Postoperative complications in cirrhotic pediatric deceased donor liver transplantation: Focus on transfusion therapy.

Intraoperative transfusions seem associated with patient death and graft failure after PLTx. A retrospective analysis of recipients' and donors' characteristics and transplantation data in a cohort of patients undergoing PLTx from 2002 to 2009 at the Bergamo General Hospital was performed. A two-stage hierarchical Cox proportional hazard regression with forward stepwise selection was used to identify the main risk factors for major complications. In addition, propensity score analysis was used to adjust risk estimates for possible selection biases in the use of blood products. Over the 12-year period, 232 pediatric cirrhotic patients underwent PLTx. One-year patient and graft survival rates were 92.3% and 83.7%, respectively. The Kaplan-Meier shows that the main decrease in both graft and patient survival occurs during the first months post-transplantation. At the same time, it appears that most of the complications occur during the first month post-transplantation. One-month and 1-year patient complication-free survival rates were 24.8% and 12.1%, respectively. Our study shows that intraoperative red blood cells and platelet transfusions are independent risk factors for developing one or more major complications in the first year after PLTx. Decreasing major complications will improve the health status and overall long-term patient survival after pediatric PLTx.

A new method for managing emergency calls.

Available methods for managing territorial medical emergencies are nowadays very effective. Nevertheless, resources are limited, and such methods are far from being perfect. It could be difficult, sometimes, to ensure adequate and prompt medical care to the community when emergency is taking place in such short times as those recommended for cardiocirculatory arrest or a trauma. The major intent of this project is to implement some drawbacks of the current management of medical rescue on the territory improving overall response times to emergencies and providing the delivery of qualified pre-hospital patient care. This may include (but not be limited to) the institution of a database, on a voluntary basis, for trained personnel. Such database should include resuscitation specialists, physicians, but also anyone who has undergone recognized training. Upon receiving a medical emergency call, an off-duty operator can be selected from the database (in a cooperative, non-competitive manner with the dedicated emergency services), based on current position of his/her cellular phone and his/her training profile. Finally, the operator who is both closest to and best prepared for the emergency is contacted via cellular phone. If the operator is available he/she can precede or join the mobile unit on site, managing the emergency according to his/her profile, possibly in cooperation with the ambulance personnel and even up to hospital admission.

Cardiac protection by volatile anesthetics in non-cardiac surgery? A meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies on clinically relevant endpoints.

INTRODUCTION: Volatile anesthetics improve post-ischemic recovery. A meta-analysis suggested that the cardioprotective properties of desflurane and sevoflurane could reduce mortality and cardiac morbidity in cardiac surgery. Recent American College of Cardiology / American Heart Association Guidelines recommended volatile anesthetic agents during non-cardiac surgery for the maintenance of general anesthesia in patients at risk for myocardial infarction but whether these cardioprotective properties exist in non-cardiac surgery settings is controversial. We therefore performed a meta-analysis of randomized studies to investigate this issue. METHODS: Two investigators independently searched PubMed. Inclusion criteria were random allocation to treatment, comparison of a total intravenous anesthesia regimen vs an anesthesia plan including desflurane or sevoflurane, performed on adult patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery. The primary endpoints were the incidence of perioperative myocardial infarction and death. RESULTS: A total of 6219 patients from 79 randomized trials were identified. No myocardial infarctions or deaths were reported in any of the studies we examined. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis highlights a weakness in the literature and the results can be used to design future studies: the cardioprotective properties of desflurane and sevoflurane have never been studied in noncardiac surgery. No randomized study, among those which compared desflurane or sevoflurane to intravenous anesthetics, has addressed major outcomes such as myocardial infarction or mortality. Large, multicentre, randomized clinical trials including patients undergoing high-risk non-cardiac surgery and reporting clinically relevant outcomes such as myocardial infarction and mortality are needed.

Cardiac protection by volatile anesthetics. A review.

All volatile anesthetics have cardiac depressant effects that decrease myocardial oxygen demand and may thus improve the myocardial oxygen balance during ischemia. Recent experimental evidence has clearly demonstrated that, in addition to these indirect effects, volatile anesthetic agents also directly protect from ischemic myocardial damage. Implementation of these effects during clinical anesthesia can provide an additional tool for treatment or prevention of ischemic cardiac dysfunction during the perioperative period. A recent meta-analysis showed that desflurane and sevoflurane reduce postoperative mortality and the incidence of myocardial infarction following cardiac surgery, with significant advantages in terms of postoperative cardiac troponin release, need for inotropic support, and time on mechanical ventilation, as well as in time spent in the intensive care unit and overall hospital stay. Multicenter, randomized clinical trials previously demonstrated that desflurane could reduce the postoperative release of cardiac troponin I, the need for inotropic support, and the number of patients requiring prolonged hospitalization following coronary artery bypass graft surgery, either with or without cardiopulmonary bypass. However, evidence in non-coronary surgical settings is contradictory and will be reviewed in this paper, together with the mechanism of cardiac protection by volatile agents.

Volatile anesthetics for periprocedural cardiac protection. A review.

All volatile anesthetics have cardiac depressant effects that decrease myocardial oxygen demand and may, therefore, have a beneficial role on the myocardial oxygen balance during ischemia. Recently, experimental evidence has clearly demonstrated that in addition to these indirect protective effects, volatile anesthetic agents also have direct protective properties against ischemic myocardial damage. The implementation of these properties during clinical anesthesia can provide an additional tool in the treatment or prevention, or both, of ischemic cardiac dysfunction in the perioperative period. A recent meta-analysis showed that desflurane and sevoflurane reduce postoperative mortality and incidence of myocardial infarction following cardiac surgery with significant advantages in terms of postoperative cardiac troponin release, need for inotrope support, time on mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit and overall hospital stay. Multicenter, randomized clinical trials had previously demonstrated that the use of desflurane can reduce the postoperative release of cardiac troponin I, the need for inotropic support, and the number of patients requiring prolonged hospitalization, following coronary artery bypass graft surgery, either with and without cardiopulmonary bypass. Evidence in non-coronary surgical settings is contradictory and will be reviewed in this paper together with the mechanism of cardiac protection by volatile agents.

Acute renal failure after isolated CABG surgery: six years of experience.

BACKGROUND: A prospective observational study was carried out in a Cardiosurgical Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in order to evaluate the incidence of Acute Renal Failure (ARF) after coronary artery bypass graft surgery and identify its predictors. The effects of ARF on outcome were also investigated. METHODS: The study enrolled 3,013 consecutive patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Baseline variables including age, sex, preoperative renal failure, left-ventricular dysfunction, emergency surgery, neurological adverse events, patient history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes mellitus were collected. Intraoperative variables were: type of surgery (on- or off-pump), intra-aortic balloon pump placement, and cardiopulmonary bypass duration. The measured postoperative variables were: low cardiac output syndrome, hemorrhage, transfusion of blood products, and surgical revision. RESULTS: Preoperative renal dysfunction (creatinine >1.4 mg/dL), blood transfusion, low-output syndrome, emergency surgery, low ejection fraction and age were independently associated with ARF. The median (interquartile range) ICU stay was 5.5 (range 4-11.5) days in patients who did and 1 (range 1-2) day in those who did not develop ARF (P<0.001). The median (interquartile range) hospital length of stay was 10 (range 8-21) days in patients who did and 5 (range 4-7) days in those who did not develop ARF (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Preoperative renal dysfunction, blood transfusion, low-output syndrome, emergency surgery, low ejection fraction and age were independently associated with ARF. Length of ICU and hospital stay were reduced in patients not developing ARF.

A propensity score analysis on the effect of eliminating cardiopulmonary bypass for coronary artery bypass grafting.

AIM: The aim of the study was to investigate if the off-pump technique could reduce the hospital mortality after coronary artery bypass grafting when compared to the standard cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) technique. METHODS: An observational study with propensity score matching analysis was performed in a university teaching hospital in 2,899 consecutive patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass grafting. No intervention was performed. Major perioperative complications and hospital mortality were noted. RESULTS: The overall hospital mortality was 1.3% (39/2,899) with no difference between the off-pump (16/802, 2.0%) and the CPB group (23/2,097, 1.1%) P=0.09. Since the off-pump group included patients at high risk, a propensity score analysis was then performed and off-pump patients matched 1:1 to CPB patients in order to have the same preoperative variables identified by a multivariate analysis as associated to surgeon propensity to operate off-pump: (age, chronic renal failure and low ejection fraction) and the same number of graft performed. The results of the propensity matching still showed no difference in hospital mortality between off-pump and CPB group (1.6% vs 1.1% P=0.6). The off-pump technique showed advantages in terms of transfusion of blood products (P<0.001) and reduction of surgical re-exploration (P=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: No difference in hospital mortality in coronary artery bypass grafting patients could be observed between patients operated off-pump or with the standard CPB technique.

Cardiac protection by volatile anaesthetics: a multicentre randomized controlled study in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting with cardiopulmonary bypass.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of total intravenous anaesthesia vs. volatile anaesthesia on cardiac troponin release in coronary artery bypass grafting with cardiopulmonary bypass, we performed a multicentre randomized controlled study to compare postoperative cardiac troponin release in patients receiving two different anaesthesia plans. METHODS: We randomly assigned 75 patients to propofol (intravenous anaesthetic) and 75 patients to desflurane (volatile anaesthetic) in addition to an opiate-based anaesthesia for coronary artery bypass grafting. Peak postoperative troponin I release was measured as a marker of myocardial necrosis. RESULTS: There was a significant (P < 0.001) difference in the postoperative median (25th-75th percentiles) peak of troponin I in patients receiving propofol 5,5 (2,3-9,5) ng dL(-1) when compared to patients receiving desflurane 2,5 (1,1-5,3) ng dL(-1). The median (interquartile) troponin I area under the curve analysis confirmed the results: 68 (30.5-104.8) vs. 36.3 (17.9-86.6) h ng dL(-1) (P = 0.002). Patients receiving volatile anaesthetics had reduced need for postoperative inotropic support (24/75, 32.0% vs. 31/75, 41.3%, P = 0.04), and tends toward a reduction in number of Q-wave myocardial infarction, time on mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit and overall hospital stay. CONCLUSIONS: Myocardial damage measured by cardiac troponin release could be reduced by volatile anaesthetics in coronary artery bypass surgery.