surgery patients. In the latter group, 39 experienced postoperative deterioration. Both surgery types showed disrupted diurnal rhythm on the first postoperative days. Thereafter, the bariatric group had significantly lower peak heart rates (days 4, 7-12, 14), lower nadir heart rates (days 3-14) and larger peak-nadir excursions (days 2, 4-14). In cancer surgery patients, significantly higher nadir (days 2-5) and peak heart rates (days 2-3) were observed prior to deterioration. CONCLUSIONS: The postoperative diurnal rhythm of heart rate is disturbed by different types of surgery. Both groups showed recovery of diurnal rhythm but in patients following cancer surgery, both peak and nadir heart rates were higher than in the bariatric surgery group. Especially nadir heart rate was identified as a potential prognostic marker for deterioration after cancer surgery.

Comparison between Handheld Echocardiography and Cardiac Magnetic Resonance for Stroke Volume and Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction Quantification.

Background: Reliable quantification of stroke volume (SV) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is essential for point-of-care assessment in hemodynamically compromised patients. Handheld echocardiography (HHE) equipment has entered the market a few years ago and is now available for clinical use. However, the performance of HHE for SV and LVEF quantification in comparison to cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging as golden standard is yet unknown. Methods: Twenty volunteers were scanned with HHE, standard echocardiography (SE), and CMR. LVEF and SV were measured with each modality, and their accuracy and precision were evaluated. Results: Bias and limits of agreement (LOA) between HHE and CMR were -0.21% (-2.89: 2.48) and 11.24% (-15.79: 15.59) for LVEF and 29.85 ml (22.13: 37.57) and 32.34 ml (-15.01: 44.86) for SV, respectively. Bias and LOA between SE and CMR were -0.60% (-3.74:2.55) and 13.16% (-18.85:18.26) for LVEF and 32.08 ml (24.61:39.54) and 31.34 ml (-11.29:43.37) for SV, respectively. Conclusion: HHE versus CMR showed comparable accuracy and precision compared to SE versus CMR.

Erector spinae plane block improves postoperative recovery after laminectomy and discectomy surgery: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: There is still room for improvement of pain management after spinal surgery. The goal of this study was to evaluate adding the erector spinae block to the standard analgesia regimen. Our hypothesis was that the erector spinae plane block will decrease length of hospital stay, reduce opioid need and improve numeric rating scale pain scores. METHODS: This was a single center retrospective cohort study. We included 418 patients undergoing laminectomy or discectomy from January 2019 until December 2021. The erector spinae plane block was introduced in 2016 by Forero and colleagues and added to our clinical practice in October 2020. Patients who did not receive an erector spinae plane block prior to its implementation in October 2020 were used as control group. The primary outcome measure was functional recovery, measured by length of hospital stay. Secondary outcome measures were perioperative opioid consumption, need for patient-controlled analgesia and numeric rating scale pain scores. Postoperative data collection time points were: at the PACU and after 3, 6, 12 and 24 h postoperatively. RESULTS: There was a significant shorter length of hospital stay in patients undergoing single level laminectomy (with erector spinae plane block 29 h (IQR 27-51), without block 53 h (IQR 51-55), p < .001), multiple level laminectomy (with erector spinae plane block 49 h (IQR 31-54), without block 54 h (IQR 52-75), p < .001) and discectomy (with erector spinae plane block 27 h (IQR 25-30), without block 29 h (IQR 28-49), p = .04). CONCLUSIONS: Erector spinae plane block reduces length of stay after laminectomy surgery.

Machine Learning for Postoperative Continuous Recovery Scores of Oncology Patients in Perioperative Care with Data from Wearables.

Assessing post-operative recovery is a significant component of perioperative care, since this assessment might facilitate detecting complications and determining an appropriate discharge date. However, recovery is difficult to assess and challenging to predict, as no universally accepted definition exists. Current solutions often contain a high level of subjectivity, measure recovery only at one moment in time, and only investigate recovery until the discharge moment. For these reasons, this research aims to create a model that predicts continuous recovery scores in perioperative care in the hospital and at home for objective decision making. This regression model utilized vital signs and activity metrics measured using wearable sensors and the XGBoost algorithm for training. The proposed model described continuous recovery profiles, obtained a high predictive performance, and provided outcomes that are interpretable due to the low number of features in the final model. Moreover, activity features, the circadian rhythm of the heart, and heart rate recovery showed the highest feature importance in the recovery model. Patients could be identified with fast and slow recovery trajectories by comparing patient-specific predicted profiles to the average fast- and slow-recovering populations. This identification may facilitate determining appropriate discharge dates, detecting complications, preventing readmission, and planning physical therapy. Hence, the model can provide an automatic and objective decision support tool.

'If you don't take a temperature, you can't find a fever': relevance to continuous arterial pressure monitoring.

Intraoperative hypotension is common and is associated with adverse postoperative outcomes. A substantial fraction of all perioperative hypotension occurs shortly after induction of anaesthesia and before the procedure begins. Arterial pressure monitoring is usually intermittent in this period, with a risk of missing significant hypotensive events. Continuous blood pressure monitoring might help reduce hypotension. There are now strong arguments that if an arterial line is indicated, it should be placed before induction of anaesthesia to obtain maximal benefit.

Preoperative anaemia and outcome after elective cardiac surgery: a Dutch national registry analysis.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that preoperative anaemia in patients undergoing cardiac surgery is associated with adverse outcomes. However, most of these studies were retrospective, had a relatively small sample size, and were from a single centre. The aim of this study was to analyse the relationship between the severity of preoperative anaemia and short- and long-term mortality and morbidity in a large multicentre national cohort of patients undergoing cardiac surgery. METHODS: A nationwide, prospective, multicentre registry (Netherlands Heart Registration) of patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery between January 2013 and January 2019 was used for this observational study. Anaemia was defined according to the WHO criteria, and the main study endpoint was 120-day mortality. The association was investigated using multivariable logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: In total, 35 484 patients were studied, of whom 6802 (19.2%) were anaemic. Preoperative anaemia was associated with an increased risk of 120-day mortality (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.7; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.4-1.9; P<0.001). The risk of 120-day mortality increased with anaemia severity (mild anaemia aOR 1.6; 95% CI: 1.3-1.9; P<0.001; and moderate-to-severe anaemia aOR 1.8; 95% CI: 1.4-2.4; P<0.001). Preoperative anaemia was associated with red blood cell transfusion and postoperative morbidity, the causes of which included renal failure, pneumonia, and myocardial infarction. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative anaemia was associated with mortality and morbidity after cardiac surgery. The risk of adverse outcomes increased with anaemia severity. Preoperative anaemia is a potential target for treatment to improve postoperative outcomes.

Quality Improvement in the Preoperative Evaluation: Accuracy of an Automated Clinical Decision Support System to Calculate CHA2DS2-VASc Scores.

Background and Objectives: Clinical decision support systems are advocated to improve the quality and efficiency in healthcare. However, before implementation, validation of these systems needs to be performed. In this evaluation we tested our hypothesis that a computerized clinical decision support system can calculate the CHA2DS2-VASc score just as well compared to manual calculation, or even better and more efficiently than manual calculation in patients with atrial rhythm disturbances. Materials and Methods: In n = 224 patents, we calculated the total CHA2DS2-VASc score manually and by an automated clinical decision support system. We compared the automated clinical decision support system with manually calculation by physicians. Results: The interclass correlation between the automated clinical decision support system and manual calculation showed was 0.859 (0.611 and 0.931 95%-CI). Bland-Altman plot and linear regression analysis shows us a bias of -0.79 with limit of agreement (95%-CI) between 1.37 and -2.95 of the mean between our 2 measurements. The Cohen's kappa was 0.42. Retrospective analysis showed more human errors than algorithmic errors. Time it took to calculate the CHA2DS2-VASc score was 11 s per patient in the automated clinical decision support system compared to 48 s per patient with the physician. Conclusions: Our automated clinical decision support system is at least as good as manual calculation, may be more accurate and is more time efficient.

Liraglutide for perioperative management of hyperglycaemia in cardiac surgery patients: a multicentre randomized superiority trial.

AIMS: Most cardiac surgery patients, with or without diabetes, develop perioperative hyperglycaemia, for which intravenous insulin is the only therapeutic option. This is labour-intensive and carries a risk of hypoglycaemia. We hypothesized that preoperative administration of the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist liraglutide reduces the number of patients requiring insulin for glycaemic control during cardiac surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, balanced (1:1), multicentre randomized, superiority trial, adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery in four Dutch tertiary hospitals were randomized to receive 0.6 mg subcutaneous liraglutide on the evening before surgery and 1.2 mg after induction of anaesthesia or matching placebo. Blood glucose was measured hourly and controlled using an insulin-bolus algorithm. The primary outcome was insulin administration for blood glucose >8.0 mmol/L in the operating theatre. Research pharmacists used centralized, stratified, variable-block, randomization software. Patients, care providers and study personnel were blinded to treatment allocation. RESULTS: Between June 2017 and August 2018, 278 patients were randomized to liraglutide (139) or placebo (139). All patients receiving at least one study drug injection were included in the intention-to-treat analyses (129 in the liraglutide group, 132 in the placebo group). In the liraglutide group, 55 (43%) patients required additional insulin compared with 80 (61%) in the placebo group and absolute difference 18% (95% confidence interval 5.9-30.0, P = 0.003). Dose and number of insulin injections and mean blood glucose were all significantly lower in the liraglutide group. We observed no difference in the incidence of hypoglycaemia, nausea and vomiting, mortality or postoperative complications. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative liraglutide, compared with placebo, reduces insulin requirements while improving perioperative glycaemic control during cardiac surgery.

Pressure gradient vs. flow relationships to characterize the physiology of a severely stenotic aortic valve before and after transcatheter valve implantation.

Aims: Echocardiography and tomographic imaging have documented dynamic changes in aortic stenosis (AS) geometry and severity during both the cardiac cycle and stress-induced increases in cardiac output. However, corresponding pressure gradient vs. flow relationships have not been described. Methods and results: We recruited 16 routine transcatheter aortic valve implantations (TAVI's) for graded dobutamine infusions both before and after implantation; 0.014″ pressure wires in the aorta and left ventricle (LV) continuously measured the transvalvular pressure gradient (ΔP) while a pulmonary artery catheter regularly assessed cardiac output by thermodilution. Before TAVI, ΔP did not display a consistent relationship with transvalvular flow (Q). Neither linear resistor (median R2 0.16) nor quadratic orifice (median R2 < 0.01) models at rest predicted stress observations; the severely stenotic valve behaved like a combination. The unitless ratio of aortic to left ventricular pressures during systolic ejection under stress conditions correlated best with post-TAVI flow improvement. After TAVI, a highly linear relationship (median R2 0.96) indicated a valid valve resistance. Conclusion: Pressure loss vs. flow curves offer a fundamental fluid dynamic synthesis for describing aortic valve pathophysiology. Severe AS does not consistently behave like an orifice (as suggested by Gorlin) or a resistor, whereas TAVI devices behave like a pure resistor. During peak dobutamine, the ratio of aortic to left ventricular pressures during systolic ejection provides a 'fractional flow reserve' of the aortic valve that closely approximates the complex, changing fluid dynamics. Because resting assessment cannot reliably predict stress haemodynamics, 'valvular fractional flow' warrants study to explain exertional symptoms in patients with only moderate AS at rest.

Barriers to ultrasound guidance for central venous access: a survey among Dutch intensivists and anaesthesiologists.

Accumulating evidence shows that ultrasound (US) guidance improves effectiveness and safety of central venous catheter (CVC) placement. Several international guidelines therefore recommend the use of US for placement of CVCs. However, surveys show that the landmark-based technique is still widely used, while the percentage of physicians using US is increasing less than expected. The goal of this study was to investigate current practice for central venous catheterization in anaesthesiology and intensive care in the Netherlands, identify barriers for further implementation of US guidance and to evaluate whether personality traits are associated with the choice of technique. We conducted a web-based national survey, distributed among members of the Dutch societies of anaesthesiology (NVA) and intensive care (NVIC). The survey contained questions regarding physician and hospital characteristics, frequency of US use and reasons for use or non-use, as well as the NEO-FFI-3, a validated, translated questionnaire to characterize personality traits according to the 'Big Five' concept. Response rate was 22% (506/2291), of which 400 had also the personality questionnaire complete. Ultrasound guidance was used always or almost always in 68%; barriers for US use were working in a non-academic non-teaching hospital, providing cardiac anaesthesia and more years of physician experience. Reasons for not using US were perceived lack of benefit, increased procedure time, lack of US equipment and fear of loss of landmark technique skills. 13% of respondents had never experienced a complication during CVC placement, and 67% knew of a complication occurring the past year at their department. Ultrasound was thought not to be able to prevent the complication in half of these cases. Of the personality traits, only neuroticism and extraversion showed a minor positive association with US guidance. A majority of anaesthesiologists and intensivists uses US guidance for CVC placement, but a significant proportion of physicians still prefers the landmark technique. Most arguments from respondents against US guidance can be challenged. Personality traits most likely do not play a major role in the acceptance of US guidance for central venous catheterization. A potential intervention to increase US use could be formalizing local hospital policies mandating compliance with US guidance. Future research can perhaps focus on cognitive biases that currently limit more widespread use of US guidance.

Noninvasive pulmonary transit time: A new parameter for general cardiac performance.

INTRODUCTION: Pulmonary transit time (PTT) assessed with contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is a novel tool to evaluate cardiac function. PTT represents the time for a bolus of contrast to pass from the right to the left ventricle, measured according to the indicator dilution principles using CEUS. We investigated the hypothesis that PTT is a measure of general cardiac performance in patient populations eligible for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). METHODS: The study population consisted of heart failure patients referred for CRT with NYHA class II-IV, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)≤35% and QRS≥120 ms. CEUS, ECG, and blood were analyzed, and participants completed a quality of life questionnaire at baseline and 3 months after CRT implantation. Normalized PTT (nPTT) was calculated to compensate for the heart rate. Correlations were assessed with Pearson's or Spearman's coefficients and stratified for rhythm and NYHA class. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 94 patients (67 men) with a mean age of 70±8.9 years. (n)PTT was significantly correlated with left ventricular parameters (rs =-.487, P<.001), right ventricular parameters (r=-.282, P=.004), N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) (rs =.475, P<.001), and quality of life (rs =.364, P<.001). Stronger significant correlations were found in patients in sinus rhythm. CONCLUSION: CEUS-derived PTT and nPTT correlate to a fair degree with measures of systolic and diastolic function, NT-pro-BNP, and quality of life. As CEUS-derived PTT can be obtained easily, noninvasively and at the bedside, it is a promising future measure of general cardiac performance.

Myocardial Microvascular Responsiveness During Acute Cardiac Sympathectomy Induced by Thoracic Epidural Anesthesia.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of acute cardiac sympathectomy by thoracic epidural anesthesia on myocardial blood flow and microvascular function. DESIGN: A prospective observational study. SETTING: The study was conducted in a tertiary teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Ten patients with a mean age of 48 years (range 22-63 years) scheduled for thoracic surgery. INTERVENTIONS: Myocardial contrast echocardiography was used to study myocardial blood flow and microvascular responsiveness at rest, during adenosine-induced hyperemia, and after sympathetic stimulation by the cold pressor test. Repeated measurements were performed without and with thoracic epidural anesthesia. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: An increased myocardial blood volume was observed with thoracic epidural anesthesia compared to baseline (from 0.08±0.02 to 0.10±0.03 mL/mL; p = 0.02). No difference existed in resting myocardial blood flow between baseline conditions and epidural anesthesia (0.85±0.24 v 1.03±0.27 mL/min/g, respectively). Hyperemia during thoracic epidural anesthesia increased myocardial blood flow to 4.31±1.07 mL/min/g (p = 0.0008 v baseline) and blood volume to 0.17±0.04 mL/mL (p = 0.005 baseline). After sympathetic stimulation, no difference in myocardial blood flow parameters was observed CONCLUSIONS: Acute cardiac sympathectomy by thoracic epidural anesthesia increased the blood volume in the myocardial capillary system. Also, thoracic epidural anesthesia increased hyperemic myocardial blood flow, indicating augmented endothelial-independent vasodilator capacity of the myocardium.

The effect of perioperative insulin treatment on cardiodepression in mild adiposity in mice.

BACKGROUND: While most studies focus on cardiovascular morbidity following anesthesia and surgery in excessive obesity, it is unknown whether these intraoperative cardiovascular alterations also occur in milder forms of adiposity without type 2 diabetes and if insulin is a possible treatment to improve intraoperative myocardial performance. In this experimental study we investigated whether mild adiposity without metabolic alterations is already associated with cardiometabolic dysfunction during anesthesia, mechanical ventilation and surgery and whether these myocardial alterations can be neutralized by intraoperative insulin treatment. METHODS: Mice were fed a western (WD) or control diet (CD) for 4 weeks. After metabolic profiling, mice underwent general anesthesia, mechanical ventilation and surgery. Cardiac function was determined with echocardiography and left-ventricular pressure-volume analysis. Myocardial perfusion was determined with contrast-enhanced echocardiography. WD-fed mice were subsequently treated with insulin by hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamping followed by the same measurements of cardiac function and perfusion. RESULTS: Western-type diet feeding led to a 13 % increase in bodyweight, (p < 0.0001) and increased adipose tissue mass, without metabolic alterations. Despite this mild phenotype, WD-fed mice had decreased systolic and diastolic function (end-systolic elastance was 2.0 ± 0.5 versus 4.1 ± 2.4 mmHg/µL, p = 0.01 and diastolic beta was 0.07 ± 0.03 versus 0.04 ± 0.01 mmHg/µL, p = 0.02) compared to CD-fed mice. Ventriculo-arterial coupling and myocardial perfusion were decreased by 48 % (p = 0.003) and 43 % (p = 0.03) respectively. Insulin treatment in WD-fed mice improved echo-derived systolic function (fractional shortening 42 ± 5 % to 46 ± 3, p = 0.05), likely due to decreased afterload, but there was no effect on load-independent measures of systolic function or myocardial perfusion. However, there was a trend towards improved diastolic function after insulin treatment (43 % improvement, p = 0.05) in WD-fed mice. CONCLUSIONS: Mild adiposity without metabolic alterations already affected cardiac function and perfusion during anesthesia, mechanical ventilation and surgery in mice. Intraoperative insulin may be beneficial to reduce afterload and enhance intraoperative ventricular relaxation, but not to improve ventricular contractility or myocardial perfusion.

Reliability, repeatability, and reproducibility of pulmonary transit time assessment by contrast enhanced echocardiography.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to investigate the inter and intra-rater reliability, repeatability, and reproducibility of pulmonary transit time (PTT) measurement in patients using contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), as an indirect measure of preload and left ventricular function. METHODS: Mean transit times (MTT) were measured by drawing a region of interest (ROI) in right and left cardiac ventricle in the CEUS loops. Acoustic intensity dilution curves were obtained from the ROIs. MTTs were calculated by applying model-based fitting on the dilution curves. PTT was calculated as the difference of the MTTs. Eight raters with different levels of experience measured the PTT (time moment 1) and repeated the measurement within a week (time moment 2). Reliability and agreement were assessed using intra-class correlations (ICC) and Bland-Altman analysis. Repeatability was tested by estimating the variance of means (ANOVA) of three injections in each patient at different doses. Reproducibility was tested by the ICC of the two time moments. RESULTS: Fifteen patients with heart failure were included. The mean PTT was 11.8 ± 3.1 s at time moment 1 and 11.7 ± 2.9 s at time moment 2. The inter-rater reliability for PTT was excellent (ICC = 0.94). The intra-rater reliability per rater was between 0.81-0.99. Bland-Altman analysis revealed a bias of 0.10 s within the rater groups. Reproducibility for PTT showed an ICC = 0.94 between the two time moments. ANOVA showed no significant difference between the means of the three different doses F = 0.048 (P = 0.95). The mean and standard deviation for PTT estimates at three different doses was 11.6 ± 3.3 s. CONCLUSIONS: PTT estimation using CEUS shows a high inter- and intra-rater reliability, repeatability at three different doses, and reproducibility by ROI drawing. This makes the minimally invasive PTT measurement using contrast echocardiography ready for clinical evaluation in patients with heart failure and for preload estimation.

Phrenic nerve palsy following interscalene brachial plexus block; a long lasting serious complication.

Interscalene brachial plexus block (ISBPB) offers good analgesia for painful surgical procedures on the shoulder. We here describe two cases of long-term phrenic palsy following ISBPB that occurred in our practice in a relative short time period and both clearly illustrate the devastating impact of this complication for the patient. We will discuss the benefit of ISBPB in the context of the incidence and significant disability of hemi diaphragm paresis. Anesthesiologists must be aware of this complication and carefully weigh the advantages of ISPBP against the risks of this complication. When ISPBP is considered, the fact that the incidence of prolonged phrenic nerve palsy may be higher than previously expected should be taken into account carefully. A reevaluation on the indication and patient selection of ISBPB may even be warranted.

Myocardial blood flow under general anaesthesia with sevoflurane in type 2 diabetic patients: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: In type 2 diabetic patients, cardiac events in the perioperative period may be associated with diminished myocardial vasomotor function and endothelial dysfunction. The influence of sevoflurane anaesthesia on myocardial endothelial dysfunction in type 2 diabetic mellitus is investigated in this pilot study. METHODS: Six males with type 2 diabetes mellitus and eight healthy controls were included. Using myocardial contrast echocardiography, myocardial blood flow (MBF) was measured at rest, during adenosine-induced hyperaemia (endothelium-independent vasodilation) and after sympathetic stimulation by the cold pressor test (endothelium-dependent vasodilation). Measurements were performed before and after induction of sevoflurane anaesthesia. RESULTS: Sevoflurane anaesthesia decreased resting MBF in diabetics but not in controls (P = 0.03), while baseline MBF did not differ between diabetics and controls. Without anaesthesia, adenosine-induced hyperaemia increased MBF in both groups compared to resting values. Adenosine combined with sevoflurane resulted in a lower hyperaemic MBF in both groups compared to no anaesthesia. Differences in MBF in response to adenosine before and after sevoflurane administration were larger in diabetic patients, however not statistically significant in this pilot group (P = 0.08). Myocardial blood flow parameters after the cold pressor test were not different between groups. CONCLUSION: These pilot data in type 2 diabetic patients show that sevoflurane anaesthesia decreases resting myocardial blood flow compared to healthy controls. Further, we observed a trend towards a lower endothelium-independent vasodilation capacity in diabetic patients under sevoflurane anaesthesia. Endothelium-dependent vasodilation was not affected by sevoflurane in diabetic patients. These data provide preliminary insight into myocardial responses in type 2 diabetic patients under general anaesthesia. TRIAL REGISTRATION: http://www.clinicialtrials.gov, NCT00866801.