A Trial of Two Anesthetic Regimes for Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Repair.

OBJECTIVE: Minimally invasive mitral valve repair may be associated with prolonged cardioplegic arrest times and ischemic reperfusion injury. Intravenous (propofol) and volatile (sevoflurane) anesthesia are used routinely during cardiac surgery and are thought to provide cardioprotection; however, the individual contribution of each regimen to cardioprotection is unknown. Therefore, the authors sought to compare the cardioprotective effects of propofol and sevoflurane anesthesia in patients undergoing minimally invasive mitral valve repair. DESIGN: A single-center single-blind randomized controlled trial. SETTING: A specialized regional cardiac surgery center in Italy. PARTICIPANTS: The study enrolled 62 adults undergoing elective isolated minimally invasive mitral valve repair for degenerative disease. Exclusion criteria included secondary mitral regurgitation, previously treated coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, chronic renal failure requiring dialysis, atrial fibrillation, and documented allergy to either propofol or sevoflurane. INTERVENTIONS: All patients received video-assisted minimally invasive right minithoracotomy. Patients were randomized to receive propofol or sevoflurane anesthesia in a 1:1 ratio. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Cardiac troponin I release was measured over the first 72 hours postoperatively. Operative, cross-clamp, and total bypass times were similar between groups. Cardiac troponin I release was reduced nonsignificantly in the propofol group (p = 0.62), and peak troponin I release was correlated with cross-clamp time in both groups. There were no differences in terms of intraoperative lactate release and blood pH between groups. CONCLUSION: Propofol and sevoflurane anesthesia were associated with similar degrees of myocardial injury, indicating comparable cardioprotection. Myocardial injury was related directly to the duration of cardioplegic arrest.

Exosomes in Critical Illness.

OBJECTIVE: Exosomes are small, cell-released vesicles (40-100 nm in size) with the potential to transfer proteins, lipids, small RNAs, messenger RNAs, or DNA between cells via interstitial fluids. Due to their role in tissue homeostasis, exosomes have emerged as a new type of therapeutic and diagnostic (theranostic) tool in the noninvasive assessment of organ response to injury or treatment and in the development of reliable organ-protective intensive therapy. Our review provides current insights into the role of exosomes in the personalized management of injury and repair responses in critical illness. DATA SOURCE: Data were obtained from a PubMed search of the most recent medical literature, including the PubMed "related articles" search methodology. STUDY SELECTION: Articles considered include original articles, review articles and conference proceedings. DATA EXTRACTION: A detailed review of scientific, peer-reviewed data was performed. Relevant pre-clinical and clinical studies were included and summarized. DATA SYNTHESIS: Current scientific evidence is focused on the following: 1) Frontiers in the management of critical illness; 2) Biogenesis, characterization, and function of circulating exosomes; 3) The role of exosomes in acute lung injury; 4) The role of exosomes in acute cardiac injury; 5) The role of exosomes in acute kidney injury; 6) The role of exosomes in sepsis; 7) Limitations of exosome isolation protocols; and 8) Perspectives in the theranostic use of exosomes. CONCLUSIONS: Circulating levels of exosomes are associated with the onset and clinical course of critical illness. Exosomes released from cells with different phenotypes exert different functions in order to protect tissue and preserve organ function. Therefore, multifunctional exosomes with combined diagnostic and therapeutic functions show great promise in terms of personalized nanomedicine for patient-specific diagnosis and treatment of critical illness.

Epidural catheterization in cardiac surgery: the 2012 risk assessment.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The risk assessment of epidural hematoma due to catheter placement in patients undergoing cardiac surgery is essential since its benefits have to be weighed against risks, such as the risk of paraplegia. We determined the risk of the catheter-related epidural hematoma in cardiac surgery based on the cases reported in the literature up to September 2012. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included all reported cases of epidural catheter placement for cardiac surgery in web and in literature from 1966 to September 2012. Risks of other medical and non-medical activities were retrieved from recent reviews or national statistical reports. RESULTS: Based on our analysis the risk of catheter-related epidural hematoma is 1 in 5493 with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 1/970-1/31114. The risk of catheter-related epidural hematoma in cardiac surgery is similar to the risk in the general surgery population at 1 in 6,628 (95% CI 1/1,170-1/37,552). CONCLUSIONS: The present risk calculation does not justify not offering epidural analgesia as part of a multimodal analgesia protocol in cardiac surgery.

Anesthesia for off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery.

The evolution of techniques and knowledge of beating heart surgery has led anesthesia toward the development of new procedures and innovations to promote patient safety and ensure high standards of care. Off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) surgery has shown to have some advantages compared to on-pump cardiac surgery, particularly the reduction of postoperative complications including systemic inflammation, myocardial injury, and cerebral injury. Minimally invasive surgery for single vessel OPCAB through a limited thoracotomy incision can offer the advantage of further reduction of complications. The anesthesiologist has to deal with different issues, including hemodynamic instability and myocardial ischemia during aorto-coronary bypass grafting. The anesthesiologist and surgeon should collaborate and plan the best perioperative strategy to provide optimal care and ensure a rapid and complete recovery. The use of high thoracic epidural analgesia and fast-track anesthesia offers particular benefits in beating heart surgery. The excellent analgesia, the ability to reduce myocardial oxygen consumption, and the good hemodynamic stability make high thoracic epidural analgesia an interesting technique. New scenarios are entering in cardiac anesthesia: ultra-fast-track anesthesia with extubation in the operating room and awake surgery tend to be less invasive, but can only be performed on selected patients.

Robotic anesthesia: not the realm of science fiction any more.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Robots are present in surgery, to a much lesser extent in the field of anesthesia. The purpose of this review is to show the latest and most important findings in robotic anesthesia. Moreover, this review argues the importance and utility of robots in anesthesia. RECENT FINDINGS: Over the years, many closed-loop systems have been developed; they were able to control only one or two of the three components of anesthesia: hypnosis, analgesia, or muscle relaxation. McSleepy controls all three components of anesthesia, from induction to emergence of anesthesia. Telemedical applications have not only led to remote monitoring but even to remotely controlled anesthesia, such as transcontinental anesthesia. A new closed-loop system for sedation, called Sedasys, could revolutionize the field of nonoperating room sedation. 'Manual robots' are used to help and replace anesthesiologists performing anesthesia procedures. Specific robots for intubation and nerve blocks have been developed and tested in humans. SUMMARY: Robots can improve performance in anesthesia and healthcare. Closed-loop systems are the basis for pharmacological robots. Safe anesthetic care might be delivered through teleanesthesia whenever qualified personnel are not available or need support. Mechanical robots are being developed for anesthesia care.