Systemic Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatories for Analgesia in Postoperative Critical Care Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Control Trials.

While opioids are part of usual care for analgesia in the ICU, there are concerns regarding excess use. This is a systematic review of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) use in postoperative critical care adult patients. DATA SOURCES: We searched Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, Excerpta Medica database, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Cochrane Library, trial registries, Google Scholar, and relevant systematic reviews through March 2023. STUDY SELECTION: Titles, abstracts, and full texts were reviewed independently and induplicate by two investigators to identify eligible studies. We included randomized control trials (RCTs) that compared NSAIDs alone or as an adjunct to opioids for systemic analgesia. The primary outcome was opioid utilization. DATA EXTRACTION: In duplicate, investigators independently extracted study characteristics, patient demographics, intervention details, and outcomes of interest using predefined abstraction forms. Statistical analyses were conducted using Review Manager software Version 5.4. (The Cochrane Collaboration, Copenhagen, Denmark). DATA SYNTHESIS: We included 15 RCTs (n = 1,621 patients) for admission to the ICU for postoperative management after elective procedures. Adjunctive NSAID therapy to opioids reduced 24-hour oral morphine equivalent consumption by 21.4 mg (95% CI, 11.8-31.0 mg reduction; high certainty) and probably reduced pain scores (measured by Visual Analog Scale) by 6.1 mm (95% CI, 12.2 decrease to 0.1 increase; moderate certainty). Adjunctive NSAID therapy probably had no impact on the duration of mechanical ventilation (1.6 hr reduction; 95% CI, 0.4 hr to 2.7 reduction; moderate certainty) and may have no impact on ICU length of stay (2.1 hr reduction; 95% CI, 6.1 hr reduction to 2.0 hr increase; low certainty). Variability in reporting adverse outcomes (e.g., gastrointestinal bleeding, acute kidney injury) precluded their meta-analysis. CONCLUSIONS: In postoperative critical care adult patients, systemic NSAIDs reduced opioid use and probably reduced pain scores. However, the evidence is uncertain for the duration of mechanical ventilation or ICU length of stay. Further research is required to characterize the prevalence of NSAID-related adverse outcomes.

What do psychiatric nurse practitioners need to know about trauma?

PURPOSE: The purpose of this article is to describe Trauma and Resilience Competencies for Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners and to propose a trauma and resilience informed framework for nursing practice. CONCLUSIONS: Trauma and Resilience Competencies for Nursing Education have been developed and validated, yet to date, these have not been widely disseminated. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: It is essential that all nurses have competency in trauma and resilience to provide care for their patients as well as for their own well-being. The Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner who practices from a trauma-informed framework ensures the delivery of safe, quality care for all patients.

The Development of Trauma and Resilience Competencies for Nursing Education.

BACKGROUND: Trauma and its consequences have been identified as a high-priority public health risk. A growing body of research reveals the devastating long-term consequences from common and widespread adverse events across the life span. In addition, recent research links medical procedures and medical illnesses with posttraumatic stress disorder. Nurses too are at risk and suffer vicarious trauma. Nurses must be able to recognize and assess for early trauma symptoms and assist in enhancing resilience in order to prevent and care for those with trauma. However, there is a lack of trauma-informed and trauma-specific training in nursing education. Given the ubiquity of traumatic events, the pervasive physical and emotional sequelae of trauma, and the existence of evidence-based treatment for trauma; there is a critical need to develop core competencies for nursing education and practice. AIM: The purpose of this study was to develop and validate Trauma and Resilience Competencies for Nursing Education. METHOD: An expert panel of 16 nurses met in 2018 to develop Trauma and Resilience Competencies for undergraduate and graduate nursing programs, and for psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner education. Following the Expert Panel's work and approval from the institutional review board, a modified e-Delphi survey was sent to experts in trauma and resilience to validate this work. RESULTS: The competencies were validated and edited to 88 competencies through two rounds of a Delphi survey. CONCLUSIONS: Implications for education, practice, and research are discussed. The Trauma and Resilience Competencies for Nursing Education will be disseminated widely through publications and are available online.

Adjuvant Analgesic Use in the Critically Ill: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

This systematic review and meta-analysis addresses the efficacy and safety of nonopioid adjunctive analgesics for patients in the ICU. DATA SOURCES: We searched PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, CINAHL Plus, and Web of Science. STUDY SELECTION: Two independent reviewers screened citations. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials comparing efficacy and safety of an adjuvant-plus-opioid regimen to opioids alone in adult ICU patients. DATA EXTRACTION: We conducted duplicate screening of citations and data abstraction. DATA SYNTHESIS: Of 10,949 initial citations, we identified 34 eligible trials. These trials examined acetaminophen, carbamazepine, clonidine, dexmedetomidine, gabapentin, ketamine, magnesium sulfate, nefopam, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (including diclofenac, indomethacin, and ketoprofen), pregabalin, and tramadol as adjunctive analgesics. Use of any adjuvant in addition to an opioid as compared to an opioid alone led to reductions in patient-reported pain scores at 24 hours (standard mean difference, -0.88; 95% CI, -1.29 to -0.47; low certainty) and decreased opioid consumption (in oral morphine equivalents over 24 hr; mean difference, 25.89 mg less; 95% CI, 19.97-31.81 mg less; low certainty). In terms of individual medications, reductions in opioid use were demonstrated with acetaminophen (mean difference, 36.17 mg less; 95% CI, 7.86-64.47 mg less; low certainty), carbamazepine (mean difference, 54.69 mg less; 95% CI, 40.39-to 68.99 mg less; moderate certainty), dexmedetomidine (mean difference, 10.21 mg less; 95% CI, 1.06-19.37 mg less; low certainty), ketamine (mean difference, 36.81 mg less; 95% CI, 27.32-46.30 mg less; low certainty), nefopam (mean difference, 70.89 mg less; 95% CI, 64.46-77.32 mg less; low certainty), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (mean difference, 11.07 mg less; 95% CI, 2.7-19.44 mg less; low certainty), and tramadol (mean difference, 22.14 mg less; 95% CI, 6.67-37.61 mg less; moderate certainty). CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should consider using adjunct agents to limit opioid exposure and improve pain scores in critically ill patients.

A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Examining the Impact of Incident Postoperative Delirium on Mortality.

BACKGROUND: Delirium is an acute and reversible geriatric syndrome that represents a decompensation of cerebral function. Delirium is associated with adverse postoperative outcomes, but controversy exists regarding whether delirium is an independent predictor of mortality. Thus, we assessed the association between incident postoperative delirium and mortality in adult noncardiac surgery patients. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted using Cochrane, MEDLINE/PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Embase. Screening and data extraction were conducted by two independent reviewers. Pooled-effect estimates calculated with a random-effects model were expressed as odds ratios with 95% CIs. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool for Non-Randomized Studies. RESULTS: A total of 34 of 4,968 screened citations met inclusion criteria. Risk of bias ranged from moderate to critical. Pooled analysis of unadjusted event rates (5,545 patients) suggested that delirium was associated with a four-fold increase in the odds of death (odds ratio = 4.12 [95% CI, 3.29 to 5.17]; I = 24.9%). A formal pooled analysis of adjusted outcomes was not possible due to heterogeneity of effect measures reported. However, in studies that controlled for prespecified confounders, none found a statistically significant association between incident postoperative delirium and mortality (two studies in hip fractures; n = 729) after an average follow-up of 21 months. Overall, as study risk of bias decreased, the association between delirium and mortality decreased. CONCLUSIONS: Few high-quality studies are available to estimate the impact of incident postoperative delirium on mortality. Studies that controlled for prespecified confounders did not demonstrate significant independent associations of delirium with mortality.

Access to controlled medicines for anesthesia and surgical care in low-income countries: a narrative review of international drug control systems and policies.

PURPOSE: This article describes the functioning of the international drug control system, its integration into national legislation and policy, and the collective impact on access to medicines. SOURCE: We conducted a review of the three international drug control conventions, peer-reviewed articles, and grey literature known to the authors that describes national and international drug control systems and their impact on access to controlled medicines. This review was supplemented with literature derived from a structured search of MEDLINE® for articles relating to medical uses of ketamine in low- and middle-income countries conducted to strengthen an advocacy campaign. We illustrate the impact of the drug control system on access to medicines through an analysis of current levels of availability of opioids in many countries as well as through a description of the ongoing advocacy work to ensure the availability of ketamine for medical care in low-income countries. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The complexity of the international drug control system, along with health providers' lack of knowledge regarding key provisions, presents a barrier to improving access to safe anesthesia care in low- and middle-income countries. Fifteen of the 46 essential medicines of potential relevance to perioperative care are listed under one or more of the schedules of the three international drug control conventions and, subsequently, are required to be under national controls, potentially decreasing their availability for medical use. CONCLUSION: Improving the capacity and quality of anesthesia care in low- and middle-income countries requires attention to improving access to controlled medicines. Anesthesiologists and others involved in global health work should collaborate with policymakers and others to improve national and international drug control legislation to ensure that attempts to thwart illicit drug trafficking and use do not compromise availability of controlled medicines.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE CURRENT TREATMENT GUIDELINES FOR COMPLEX PTSD IN ADULTS.

According to current treatment guidelines for Complex PTSD (cPTSD), psychotherapy for adults with cPTSD should start with a "stabilization phase." This phase, focusing on teaching self-regulation strategies, was designed to ensure that an individual would be better able to tolerate trauma-focused treatment. The purpose of this paper is to critically evaluate the research underlying these treatment guidelines for cPTSD, and to specifically address the question as to whether a phase-based approach is needed. As reviewed in this paper, the research supporting the need for phase-based treatment for individuals with cPTSD is methodologically limited. Further, there is no rigorous research to support the views that: (1) a phase-based approach is necessary for positive treatment outcomes for adults with cPTSD, (2) front-line trauma-focused treatments have unacceptable risks or that adults with cPTSD do not respond to them, and (3) adults with cPTSD profit significantly more from trauma-focused treatments when preceded by a stabilization phase. The current treatment guidelines for cPTSD may therefore be too conservative, risking that patients are denied or delayed in receiving conventional evidence-based treatments from which they might profit.

Use of probiotics to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia: A survey of pharmacists' attitudes.

PURPOSE: The primary objective of this survey was to describe pharmacists' attitudes regarding probiotic use in the intensive care unit (ICU); secondary objectives were to evaluate pharmacists' knowledge and use of probiotics for critically ill patients. METHODS: The survey instrument was rigorously designed and pretested, then distributed in both English and French to Canadian ICU pharmacists. The online survey was open for 5 weeks, and 3 follow-up emails were sent to maximize response rates. RESULTS: Of 303 eligible surveys, 191 were returned (63.0%). Probiotics were available in the hospitals of 69.8% (113/162) of respondents, and 62.0% (101/163) indicated that they had used probiotics for at least 1 ICU patient in the previous year. Most pharmacists (137/171, 80.1%) said that they would "never" consider recommending probiotics for prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia in ICU patients, and this response was more common (P = .0074) among pharmacists who were "unsure" about the safety of probiotics in this population when compared to those who felt that they knew how safe probiotics are. CONCLUSIONS: Most Canadian ICU pharmacists have used probiotics at least once in the ICU in the last year. However, based on uncertain efficacy and safety, most ICU pharmacists would not currently recommend probiotics for the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia.

Anaemia prevalence may be reduced among countries that fortify flour.

The effectiveness of flour fortification in reducing anaemia prevalence is equivocal. The goal was to utilise the existing national-level data to assess whether anaemia in non-pregnant women was reduced after countries began fortifying wheat flour, alone or in combination with maize flour, with at least Fe, folic acid, vitamin A or vitamin B12. Nationally representative anaemia data were identified through Demographic and Health Survey reports, the WHO Vitamin and Mineral Nutrition Information System database and other national-level nutrition surveys. Countries with at least two anaemia surveys were considered for inclusion. Within countries, surveys were excluded if altitude was not consistently adjusted for, or if the blood-draw site (e.g. capillary or venous) or Hb quantification method (e.g. HemoCue or Cyanmethaemoglobin) differed. Anaemia prevalence was modelled for countries that had pre- and post-fortification data (n 12) and for countries that never fortified flour (n 20) using logistic regression models that controlled for time effects, human development index (HDI) and endemic malaria. After adjusting for HDI and malaria, each year of fortification was associated with a 2.4% reduction in the odds of anaemia prevalence (PR 0.976, 95% CI 0.975, 0.978). Among countries that never fortified, no reduction in the odds of anaemia prevalence over time was observed (PR 0.999, 95% CI 0.997, 1.002). Among both fortification and non-fortification countries, HDI and malaria were significantly associated with anaemia (P,0.001). Although this type of evidence precludes a definitive conclusion, results suggest that after controlling for time effects, HDI and endemic malaria, anaemia prevalence has decreased significantly in countries that fortify flour with micronutrients, while remaining unchanged in countries that do not.

Inadequate treatment and research for PTSD at the VA.

Comments on the article by B. E. Karlin and G. Cross (see record 2013-31043-001). The article by Karlin and Cross clearly laid out how to disseminate and implement evidence-based psychotherapy in the Veterans Health Administration. The only problem is that the list of evidence-based psychotherapies notably missed one of the most highly regarded and effective evidence-based psychotherapies for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR).

Personality traits as predictors of adherence in adolescents with type I diabetes.

TOPIC: Diabetes is a serious, chronic illness with long-term implications for health and lifestyle. Significant differences in health outcome may be achieved as a result of the degree of adherence to recommended diabetes management regimens. Adherence is a particularly challenging issue with adolescents with diabetes. PURPOSE: The present study examined the association between primary personality traits and adolescent adherence to prescribed diabetes management regimens. SOURCES: A measure of the five-factor model of personality was administered to a sample of adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Five self-reported indicators of adherence were assessed: blood glucose monitoring, insulin administration, diet, exercise, and most recent glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level. CONCLUSIONS: Results revealed a pattern of significant correlations between the Conscientiousness and Neuroticism personality domains and one or more self-reported adherence behaviors. In addition, correlations were also found between one facet of Extraversion and one facet of Agreeableness. These suggestive results, if replicated in larger studies, provide useful information to clinicians as they design and monitor individualized diabetes management regimens for adolescents.

A relationship-based model for psychiatric nursing practice.

PURPOSE: This article synthesizes research and theory in information processing, infant development, attachment theory, and trauma, and proposes a treatment framework for psychiatric nursing practice. CONCLUSIONS: The primacy of the nurse--patient relationship is central to healing, and elements of the psychotherapeutic relationship are delineated. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: This model has the potential to serve as a practice framework for psychiatric nursing, for all levels of psychiatric nursing practice.

Involvement of ApoE E4 and H63D in sporadic Alzheimer's disease in a folate-supplemented Ontario population.

Dysregulation of iron homeostasis is implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this pilot study, common variants of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) and HFE genes resulting in the iron overload disorder of hereditary hemochromatosis (C282Y, H63D and S65C) were evaluated as factors in sporadic AD in an Ontario sample in which folic acid fortification has been mandatory since 1998. Laboratory studies also were done to search for genetic effects on blood markers of iron status, red cell folates and serum B12. Participants included 58 healthy volunteers (25 males, 33 females) and 54 patients with probable AD (20 males, 34 females). Statistical analyses were interpreted at the 95% confidence level. Contingency table and odds ratio analyses supported the hypothesis that in females of the given age range, E4 significantly predisposed to AD in the presence but not absence of H63D. In males, E4 significantly predisposed to AD in the absence of H63D, and H63D in the absence of E4 appeared protective against AD. Among E4+ AD patients, H63D was associated with significant lowering of red cell folate concentration, possibly as the result of excessive oxidative stress. However, folate levels in the lowest population quartile did not affect the risk of AD. A model is presented to explain the experimental findings.

Challenges and realities of teaching psychotherapy: a survey of psychiatric-mental health nursing graduate programs.

PURPOSE: This study was conducted in order to determine what and how psychotherapy content is taught in graduate psychiatric nursing programs in the United States. DESIGN AND METHODS: This survey was conducted of 120 psychiatric-mental health nursing graduate programs in the United States in order to determine what and how psychotherapy content is taught in these programs. FINDINGS: The results of this survey revealed a diversity of programs with a plurality of psychotherapy approaches and models taught. Implications for education, research, and practice are delineated. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Results provide evidence that further clarity, consensus, and curriculum guidelines are needed for teaching psychotherapy in psychiatric graduate nursing programs.

Psychotherapeutic strategies for healing trauma.

PURPOSE: The Adaptive Information Processing Model (AIP), originally developed by Shapiro (2001), provides a model for understanding how trauma affects the brain and how healing occurs. CONCLUSIONS: The effects of trauma are thought to be much broader than the diagnosis of PTSD and overlap with many other diagnostic categories. Recent physiological research supports the complexity of neurobiological responses to childhood stress and trauma. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The Treatment Hierarchy, AIP model, and evidence-based treatment framework presented here provide the context and a compass for holistic PMH-APRN practice for working with traumatized patients.

An adult with childhood medical trauma treated with psychoanalytic psychotherapy and EMDR: a case study.

PROBLEM: Adverse childhood experiences have been found to be a strong predictor of emotional and physical problems in adulthood. However, the long-term sequelae for children who have suffered critical illness and exposure to invasive medical procedures are less well documented. METHODS: This is a case study of an adult client who sought treatment for depression and attention deficit disorder. The psychotherapy treatment is discussed and the use of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is described targeting a memory of a medical trauma resulting from a tonsillectomy when the client was 8 years old. CONCLUSIONS: Significant healing outcomes were attained as a result of the therapy, i.e., decreased depression, less hypervigilance, and increased ability to concentrate, which resulted in the discontinuation of medication for depression and ADHD as well as significant improvement in overall functioning.