Preoperative diagnosis of frailty.

The aging world population obliges physicians to establish measures to optimize and estimate the outcomes of increasingly frail patients. Thus, in the last few years there has been an increase in the application of frailty indices. Multiple scales have emerged that can be applied in the perioperative setting. Each one has demonstrated some utility, either by way of establishing postoperative prognosis or as a method for the clinical optimization of patient care. Anaesthesiologists are offered a wide choice of scales, the characteristics and appropriate management of which they are often unaware. This narrative review aims to clarify the concept of frailty, describe its importance in the perioperative setting and evaluate the different scales that are most applicable to the perioperative setting. It will also establish paths for the future optimization of patient care.

Pain Prevalence and Satisfaction with Pain Management in Inpatients: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Pain in hospitalized adults is underestimated and undervalued. The aim of this study was to evaluate pain prevalence and satisfaction with the hospital's pain management among patients attending a tertiary university hospital. Predictor factors of pain were also studied. METHODS: A prospective, cross-sectional study was carried out through a structured questionnaire given on one day to all hospitalized patients in a university hospital. Clinical data, such as personal history and analgesic treatment, were collected from medical records. Other variables related to pain (including intensity rated by the visual analogue scale as well as location and patient satisfaction measured by the numerical rating scale) were also obtained. RESULTS: Of the 274 surveyed patients, pain prevalence was 52.9%, with an average intensity of 5.3 ± 2.8 according to VAS. The overall satisfaction was 87.2%, and 72.6% had already been prescribed at least one analgesic. Patients receiving analgesics showed higher pain intensity (VAS 3.6 ± 3.4) than those without treatment (VAS 1.1 ± 2.1) (p < 0.001). However, patients with treatment showed more satisfaction (NRS 7.8 ± 2 vs. 5.3 ± 1.4, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of pain in hospitalized patients was high, despite the fact that patient satisfaction was also very high.

Pain in High-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy for Cervical Cancer: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

High-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR) is part of the main treatment for locally advanced uterine cervical cancer. Our aim was to evaluate the incidence and intensity of pain and patients' satisfaction during HDR. Risk factors for suffering pain were also analyzed. A retrospective study was carried out by extracting data from patients who had received HDR treatment for five years. Postoperative analgesia had been administered using pre-established analgesic protocols for 48 h. Pain assessment was collected according to a protocol by the acute pain unit. Analgesic assessment was compared according to analgesic protocol administered, number of needles implanted, and type of anesthesia performed during the procedure. From 172 patients treated, data from 247 treatments were analyzed. Pain was considered moderate in 18.2% of the patients, and 43.3% of the patients required at least one analgesic rescue. Patients receiving major opioids reported worse pain control. No differences were found regarding the analgesic management according to the intraprocedural anesthesia used or the patients' characteristics. The number of inserted needles did not influence the postoperative analgesic assessment. Continuous intravenous infusion of tramadol and metamizole made peri-procedural pain during HDR mild in most cases. Many patients still suffered from moderate pain.

Identification of the haemoglobin level associated with a lower risk of complications after total hip and knee arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative anaemia is associated with poor outcomes in surgical patients, but the preoperative haemoglobin cut-off that determines lower morbidity in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA) is not well established. METHODS: Planned secondary analysis of data collected during a multicentre cohort study of patients undergoing THA and TKA in 131 Spanish hospitals during a single 2-month recruitment period. Anaemia was defined as haemoglobin <12 g dl-1 for females and < 13 g dl-1 for males. The primary outcome was the number of patients with 30-day in-hospital postoperative complications according to European Perioperative Clinical Outcome definitions and specific surgical TKA and THA complications. Secondary outcomes included the number of patients with 30-day moderate-to-severe complications, red blood cell transfusion, mortality, and length of hospital stay. Binary logistic regression models were constructed to assess association between preoperative Hb concentrations and postoperative complications, and variables significantly associated with the outcome were included in the multivariate model. The study sample was divided into 11 groups based on preoperative Hb values in an effort to identify the threshold at which increased postoperative complications occurred. RESULTS: A total of 6099 patients were included in the analysis (3818 THA and 2281 TKA), of whom 8.8% were anaemic. Patients with preoperative anaemia were more likely to suffer overall complications (111/539, 20.6% vs. 563/5560, 10.1%, p < .001) and moderate-to-severe complications (67/539, 12.4% vs. 284/5560, 5.1%, p < .001). Multivariable analysis showed preoperative haemoglobin ≥14 g dl-1 was associated with fewer postoperative complications. CONCLUSION: Preoperative haemoglobin ≥14 g dl-1 is associated with a lower risk of postoperative complications in patients undergoing primary TKA and THA.

Perioperative Management of Antisynthetase Syndrome: A Case Report.

Antisynthetase syndrome is a rare idiopathic inflammatory multisystem disorder, which can lead to serious postoperative complications. Due to its low incidence, there is little literature on its anesthetic management. However, patients with this disease can suffer from serious complications secondary to muscle weakness and respiratory complications. Although the intraoperative and the immediate postoperative periods may be uneventful, complications may appear later. The characteristics of the disease can lead to a misdiagnosis in the case of respiratory acute failure. The objective of this clinical report is to discuss the perioperative management of patients suffering from antisynthetase syndrome, assess the usefulness of postoperative monitoring, and evaluate alternatives that could have been carried out to prevent the fatal outcome reported in this narrative.

Transitional Justice after the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a real challenge for health systems and public policies. Both the pandemic and the measures taken to mitigate it have affected the freedoms and rights of the different sectors of society, especially the most vulnerable ones, and have increased the already existing structural inequalities. Consequently, the pandemic must be analyzed from the perspective of human rights. Transitional Justice (TJ) has proven to be useful after conflict situations, helping societies to confront abuses perpetrated and to find solutions for the future, as well as repairing damages that have arisen as a consequence of these conflicts in different areas. Thus, TJ processes have been successfully used after armed conflicts and during peace negotiations, to respond to abuses perpetrated in consolidated democracies, and even after environmental crises. Therefore, the creation of a "Truth and Reconciliation Commission for the COVID-19 pandemic", which launches the TJ processes of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-repetition can help to find solutions to conflicts arising from the pandemic in a simple way. In addition, it would establish the foundations to prevent the violation of human rights in similar situations to come.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in the Prone Position in the Operating Room or in the Intensive Care Unit: A Systematic Review.

The prone position is commonly used in certain surgical procedures and to improve oxygenation in mechanically ventilated patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Cardiorespiratory arrest (CRA) in this position may be more challenging to treat because care providers trained in conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) may not be familiar with CPR in the prone position. The aim of this systematic review is to provide an overview of current evidence regarding the methodology, efficacy, and experience of CPR in the prone position, in patients with the airway already secured. The search strategy included PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. All studies published up to April 2020 including CRA or CPR in the prone position were included. Of the 268 articles located, 52 articles were included: 5 review articles, 8 clinical guidelines in which prone CPR was mentioned, 4 originals, 27 case reports, and 8 editorials or correspondences. Data from reviewed clinical studies confirm that CPR in the prone position is a reasonable alternative to supine CPR when the latter cannot be immediately implemented, and the airway is already secured. Defibrillation in the prone position is also possible. Familiarizing clinicians with CPR and defibrillation in the prone position may improve CPR performance in the prone position.

Impacto de la Prostatectomía en Síntomas Depresivos en pacientes con Hipertrofia Prostática Benigna / Impact of prostatectomy on depressive symptoms in patients with symptomatic Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy

Introducción: La hiperplasia prostática benigna (HPB) es una enfermedad caracterizada por síntomas del tracto urinario inferior (1). Estos síntomas suelen causar un impacto negativo en la calidad de vida del paciente llevándolo a padecer trastornos depresivos (7). Se han encontrado síntomas depresivos hasta en el 22.5% de los pacientes con HPB sin embargo, hay poca evidencia de que estos síntomas disminuyan luego de tratar la HPB (5). Una herramienta útil para medir los síntomas depresivos es la Escala de Medición de Depresión de Hamilton (3). Objetivos: Este estudio pretende evaluar la presencia de síntomas depresivos en pacientes con HPB y comprobar si estos síntomas disminuyen posteriormente al tratamiento quirúrgico para HPB. Métodos. Se utilizó un muestra de 30 pacientes, edad (promedio 67 ± 8 años), sometidos a tratamiento quirúrgico para HPB y quienes presentaran por lo menos un síntoma depresivo según la escala de medición de depresión de Hamilton. Resultados. Todos tuvieron resección transuretral de próstata (RTUP). Previo a la cirugía se encontraron síntomas depresivos en el 76%. Un mes posterior a la cirugía se encontraron síntomas depresivos en 28, sin embargo, se encontró depresión leve en el 23.3% (vs pre op 30%), depresión moderada en el 16.6% (vs pre op 30%) y depresión severa en el 13.3% (vs pre-op 16.6%). La Escala de Medición de Depresión de Hamilton tuvo una puntuación media preoperatoria de 13.93 puntos. Un mes posterior a la cirugía la puntuación media fue de 9.36 puntos. La diferencia fue de 4.56 puntos, lo cual es estadísticamente significativo (P=0.05). Hubo complicaciones quirúrgicas en 3 pacientes quienes tuvieron un aumento en el puntaje postoperatorio y hubo aumento del nivel de depresión. En el estudio 15 refirieron disfunción eréctil previo a la cirugía y únicamente 8 persistieron con disfunción luego de la cirugía. Conclusiones. Los pacientes con HBP constituyen una población en riesgo de padecer síntomas depresivos. Los síntomas depresivos están relacionados con padecer STUI y disfunción eréctil; ambas condiciones afectan la calidad de vida. El tratamiento quirúrgico para tratar la HPB es efectivo en disminuir los síntomas depresivos mejorando la calidad de vida causando mínimos efectos negativos.

Introduction: Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) is a condition that leads to inferior urinary tract symptoms (1). These symptoms often cause a negative impact on the quality of life leading to depressive symptoms (7). Depressive symptoms are present in up to 22.5% of patients with BPH, however, there is limited evidence that these symptoms decrease with HPB treatment (5). A useful tool to measure depressive symptoms is the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) (3). Objective: Main purpose of the study is to assess the prevalence of depressive symptoms in patients with BPH and determine whether these symptoms decreased after a corrective surgery. Methods: A sample of 30 male patients, average age 67 ± 8 years old, with surgical treatment indication for BPH, with at least one depressive symptom according to the HDRS was obtained. Results: All patients in the study underwent transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). Prior to surgery, depressive symptoms found in 76.6%. A month post-surgery depressive symptoms found in 28, however mild depression was present in 23.3% (vs pre-op 30%) moderate depression in 16.6% (vs pre-op 30.0%) and severe depression in 13.3% (vs pre-op 16.6%). Measurement with HDRS had a mean preoperative score 13.93 points; a post-surgery month the average score was 9.36. The difference was 4.56 points; which is statistically significant (P = 0.05). Three patients had surgical complications and they had an increase in postoperative score and also increased in the level of depression. In the study 15 patients reported erectile dysfunction prior to surgery; out of these patients only 8 persisted with dysfunction after surgery. Conclusions: BPH patients is a population at risk for developing depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms are related to developing lower urinary tract symptoms and erectile dysfunction; both conditions affecting the quality of life. Surgery to treat BPH is effective in reducing depressive symptoms by improving the quality of life and with minimal adverse effects.

Dispositivos de insuflación-exsuflación en el fracaso respiratorio postoperatorio: informe de caso / Insufflation-exsufflation devices in post-operative respiratory failure: Case report

Introduction: Patients suffering from a neuromuscular disease have a greater likelihood of postoperative respiratory failure. Sometimes, this complication does not respond to noninvasive mechanical ventilation. Case report: Perioperative management of a patient with Werdnig-Hoffmann disease who underwent bilateral coronoidectomy due to trismus. The postoperative period was hampered by the patient's poor respiratory mechanics, inducing the appearance of atelectasis. Despite the application of preventive non-invasive mechanical ventilation, the patient suffered respiratory failure and required endotracheal intubation. Finally, the respiratory weaning was achieved after the application of insufflation-exsufflation devices associated with non-invasive mechanical ventilation. Conclusion: The application of insufflations-exsufflation devices in the immediate postoperative period of patients with neuromuscular diseases promotes the proper respiratory evolution of a patient considered impossible to extubate.

Introducción: El padecimiento de una enfermedad neuromusculares un factor predictor independiente de insuficiencia respiratoria postoperatoria. Esta complicación en ocasiones no responde al tratamiento con ventilación mecánica no invasiva. Presentación del caso: Manejo perioperatorio de un paciente con enfermedad de Werdnig-Hoffmann que fue intervenido de coronoidectomía bilateral por trismus. Su evolución postoperatoria se vio dificultada por la mala mecánica respiratoria del paciente que favoreció la aparición de atelectasias. A pesar de la aplicación de ventilación mecánica no invasiva de forma preventiva, el paciente terminó sufriendo insuficiencia respiratoria y requiriendo intubación orotraqueal. Finalmente se logra el destete respiratorio tras la aplicación de dispositivos de insuflación-exsuflación asociados a la ventilación mecánica no invasiva. Conclusión: La aplicación de los dispositivos de insuflación-exsuflación en el postoperatorio inmediato de pacientes con enfermedades neuromusculares favorece la adecuada evolución respiratoria de un paciente considerado inicialmente como imposible de extubar.