Midazolam and dexmedetomidine sedation impair systolic heart function.

BACKGROUND: Sedation is an essential part of clinical practice. Despite this fact, we still lack data describing the exact impact of sedation on heart function. PURPOSE: To compare the changes in heart function, induced after sedation with either midazolam or dexmedetomidine, using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS: A total number of 30 volunteers were randomized into two groups: 15 participants in the midazolam group (MID) and 15 participants in the dexmedetomidine group (DEX). Every participant underwent a one-session cardiac MRI before and after sedation onset. The following parameters were recorded: left and right ventricle stroke volume (Ao-vol and Pul-vol resp.) and maximum flow velocity through the mitral valve during early (E-diast) and late diastole (L-diast). A monitor recorded values of mean blood pressure (MAP), pulse (P) and blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) in 5-minute intervals. RESULTS: Dexmedetomidine led to a statistically significant decrease in Ao-vol (p = 0.006) and Pul-vol (p = 0.003), while midazolam decreased E-diast (p = 0.019) Ao-vol (p = 0.001) and Pul-vol (p = 0.01). The late diastolic filling was not influenced by the sedation technique. CONCLUSION: Both sedation regimens worsened the systolic function of both ventricles. Midazolam moreover attenuated early diastolic filling of the left ventricle (Tab. 3, Fig. 4, Ref. 19).

The first confirmed detection of Staphylococcus argenteus in the Czech Republic.

Staphylococcus argenteus (S. argenteus) is a novel species of coagulase-positive staphylococci described in 2015. This species is phenotypically highly similar and genetically closely related to Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Until recently, differentiation was only possible by molecular genetic methods, multilocus sequence typing and whole-genome sequencing, which are not generally used in routine laboratories due to time-consumingness and expensiveness. A major improvement in the identification of S. argenteus is the application of MALDI-TOF MS, if the available updated mass spectrum reference database is used. In the short report, we would like to present the first confirmed S. argenteus strain isolated from a patient in the Czech Republic and probably the first published S. argenteus strain in Central and Eastern Europe.