Evaluation of Success of Arterial Cannulation Employing the Dorsalis Pedis Artery Versus Posterior Tibial Artery: A Clinical Comparative Study.

OBJECTIVE: The dorsalis pedis artery and posterior tibial artery are recognised sites for arterial cannulation. This study aimed to compare the first-attempt success rates of cannulation along with other cannulation characteristics of these 2 arteries in adult patients undergoing surgery under general anaesthesia using the conventional palpatory method. METHODS: Two hundred twenty adults were allocated randomly into 2 groups. The dorsalis pedis artery and posterior tibial artery were attempted for cannulation in the dorsalis pedis artery and posterior tibial artery group, respectively. First-attempt success rates, cannulation times, number of attempts, ease of cannulation, and complications were recorded. RESULTS: Demographic characteristics, pulse characteristics, single-attempt success rates, ease of cannulation, reasons for failure, and complications were similar. Single-attempt success rates were similar (64.5% and 61.8%, P = .675) with equal median attempt. Easy cannulation (Visual Analogue Scale score ≤4) was the same in both groups, whereas percentages of difficult cannulation (Visual Analogue Scale scores ≥4) were 16.4% and 19.1% in the dorsalis pedis artery and posterior tibial artery groups, respectively. Cannulation time was lower in the dorsalis pedis artery group [median time in seconds: 37 (28, 63) seconds vs. 44 (29, 75) seconds, P = .027]. Single-attempt success rates were lower in the feeble pulse group as compared to the strong pulse group (48.61% vs. 70.27%, P = .002). Likewise, a higher Visual Analogue Scale of ease of cannulation (>4 score) was seen in the feeble pulse group compared to the strong pulse group (26.39% vs. 13.51%, P = .019). CONCLUSIONS: The single-attempt success rate was similar for both dorsalis pedis artery and posterior tibial artery. However, the time taken for cannulating the posterior tibial artery is significantly higher than that for dorsalis pedis artery.

Bonding through the mask.

The appearance of healthcare professionals and their interaction with patients has always been the scaffolding of the relationship between the caregiver and patient. The Covid-19 pandemic has challenged this with its need for masking and distancing. The duty bound frontline worker in the midst of the personal crisis brought about by this pandemic has undergone hitherto unknown experiences described here.

How Robust are the Evidences that Formulate Surviving Sepsis Guidelines? An Analysis of Fragility and Reverse Fragility of Randomized Controlled Trials that were Referred in these Guidelines.

OBJECTIVES: "Surviving Sepsis Campaign: International Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock: 2016" provides guidelines in regard to prompt management and resuscitation of sepsis or septic shock. The study is aimed to assess the robustness of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that formulate these guidelines in terms of fragility index and reverse fragility index. METHOD: RCTs that contributed to these guidelines having parallel two-group design, 1:1 allocation ratio, and at least one dichotomous outcome were included in the study. The median fragility index was calculated for RCTs with significant statistical outcomes, whereas the median reverse fragility index was calculated for RCTs with nonsignificant statistical results. RESULTS: Hundred RCTs that met the inclusion criteria were analyzed. The median fragility index was 5.5 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1-30] and median reverse fragility index was 13 (95% CI 12.07-16.8) at a p value of 0.05. The median reverse fragility index was 16 (95% CI 10-26) at a p value of 0.01. Most of the RCTs included in this analysis were of good quality, having a median Jadad score of 6. CONCLUSION: This analysis found that the surviving sepsis guidelines were based on highly robust RCTs with statistically insignificant results and on some moderately robust RCTs with statistically significant results. RCTs with statistically insignificant results were more robust than RCTs with statistically significant results in regard to these guidelines. HIGHLIGHTS: The study assessed the robustness of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that were used to formulate surviving sepsis guidelines. Most RCTs showed statistically nonsignificant results. RCTs with statistically significant results were moderately fragile whereas RCTs with nonsignificant results were more robust. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Choupoo NS, Das SK, Saikia P, Dey S, Ray S. How Robust are the Evidences that Formulate Surviving Sepsis Guidelines? An Analysis of Fragility and Reverse Fragility of Randomized Controlled Trials that were Referred in these Guidelines. Indian J Crit Care Med 2021;25(7):773-779.

Length of the middle finger of hand as a simple and reliable predictor of optimal size of uncuffed endotracheal tube in paediatric patients: An observational study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: A recent study suggested middle finger length-based formula as a better predictive guide compared with age-based formula for selecting uncuffed endotracheal tubes (ETTs) in children. But that study did not meet sample size requirement. Thus, we primarily aimed to determine the accuracy of formula using length of the middle finger to determine the internal diameter of the uncuffed ETT and to compare its accuracy with the Cole's formula. As a secondary objective, we desired to compare its accuracy with some commonly used length and weight-based formulae. METHODS: This prospective observational study included children aged up to 12 years posted for elective surgery under general anaesthesia. The length of the middle finger on the palmar aspect of the hand was measured in the preoperative period and the characteristics of the airway used were noted. A predefined criterion of optimal size of the uncuffed ETT was used. RESULTS: A total of 139 patients were included in the final analysis. It was observed that the formula based on middle finger length can predict the optimal size of uncuffed ETT within an error of 0.5 mm in more than 90% instances and its predictive performance is better than Cole's formula. As a secondary outcome, we also observed that its accuracy is better than other formulae under evaluation. CONCLUSION: Formula based on middle finger length can be used as a predictor of optimal size of uncuffed ETT in paediatric patients and it is a better predictor than Cole's formula.

Retraction of papers authored by Yuhji Saitoh - Beyond the Fujii phenomenon.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Various aspects of retracted articles authored by Yoshitaka Fujii and their retraction notices have been examined. Yuhji Saitoh has coauthored many articles with Yoshitaka Fujii which were subsequently retracted. Japanese Society of Anesthesiology (JSA) recommends retraction of various articles by Yuhji Saitoh, but various attributes of those and their retraction notices have not been examined. METHODS: A list of retracted articles was retrieved from PubMed, Retraction Watch Database and relevant journals. Their retraction notices were obtained from the journal's webpage. Predefined characteristics of the retracted articles and their retraction notices were evaluated against those proposed by Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). RESULTS: Fifteen such articles were retracted. Two of them were not identified as retracted in the journal webpage. Half of the papers mentioned by JSA are yet to be retracted. Among those retracted, only 13.3% retraction notices were in line with the guidelines published by the COPE. Two retracted articles are yet to be flagged as retracted in PubMed. The median (interquartile range) time required for retraction from the date of declaration of being eligible for retraction is 14 (3) months. Data were analysed with Microsoft Excel™ (2007). CONCLUSION: Even after more than 1 year of recommendation, many articles containing evidence of scientific misconduct are yet to be retracted. Among those retracted, the relevant authority failed to follow the prevalent and well-regarded standards of ethics in scholarly publication.

Diagnostic accuracy of inferior vena caval respiratory variation in detecting fluid unresponsiveness: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The accuracy of respiratory variation of the inferior vena cava (rvIVC) in predicting fluid responsiveness, particularly in spontaneously breathing patients is unclear. OBJECTIVES: To consider the evidence to support the accuracy of rvIVC in identifying patients who are unlikely to benefit from fluid administration. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. DATA SOURCE: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, KoreaMed, LILCAS and WHO Clinical Trial Registry from inception to June 2017. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Case-control or cohort studies that evaluated the accuracy of rvIVC in living adult humans were included. A study was included in the meta-analysis if data enabling construction of 2 × 2 tables were reported, calculated or could be obtained from authors and met the above cited criteria. RESULT: A total of 23 studies including 1574 patients were included in qualitative analysis. The meta-analysis involved 20 studies and 761 patients. Pooled sensitivity and specificity of rvIVC in 330 spontaneously breathing patients were 0.80 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.68 to 0.89] and 0.79 (95% CI 0.60 to 0.90). Pooled sensitivity and specificity of rvIVC in 431 mechanically ventilated patients were 0.79 (95% CI 0.67 to 0.86) and 0.70 (95% CI 0.63 to 0.76). CONCLUSION: Decreased inferior vena caval respiratory variation is moderately accurate in predicting fluid unresponsiveness both in spontaneous and mechanically ventilated patients. The findings of this review should be used in the appropriate clinical context and in conjunction with other clinical assessments of fluid status. IDENTIFIER: CRD 42017068028.

An observational prospective study of performance of acromioaxillosuprasternal notch index in predicting difficult visualisation of the larynx.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Bedside screening test for predicting difficult intubation is an accepted practice, even though its clinical value remains limited. This study aimed to study the predicting value of acromioaxillosuprasternal notch index (AASI) for difficult visualisation of the larynx (DVL). METHODS: After Hospital Ethical Committee approval, 440 consecutive consenting adult non-obstetric patients were included in this study. AASI, modified Mallampati class (MMT), sternomental distance (SMD), thyromental distance (TMD) and inter incisor distance (IID) were evaluated preoperatively by trained personnel. Visualisation of larynx was graded according to Cormack-Lehane grading, with grade III and IV being considered as DVL. The cut-off values for prediction of DVL were defined a priori. Direct laryngoscopy was carried out by qualified anaesthesiologists blinded to the results of the airway predictors under evaluation. Primary outcome variable was AASI as a predictor of DVL. Comparing DVL with MMT, SMD, TMD and IID were secondary objectives. RESULTS: DVL was observed in 3.6% [95% confidence interval (1.9-5.4%)] patients. We observed that sensitivity, specificity and Area Under Curve i.e., AUC (95% confidence interval) of ROC of AASI was 81.25 (53.69-95.03), 96.7 (94.39-98.11) and 0.890 (0.777-1.000) respectively. AUC of AASI was found to better than MMT, SMD, TMD and IID. CONCLUSION: AASI (≥0.5) is a good predictor of difficult visualisation of the larynx at direct laryngoscopy.

Incidence Proportion of Acute Cor Pulmonale in Patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Subjected to Lung Protective Ventilation: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Reported incidence of acute cor pulmonale (ACP) in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) varies from 10% to 84%, despite being subjected to lung protective ventilation according to the current guidelines. The objective of this review is to find pooled cumulative incidence of ACP in patients with ARDS undergoing lung protective ventilation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, KoreaMed, LILACS, and WHO Clinical Trial Registry. Cross-sectional or cohort studies were included if they reported or provided data that could be used to calculate the incidence proportion of ACP. Inverse variance heterogeneity (IVhet) and random effect model were used for the main outcome and measures. RESULTS: We included 16 studies encompassing 1661 patients. The cumulative incidence of ACP using IVhet analysis was 23% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 18%-28%) over 3 days of lung protective ventilation. Random effect analysis of 7 studies (1250 patients) revealed pooled odd ratio of mortality of 1.16 (95% CI = 0.80-1.67, P = 0.44) due to ACP. CONCLUSION: Patients with ARDS have a 23% risk of developing ACP with lung protective ventilation. Findings of this review indicate the need of updating existing guidelines for ventilating ARDS patients to incorporate right ventricle protective strategy.

Prevalence of acute post-operative pain in patients in adult age-group undergoing inpatient abdominal surgery and correlation of intensity of pain and satisfaction with analgesic management: A cross-sectional single institute-based study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Considering the paucity of regional data, this study was designed to investigate the prevalence of post-operative pain and determine if there exists any correlation between the intensity of post-operative pain and patient's level of satisfaction with their pain management after inpatient abdominal surgery at an academic tertiary care government centre. METHODS: Pain intensity was measured in 120 patients with numeric rating scale at the fifth post-operative hour, second and third post-operative day. A questionnaire was used to measure the level of satisfaction with nurse's and doctor's response to their pain and overall pain management. RESULTS: The prevalence of post-operative pain was 84.17%, 92.5% and 96.66% at the fifth post-operative hour, second and third post-operative day, respectively. Less number of patients experienced severe intensity pain on the third post-operative day (P = 0.00046), whereas the number of patients experiencing mild pain increased (P < 0.000) compared to the fifth post-operative hour. The number of patients with complete analgesia decreased on the third post-operative day (P = 0.001 compared to fifth post-operative day). The Spearman correlation coefficient between pain score on the third post-operative day and level of satisfaction with nurse's response, doctor's response to pain and the overall pain management was - 0.0218 (P = 0.8107), 0.1307 (P = 0.1553) and 0.0743 (P = 0.4195), respectively. CONCLUSION: There is a high prevalence of acute post-operative pain in patients undergoing inpatient abdominal surgery at our institute. There is a weak correlation between the intensity of pain and level of satisfaction with pain management.