[Study of paracetamol levels in serum samples as predictive indicator of gastric emptying]. / EVALUACIÓN DEL TEST PARACETAMOL EN SUERO COMO INDICADOR PREDICTIVO DEL VACIADO GÁSTRICO.

INTRODUCTION: According to numerous studies, early initiation of nutrition in patients who have undergone surgery is essential. OBJETIVES: We analyzed the available techniques to assess gastric emptying in critically ill patients undergoing surgery, and holding the decision to introduce the type of feeding route. RESULTS: The measurement of gastric residual volume and auscultation are the standard tests used, but they have not shown great effectiveness. The acetaminophen absorption test seems to be a good predictive tool, that allows in 1 hour whether gastric emptying is right and thus, support the idea of continue with enteral nutrition, change to parenteral nutrition or evaluate the use of prokinetics drugs. DISCUSSION: Although there are studies whose final objective is the evaluation of the test as an indicator of tolerance of enteral nutrition, it is necessary to expand and standardize its use in order to include it in protocols for clinical practice.

Introducción: la iniciación temprana de la nutrición en pacientes intervenidos quirúrgicamente es fundamental. Objetivos: analizar las técnicas disponibles para evaluar el vaciado gástrico de los pacientes críticos sometidos a cirugía, y que apoyan la decisión de introducirles un tipo de alimentación u otro. Resultados: los test estándar son la medida del volumen residual gástrico y la auscultación, pero no han demostrado gran eficacia. El test de paracetamol parece una buena herramienta predictiva. Permitiría en una hora saber si el vaciado gástrico es adecuado y con ello seleccionar el tipo de nutrición más conveniente (enteral, parenteral) o evaluar el uso de procinéticos. Discusión: el test de paracetamol es una alternativa económica de alto valor predictivo. Existen estudios cuyo objetivo final es valorar el test como indicador de la tolerancia de la nutrición enteral, pero es necesario ampliar y estandarizar su uso para poder incluirlo en los protocolos de actuación hospitalarios.

Evaluación del test paracetamol en suero como indicador predictivo del vaciado gástrico / Study of paracetamol levels in serum samples as predictive indicator of gastric emptying

Introducción: la iniciación temprana de la nutrición en pacientes intervenidos quirúrgicamente es fundamental. Objetivos: analizar las técnicas disponibles para evaluar el vaciado gástrico de los pacientes críticos sometidos a cirugía, y que apoyan la decisión de introducirles un tipo de alimentación u otro. Resultados: los test estándar son la medida del volumen residual gástrico y la auscultación, pero no han demostrado gran eficacia. El test de paracetamol parece una buena herramienta predictiva. Permitiría en una hora saber si el vaciado gástrico es adecuado y con ello seleccionar el tipo de nutrición más conveniente (enteral, parenteral) o evaluar el uso de procinéticos. Discusión: el test de paracetamol es una alternativa económica de alto valor predictivo. Existen estudios cuyo objetivo final es valorar el test como indicador de la tolerancia de la nutrición enteral, pero es necesario ampliar y estandarizar su uso para poder incluirlo en los protocolos de actuación hospitalarios (AU)

Introduction: according to numerous studies, early initiation of nutrition in patients who have undergone surgery is essential. Objetives: we analyzed the available techniques to assess gastric emptying in critically ill patients undergoing surgery, and holding the decision to introduce the type of feeding route. Results: the measurement of gastric residual volume and auscultation are the standard tests used, but they have not shown great effectiveness. The acetaminophen absorption test seems to be a good predictive tool, that allows in 1 hour whether gastric emptying is right and thus, support the idea of continue with enteral nutrition, change to parenteral nutrition or evaluate the use of prokinetics drugs. Discussion: although there are studies whose final objective is the evaluation of the test as an indicator of tolerance of enteral nutrition, it is necessary to expand and standardize its use in order to include it in protocols for clinical practice (AU)

Bronchoalveolar lavage enzyme-linked immunospot for a rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis: a Tuberculosis Network European Trialsgroup study.

RATIONALE: The rapid diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is difficult when acid fast bacilli (AFB) cannot be detected in sputum smears. OBJECTIVES: Following a proof of principle study, we examined in routine clinical practice whether individuals with sputum AFB smear-negative TB can be discriminated from those with latent TB infection by local immunodiagnosis with a Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISpot) assay. METHODS: Subjects suspected of having active TB who were unable to produce sputum or with AFB-negative sputum smears were prospectively enrolled at Tuberculosis Network European Trialsgroup centers in Europe. ELISpot with early-secretory-antigenic-target-6 and culture-filtrate-protein-10 peptides was performed on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and bronchoalveolar lavage mononuclear cells (BALMCs). M. tuberculosis-specific nucleic acid amplification (NAAT) was performed on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Seventy-one of 347 (20.4%) patients had active TB. Out of 276 patients who had an alternative diagnosis, 127 (46.0%) were considered to be latently infected with M. tuberculosis by a positive PBMC ELISpot result. The sensitivity and specificity of BALMC ELISpot for the diagnosis of active pulmonary TB were 91 and 80%, respectively. The BALMC ELISpot (diagnostic odds ratio [OR], 40.4) was superior to PBMC ELISpot (OR, 10.0), tuberculin skin test (OR, 7.8), and M. tuberculosis specific NAAT (OR, 12.4) to diagnose sputum AFB smear-negative TB. In contrast to PBMC ELISpot and tuberculin skin test, the BALMC ELISpot was not influenced by previous history of TB. CONCLUSIONS: Bronchoalveolar lavage ELISpot is an important advancement to rapidly distinguish sputum AFB smear-negative TB from latent TB infection in routine clinical practice.