Role of the pupillometer in the assessment of pain in the sedation of pediatric patients.

OBJECTIVE: Pupillometry has been used to assess pain intensity and response to analgesic drugs in adults. The aim of this study was to verify the usefulness and effectiveness of the pupillometer to assess pain and depth of sedation in pediatric patients undergoing painful procedures and to optimize pain management by observing pupillary variations induced by opioids. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a prospective, monocentric study conducted in the sedation room of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of Fondazione Policlinico A. Gemelli in Rome. A population of 22 pediatric patients who underwent painful procedures was enrolled. Eleven children were sedated by opioid drugs. Heart rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, bispectral index, maximum pupil size (Size), pupil change (CH), Neurological Pupil Index (NPi) were collected over four times: before starting the procedure; before the painful stimulus (when the patient was sedated); when the painful stimulus was applied; at the end of the procedure. A NeurOptics NPi-200 pupillometer was used for the study. RESULTS: Statistical significance in the variation of haemodynamic parameters was less significant than the variation obtained by analyzing the pupillary parameters: a significant change in NPi and CH in the transition from wakefulness to sedation and from the application of the painful stimulus to awakening was found in both study populations, patients who have received opioids and patients who have not received opioids. Changes in the mean CH of the pupil diameter correlate with the depth of sedation, and the size values vary in relation to the administration of opioids. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the potential role of pupillometry as a non-invasive method to objectively quantitate pain response in children to reach an efficient analgesic approach.

Telephone consultation during Coronavirus outbreak in a Pediatric Emergency Department: methodological approach of a tertiary care center in a COVID-19 hospital setting.

OBJECTIVE: A computerized system of telephone consultation has been experimented at the Pediatric Emergency Department (ED) of Policlinico Gemelli Hospital in Rome during the outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty monothematic items with a series of questions to evaluate child's clinical conditions have been set up in order to evaluate the different situations according to their severity. All items were highlighted according to conventional scores corresponding to the different answers (yes/no) given by the child's parents. This system has been implemented with large diffusion of computer programs and applications by the availability of a computer station in every ED room. RESULTS: The system allows healthcare workers to establish the medical check-up urgency which may be immediate, within the next 24 hours or scheduled in the pediatric ward. Therefore, it has been implemented a telephone triage consultation with a standardized method. CONCLUSIONS: Telephone consultation during outbreaks, considering the risks of contagion, allows healthcare workers to decrease the concern of families and to reduce indiscriminate access to ED. The remote approach will not solve logistic and setting problems related to COVID-19 outbreak17, but it would be a valid tool to improve medical evaluation without deep change in infrastructure and clinical organization.

New generation cut-and-seal devices in oral and oropharyngeal cancer resection: clinical and cost-effectiveness study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness of ultrasonic shears and the electrothermal bipolar vessel sealing system, in comparison to the traditional cold knife and bipolar forceps, in oral and oropharyngeal cancer surgery. METHODS: Patients who underwent oral or oropharyngeal cancer resection and neck dissection with either ultrasonic shears (n = 36) or electrothermal bipolar vessel sealing (n = 32) were enrolled. Surgical time, intra-operative bleeding, blood drainage, post-operative pain, neck oedema, complications and hospitalisation duration were compared to those of an historical cohort of 36 patients treated using a cold knife and bipolar forceps. Additionally, a cost-effectiveness evaluation was performed. RESULTS: Ultrasonic shears and, in particular, electrothermal bipolar vessel sealing, were advantageous compared to the traditional techniques. The cost of ultrasonic shears and electrothermal bipolar vessel sealing was completely offset by declining time-driven costs for the surgical team and operating theatre. CONCLUSION: Ultrasonic shears and, in particular, electrothermal bipolar vessel sealing, are more advantageous compared to the traditional techniques, from both a clinical and economic point of view.

[Socioeconomic status and chronic diseases of the aged. A multicenter study]. / Situazione socio-economica e malattie croniche nell'anziano. Studio multicentrico.

The above study was carried out in a population sample of 1250 elderly subjects living at home, from five Italian regions (Budrio in Emilia-Romagna, Ponte S. Nicolò in Veneto, Bernareggio in Lombardy, Sezze in Latiumm, Melito in Campania). The results obtained lead to the following conclusions: 1. The condition of loneliness appears to have a detrimental influence on health in both sexes. Among other consequences, loneliness leads to progressive spontaneous reduction of daily milieu and social requirements, as well as to an impression of dependence that cannot be easily overcome. 2. The study of the relationship between the presence or absence of chronic pathologies and legal title of domicile has shown that if the home is their own by legal property or usufruct this has a favorable influence, especially in males. Property also satisfies emotional needs, through the profound ties between personal history and certain places. 3. Positive changes in life style may have beneficial effects on the interaction between socio-economic variables and the onset of chronic pathologies, especially in old age.