High-dose preoperative glucocorticoid for prevention of emergence and postoperative delirium in liver resection: A double-blinded randomized clinical trial substudy.

BACKGROUND: Emergence delirium (ED) and postoperative delirium (POD) are associated with increased morbidity and mortality and occur in up to one-third of patients undergoing major non-cardiac surgery, where the underlying pathogenesis is multifactorial, including increased inflammation. We aimed to assess the effect of pre-operative high- versus low-dose glucocorticoid on the occurrence of ED and POD. METHODS: This was a substudy from a randomized, double-blinded clinical trial. Patients ≥18 years, undergoing open liver resection were randomized 1:1 to high-dose (HD, 10 mg/kg methylprednisolone) or low-dose (LD, 8 mg dexamethasone) glucocorticoid and assessed for ED and POD for a maximum of 4 days during hospitalization. The 3-min Diagnostic Interview for CAM-defined delirium (3D-CAM) was used for assessment, 15 and 90 min after arrival in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), and subsequently once daily in the ward. RESULTS: Fifty-three patients were included in this secondary substudy (26 HD-group and 27 LD-group). ED occurred in n = 5 HD versus n = 6 LD patients 15 min after PACU arrival. At 90 min after PACU arrival, 4 patients had ED, all from LD-group, and resulted in significantly longer PACU admission, 273 versus 178 min in ED versus Non-ED patients. During the first 4 days in the ward, n = 5 patients had at least one occurrence of POD, all from LD-group. CONCLUSIONS: The primary finding of the current substudy was a lower occurrence of ED/POD in the PACU 90 min after arrival and during the first four postoperative days in patients receiving high-dose glucocorticoid compared with patients receiving low-dose glucocorticoid. The two study groups were not evenly balanced concerning known explanatory factors, i.e., age and size of surgery, which calls for larger studies to elucidate the matter.

Dexamethasone Dose and Early Postoperative Recovery after Mastectomy: A Double-blind, Randomized Trial.

BACKGROUND: Pain and nausea are the most common challenges in postoperative recovery after mastectomy. Preventive measures include multimodal analgesia with preoperative glucocorticoid. The aim of this study was to investigate whether 24 mg of preoperative dexamethasone was superior to 8 mg on early recovery after mastectomy in addition to a simple analgesic protocol. METHODS: In a randomized, double-blind trial, patients 18 yr of age or older having mastectomy were randomized 1:1 to 24 mg or 8 mg dexamethasone, and all received a standardized anesthetic and surgical protocol with preoperative acetaminophen, total intravenous anesthesia, and local anesthetic wound infiltration. The primary endpoint was number of patients transferred to the postanesthesia care unit according to standardized discharge criteria (modified Aldrete score). Secondary endpoints included pain and nausea at extubation, transfer from the operating room and upon arrival at the ward, length of stay, seroma occurrence, and wound infections. RESULTS: One hundred thirty patients (65 in each group) were included and analyzed for the primary outcome. Twenty-three (35%) in each group met the primary outcome, without significant differences in standardized discharge scores (odds ratio, 1.00 [95% CI, 0.49 to 2.05], P > 0.999). More patients had seroma requiring drainage in the 24 mg versus 8 mg group, 94% versus 81%, respectively (odds ratio, 3.53 [95% CI, 1.07 to 11.6], P = 0.030). Median pain scores were low at all measured time points, numeric rating scale less than or equal to 2 versus less than or equal to 1 in the 24 mg versus 8 mg group, respectively. Six patients in each group (9%) experienced nausea at any time during hospital stay (P > 0.999). Length of stay was median 11 and 9.2 h in the 24 and 8 mg group, respectively (P = 0.217). CONCLUSIONS: The authors found no evidence of 24 mg versus 8 mg of dexamethasone affecting the primary outcome regarding immediate recovery after mastectomy. The authors observed a short length of stay and low pain scores despite a simple analgesic protocol.

Self-evaluated competence in trauma reception.

INTRODUCTION: No formal training requirements exist for trauma teams in Denmark. The aim of this study was to investigate the point prevalence level of training and the self-evaluated competence of doctors involved in trauma care. METHODS: On two nights, all doctors on call at departments involved in trauma care were interviewed and answered a structured questionnaire pertaining to their level of training and self-evaluated level of competence in relevant skills. These skills included the ability to perform diagnostics and interventions as mandated by the Advanced Trauma Life Support and Definitive Surgical Trauma Care curriculums. RESULTS: All contacted doctors replied to the questionnaire. 58% of doctors were specialists; most often anaesthesiologists (AN) (86%) and doctors working at hospitals with a dedicated trauma centre designation (100%). In total, 45% of orthopaedic (OS) and gastrointestinal surgeons (GS) were specialists. In terms of self-evaluated competence, 95% of AN felt competent performing damage control resuscitation, 82% of OS felt competent performing damage control surgery on extremities, whereas 55% of GS felt competent performing damage control surgery in the abdomen. A total of 20% of the respondents had not attended any relevant trauma course, the majority of these were GS. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that, at the point of sampling, trauma reception in Denmark was handled by AN specialists in the majority of cases, but by surgical trainees. Self-perceived competencies evaluation revealed preparedness to perform damage control resuscitation, but discrepancies in the ability to perform surgical damage control procedures. FUNDING: none. TRIAL REGISTRATION: not relevant.

[Acute lower abdominal pain caused by adnexal torsion in a ten-year-old girl]. / Akut abdomen som følge af torkveret adnexa uteri hos en tiårig pige.

A ten-year-old girl presented with four days of lower abdominal pain. A diagnostic laparoscopy on the suspicion of acute appendicitis revealed left-sided adnexal torsion. The cyanotic ovary was detorsed and recovered. At three-month follow-up there were no clinical or ultrasonic signs of pathology. The clinical presentation of adnexal torsion is unspecific and mimics several differential diagnosis. Adnexal torsion is a rare condition, especially in pre-pubertal girls. However, it must still be kept in mind when evaluating girls regardless of age with lower abdominal pain.

Regional analgesia for video-assisted thoracic surgery: a systematic review.

Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) is emerging as the standard surgical procedure for both minor and major oncological lung surgery. Thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) and paravertebral block (PVB) are established analgesic golden standards for open surgery such as thoracotomy; however, there is no gold standard for regional analgesia for VATS. This systematic review aimed to assess different regional techniques with regard to effect on acute postoperative pain following VATS, with emphasis on VATS lobectomy. The systematic review of PubMed, The Cochrane Library and Embase databases yielded 1542 unique abstracts; 17 articles were included for qualitative assessment, of which three were studies on VATS lobectomy. The analgesic techniques included TEA, multilevel and single PVB, paravertebral catheter, intercostal catheter, interpleural infusion and long thoracic nerve block. Overall, the studies were heterogeneous with small numbers of participants. In comparative studies, TEA and especially PVB showed some effect on pain scores, but were often compared with an inferior analgesic treatment. Other techniques showed no unequivocal results. No clear gold standard for regional analgesia for VATS could be demonstrated, but a guide of factors to include in future studies on regional analgesia for VATS is presented.

Renal replacement therapy after cardiac surgery; renal function recovers.

OBJECTIVES: To assess renal outcome in patients discharged from hospital following cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury (CSA-AKI) with need for renal replacement therapy. DESIGN: In April 2012 we conducted a cross-sectional study of patients treated with renal replacement therapy following cardiac surgery during 2008-2010. We included all adult patients with a pre-operative serum creatinine (sCr) < 200 µM, surviving to discharge. Primary endpoint was use of renal replacement therapy after hospital discharge; secondary endpoint was a sCr > 200 µM at the time of follow-up. RESULTS: We reviewed the records of 3828 patients receiving cardiac surgery in the defined period. A total of 107 adult patients with sCr concentrations < 200 µM were treated with post-operative renal replacement therapy of whom 70 survived to discharge. Fifty-six patients were alive at follow-up and none had required renal replacement therapy after initial discharge. Median sCr concentration at follow-up was 111 [56-257] µM and two patients had sCr above 200 µM. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, renal function recovered in patients discharged from hospital following renal replacement therapy after CSA-AKI. No patients needed further renal replacement therapy and only two (4%) had a sCr > 200 µM at follow-up.

[In-hospital cardiac arrest due to unobserved steroid-induced hyperglycaemic hyperosmolar syndrome]. / Manglende diagnostik af hyperosmolært hyperglykæmisk syndrom førte til hjertestop.

The merging of hospital wards into highly specialized units facilitates targeted diagnostics and treatment. Often the result is favourable for the patient, but in some cases the basic conditions are overlooked. We describe a patient with inoperable oesophageal cancer who had unexplained mental confusion for three days due to an unobserved corticosteroid-induced hyperglycaemic hyperosmolar syndrome. The main differential diagnosis was cerebral metastases and a cerebral computed tomography was performed before cardiac arrest led to the right diagnosis. It is crucial to remember that unexplained deterioration in a patient with inoperable cancer can have a reversible cause.