Cardiac index-guided therapy to maintain optimised postinduction cardiac index in high-risk patients having major open abdominal surgery: the multicentre randomised iPEGASUS trial.

BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether optimising intraoperative cardiac index can reduce postoperative complications. We tested the hypothesis that maintaining optimised postinduction cardiac index during and for the first 8 h after surgery reduces the incidence of a composite outcome of complications within 28 days after surgery compared with routine care in high-risk patients having elective major open abdominal surgery. METHODS: In three German and two Spanish centres, high-risk patients having elective major open abdominal surgery were randomised to cardiac index-guided therapy to maintain optimised postinduction cardiac index (cardiac index at which pulse pressure variation was <12%) during and for the first 8 h after surgery using intravenous fluids and dobutamine or to routine care. The primary outcome was the incidence of a composite outcome of moderate or severe complications within 28 days after surgery. RESULTS: We analysed 318 of 380 enrolled subjects. The composite primary outcome occurred in 84 of 152 subjects (55%) assigned to cardiac index-guided therapy and in 77 of 166 subjects (46%) assigned to routine care (odds ratio: 1.87, 95% confidence interval: 1.03-3.39, P=0.038). Per-protocol analyses confirmed the results of the primary outcome analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Maintaining optimised postinduction cardiac index during and for the first 8 h after surgery did not reduce, and possibly increased, the incidence of a composite outcome of complications within 28 days after surgery compared with routine care in high-risk patients having elective major open abdominal surgery. Clinicians should not strive to maintain optimised postinduction cardiac index during and after surgery in expectation of reducing complications. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03021525.

Underneath Images and Robots, Looking Deeper into the Pneumoperitoneum: A Narrative Review.

Laparoscopy offers numerous advantages over open procedures, minimizing trauma, reducing pain, accelerating recovery, and shortening hospital stays. Despite other technical advancements, pneumoperitoneum insufflation has received little attention, barely evolving since its inception. We explore the impact of pneumoperitoneum on patient outcomes and advocate for a minimally invasive approach that prioritizes peritoneal homeostasis. The nonlinear relationship between intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) and intra-abdominal volume (IAV) is discussed, emphasizing IAP titration to balance physiological effects and surgical workspace. Maintaining IAP below 10 mmHg is generally recommended, but factors such as patient positioning and surgical complexity must be considered. The depth of neuromuscular blockade (NMB) is explored as another variable affecting laparoscopic conditions. While deep NMB appears favorable for surgical stillness, achieving a balance between IAP and NMB depth is crucial. Temperature and humidity management during pneumoperitoneum are crucial for patient safety and optical field quality. Despite the debate over the significance of temperature drop, humidification and the warming of insufflated gas offer benefits in peritoneal homeostasis and visual clarity. In conclusion, there is potential for a paradigm shift in pneumoperitoneum management, with dynamic IAP adjustments and careful control of insufflated gas temperature and humidity to preserve peritoneal homeostasis and improve patient outcomes in minimally invasive surgery.

Prone Positioning and Molecular Biomarkers in COVID and Non-COVID ARDS: A Narrative Review.

Prone positioning (PP) represents a therapeutic intervention with the proven capacity of ameliorating gas exchanges and ventilatory mechanics indicated in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). When PP is selectively applied to moderate-severe cases of ARDS, it sensitively affects clinical outcomes, including mortality. After the COVID-19 outbreak, clinical application of PP peaked worldwide and was applied in 60% of treated cases, according to large reports. Research on this topic has revealed many physiological underpinnings of PP, focusing on regional ventilation redistribution and the reduction of parenchymal stress and strain. However, there is a lack of evidence on biomarkers behavior in different phases and phenotypes of ARDS. Patients response to PP are, to date, decided on PaO2/FiO2 ratio improvement, whereas scarce data exist on biomarker tracking during PP. The purpose of this review is to explore current evidence on the clinical relevance of biomarkers in the setting of moderate-severe ARDS of different etiologies (i.e., COVID and non-COVID-related ARDS). Moreover, this review focuses on how PP may modulate biomarkers and which biomarkers may have a role in outcome prediction in ARDS patients.

Complex neonatal airway surgery. Case report / Cirugía compleja de la vía aérea en neonato. Reporte de un caso

Abstract Airway-related pathology poses a significant challenge to the pediatric anesthesiologist. This case report involves a 28-day-old neonate diagnosed with congenital tracheal stenosis who underwent a slide tracheoplasty intervention with extracorporeal circulation. The anesthetic management is described, together with our experience in the face of a challenging situation, including adverse events during surgery.

Resumen La patología relacionada con la vía aérea es uno de los grandes retos a los que se enfrenta un anestesiólogo pediátrico. En este reporte de caso se presenta una cirugía realizada en nuestro hospital. Un neonato de 28 días de vida, diagnosticado con estenosis traqueal congénita fue intervenido con traqueoplastia por deslizamiento, bajo soporte con circulación extracorpórea. Se documenta el manejo anestésico, y la experiencia de enfrentar un reto complejo, incluyendo los eventos adversos que ocurrieron durante la cirugía.

Predictive Factors of Admission in Outpatient Laparoscopic Surgery. / Factores con valor predictivo de ingreso en cirugía laparoscópica ambulatoria.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study is to analyze the rate of no planificated hospitalization after ambulatory surgical procedures by laparoscopy, and identify associated risk factors to failure in the ambulatory manage of this patients. METHODS: A prospective observational study was performed during 18 months and included 297 patients treated with ambulatory laparoscopies performed at University Hospital La Fe of Valencia. The need for hospital admission, same day after surgery, was considered the main variable. Variables were recorded for preoperatives, intraoperatives o postoperatives factors. To identify risk factors and variables associated with complications, statistical analyses were calculated with logistic regression models. RESULTS: After laparoscopic surgery, the 8.1% of patients required hospitalization. This rate was significantly superior in gynecologic surgery, patients with previous surgery complications, superior ASA classified (II and III) and smokers. Likewise, patients with pneumoperitoneum time over 45minutes presented a higher hospitalization rate; also founded in patients with anesthetic or surgery complications (including conversion to laparotomy). At least, the rate of hospitalization was significantly superior in relation with postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). CONCLUSION: The rate of patients who need hospitalization after ambulatory laparoscopic surgery was 8.1%, of which 5.5% were general surgeries and 12.1% were gynecologic surgeries. The mots relationated factors with ambulatory manage failure, analyzed with multiple regression, were the appearance of surgery complications, the pneumoperitoneum time over 100minutes and the PONV.

Emergency Ventilation of Infant Subglottic Stenosis Through Small-Gauge Lumen Using the Ventrain: A Case Report.

Postintubation subglottic stenosis is one of the most common causes of stridor in newborns and babies after prolonged mechanical ventilation. Management of this pathology is complex and requires highly trained personnel because it is associated with a high rate of airway-related mortality. This article presents the rescue of a difficult airway in a pediatric patient with subglottic stenosis with a new device available on the market, the Ventrain, offering certain advantages over those available until now.