Impact of modified-release opioid use on clinical outcomes following total hip and knee arthroplasty: a propensity score-matched cohort study

Modified-release opioids are often prescribed for the management of moderate to severe acute pain following total hip and knee arthroplasty, despite recommendations against their use due to increasing concerns regarding harm. The primary objective of this multicentre study was to examine the impact of modified-release opioid use on the incidence of opioid-related adverse events compared with immediate-release opioid use, among adult inpatients following total hip or knee arthroplasty. Data for total hip and knee arthroplasty inpatients receiving an opioid analgesic for postoperative analgesia during hospitalisation were collected from electronic medical records of three tertiary metropolitan hospitals in Australia. The primary outcome was the incidence of opioid-related adverse events during hospital admission. Patients who received modified with or without immediate-release opioids were matched to those receiving immediate-release opioids only (1:1) using nearest neighbour propensity score matching with patient and clinical characteristics as covariates. This included total opioid dose received. In the matched cohorts, patients given modified-release opioids (n = 347) experienced a higher incidence of opioid-related adverse events overall, compared with those given immediate-release opioids only (20.5%, 71/347 vs. 12.7%, 44/347; difference in proportions 7.8% [95%CI 2.3–13.3%]). Modified-release opioid use was associated with an increased risk of harm when used for acute pain during hospitalisation after total hip or knee arthroplasty.     

Effect of pneumatic leg compression on post-induction hypotension in elderly patients undergoing robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy: a double-blind randomised controlled trial

Post-induction hypotension is common and associated with postoperative complications. We hypothesised that pneumatic leg compression reduces post-induction hypotension in elderly patients undergoing robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy. In this double-blind randomised study, patients were allocated randomly to the pneumatic leg compression group (n = 50) or control (n = 50). In the intervention group, pneumatic leg compression was initiated before induction of anaesthesia. In the control group, pneumatic leg compression was initiated 20 min after anaesthesia induction. The primary outcome was the incidence of post-induction hypotension in these groups. Post-induction hypotension was defined as systolic blood pressure < 90 mmHg during the first 20 min after induction. Haemodynamic variables and area under the curve of post-induction systolic blood pressure over time were assessed. Complications associated with pneumatic leg compression were recorded, including: peripheral neuropathy; compartment syndrome; extensive bullae beneath the leg sleeves; and pulmonary thromboembolism. The incidence of post-induction hypotension decreased in the pneumatic leg compression group compared with that in the control group; 5 (10%) vs. 29 (58%), respectively, p < 0.001. In the pneumatic leg compression group, the lowest systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressures 20 min after induction of anaesthesia were significantly greater than the control group. Pneumatic leg compression resulted in an increased area under the curve of systolic blood pressure in the first 20 min after induction, p = 0.001. There were no pneumatic leg compression-related complications. Pneumatic leg compression reduced post-induction hypotension in elderly patients undergoing robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy, suggesting that it is an effective and safe intervention to prevent post-induction hypotension among elderly patients undergoing general anaesthesia.     

Reduction of ventricular arrhythmias with synchronized LV pacing—fact,fiction, or fortuitous

Journal of Interventional Cardiac Electrophysiology -     

Potential plants for inflammatory dysfunction in the SARS-CoV-2 infection

Inflammopharmacology - The inflammatory process is a biological response of the organism to remove injurious stimuli and initiate homeostasis. It has been recognized as a key player in the most...     

Oral cancer prediction by noninvasive genetic screening

Oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) develop in genetically altered epithelium in the mucosal lining, also coined as fields, which are mostly not visible but occasionally present as white oral leukoplakia (OL) lesions. We developed a noninvasive genetic assay using next-generation sequencing (NGS) on brushed cells to detect the presence of genetically altered fields, including those that are not macroscopically visible. The assay demonstrated high accuracy in OL patients when brush samples were compared with biopsies as gold standard. In a cohort of Fanconi anemia patients, detection of mutations in prospectively collected oral brushes predicted oral cancer also when visible abnormalities were absent. We further provide insight in the molecular landscape of OL with frequent changes of TP53, FAT1 and NOTCH1. NGS analysis of noninvasively collected samples offers a highly accurate method to detect genetically altered fields in the oral cavity, and predicts development of OSCC in high-risk individuals. Noninvasive genetic screening can be employed to screen high-risk populations for cancer and precancer, map the extension of OL lesions beyond what is visible, map the oral cavity for precancerous changes even when visible abnormalities are absent, test accuracy of promising imaging modalities, monitor interventions and determine genetic progression as well as the natural history of the disease in the human patient.     

血液肿瘤患者化疗后肛周感染危险因素病例对照研究

目的 探讨血液肿瘤患者接受化疗后发生肛周感染的危险因素。方法 采用回顾性病例对照研究的方法,对四川省某三级甲等医院血液内科2020年12月—2021年5月收治的进行化疗的348例血液肿瘤住院患者相关资料（人口学特征、疾病特征、医疗及护理病例记录、实验室检查结果）予以回顾性分析,根据出院诊断发生肛周感染的病例作为病例组,其余病例作为对照组,统计血液肿瘤患者接受化疗后肛周感染的发生率,采用单因素分析和二元Logistic回归分析肛周感染的危险因素。结果 348例血液肿瘤化疗患者,发生肛周感染35例,感染率为10.1%;Logistic回归分析显示,年龄<60岁（OR=8.776,P=0.039）、痔疮史（OR=7.733,P<0.001）、肛周感染史（OR=14.981,P<0.001）、腹泻（OR=3.893,P=0.019）及白细胞计数<1×10⁹/L（OR=6.851,P=0.002）是血液肿瘤患者接受化疗后发生肛周感染的独立危险因素。结论 血液肿瘤患者接受化疗后肛周感染的发生率较高,年龄<60岁、痔疮史、肛周感染史、腹泻、白细胞计数<1×10⁹/L导致血液肿瘤化疗患者肛周感染率增加,在护理化疗期的血液肿瘤患者过程中,应该结合肛周感染的危险因素,采取针对性干预措施,降低肛周感染发生率。     

Oxygen sensing,anaesthesia and critical care: a narrative review

In 2019, the scientists who discovered how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability were awarded the Nobel Prize. This elegant sensing pathway is conserved throughout evolution, and it underpins the physiology and pathology that we, as clinicians in anaesthesia and critical care, encounter on a daily basis. The purpose of this review is to bring hypoxia-inducible factor, and the oxygen-sensing pathway as a whole, to the wider clinical community. We describe how this unifying mechanism was discovered, and how it orchestrates diverse changes such as erythropoiesis, ventilatory acclimatisation, pulmonary vascular remodelling and altered metabolism. We explore the lessons learnt from genetic disorders of oxygen sensing, and the wider implications in evolution of all animal species, including our own. Finally, we explain how this pathway is relevant to our clinical practice, and how it is being manipulated in new treatments for conditions such as cancer, anaemia and pulmonary hypertension.     

Evaluierung der NEF-Fehl- und Übergabeeinsätze im Raum Innsbruck

Die Anaesthesiologie - Die Qualität eines Rettungssystems zeichnet sich auch durch den effizienten Einsatz seiner personellen und Fahrzeugressourcen aus. So können im berechtigten Fall...