Analysis of behavioural and physiological parameters for the assessment of postoperative analgesic demand in newborns, infants and young children: a comprehensive report on seven consecutive studies

Many different systems for the assessment of pain in newborns and infants have been tested for validity, rarely for reliability but never for sensitivity or specificity. We aimed to determine whether the assessment of an analgesic demand in the lower age group during the postoperative period is possible by observational methods only. In an repetitive and sequential prospective process for identifying observationable behaviour and measurable physiological parameters as indicators of a postoperative analgesic demand, 584 newborns, infants and young children were studied (7 prospective studies, 4238 observations). Twenty-six items were selected as suggested by current literature and for reasons of economy and practicability. The factor analyses resulted in a two-factorial solution with the behavioural items loading on one factor and the physiological parameters on the other (principal component analyses). The physiological parameters blood pressure, respiratory rate and heart rate were found to be unreliable and had no discriminant power to detect an analgesic demand during the postoperative period (discriminant analyses, ROC-curves). In newborns and infants, nine observational items were identified as equally selective, reliable, sensitive and specific to the assessment of postoperative analgesic demand, whereas in young children only five items could be identified (discriminant analyses, ROC-curves). For economic reasons, these five items (crying, facial expression, posture of the trunk, posture of the legs, motor restlessness) were chosen as the basis of an additional pain scale ranging from 0=no pain to 10=maximal (Children's and Infants' Postoperative Pain Scale, CHIPPS). Its internal consistency yielded values for Cronbachs' alpha with 0.92 for toddlers and 0.96 for infants. The coefficient for interrater reliability was 0.93. The scale was validated constructively by the intravenous administration of metamizol, tramadol, nalbuphine, piritramide and ketamine (repeated measures analysis of variance). The Toddler-Preschooler Postoperative Pain Scale and CHIPPS equally identified painfree situations or analgesic demand in 87.4%. In cases with definite pain, the score of CHIPPS was never below 4 points. Seventy-one toddlers gave verbal comments on their pain intensity: in 29 painfree situations the CHIPPS score was 3.0 and in 29 painful situations it was 5.7. The values for sensitivity and specificity of CHIPPS were calculated to be 0.92-0.96 and 0.74-0.95, respectively (discriminant analyses). We conclude that it is possible to determine postoperative analgesic demand in the low age group of children by using an observational system such as CHIPPS alone.     

Konfliktzentrierte Monotherapie oder Methodenintegration? Veränderungsprozesse von Gesprächspsychotherapie mit und ohne verhaltenstherapeutische Reizkonfrontation bei Agoraphobie mit Panikstörung

The mechanisms of change due to different psychotherapeutic treatments of anxiety disorders are the subject of the present study. Sixty-eight patients with agoraphobia and panic (DSM III R No. 300.21, ICD 10 No. F 40.01) were included, exclusively treated with client-centered treatment (n = 28) or with additional behavioral exposure treatment (n = 40) in an inpatient setting. The patients were examined on admission, at discharge, and at 6 and 12 months follow-ups with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM III R (SKID), the Freiburg Personality Inventory (FPI R), and the Giessen Test (GIESS). Both treatment modalities significantly reduced panic and avoidance. Differences were found in personality scales. The support of autonomy was superior by client-centered treatment alone: client-centered treated (CCT) patients felt less dependent on the expectations of others, less under stress, and had fewer psychosomatic complaints. Patients with additional exposure treatment feel accepted by their social environment earlier. The results are discussed with regard to open questions of therapy integration and different mechanisms of change.     

Nierentransplantation bei hämolytisch-urämischem Syndrom

Zusammenfassung Gegenstand des Berichtes ist der Krankheitsverlauf einer Patientin, bei der sich im Alter von 14 Jahren nach einem Virusinfekt ein schweres hämolytisch-urämisches Syndrom (Gasser) entwickelte. Auch nach Überwindung der akuten Krankheitsphase mit Hämolyse, Oligurie, Krampfanfällen und Hypertonie blieb die Patientin niereninsuffizient und wurde über 7 Monate hämodialysiert. Dann gelang die Transplantation einer Leichenniere. Die dabei entfernten Nieren der Patientin zeigten zu diesem Zeitpunkt im Unterschied zu den meisten Berichten histologisch keine Nierenrindennekrose, sondern eine maligne Nephrosklerose. Der postoperative Verlauf war nach anfänglichen chirurgisch-urologischen Komplikationen und einer akuten Abstoßungskrise ungestört. Während einer jetzt 2 1/2jährigen Beobachtungszeit ist ein Rezidiv der Grundkrankheit klinisch nicht wieder manifest geworden.Auszugsweise vorgetragen auf der Jahrestagung der Nephrologischen Gesellschaft Prag, am 16. 11. 1969.     

Randomised, crossover comparison of the single-use SoftSeal and the LMA Unique laryngeal mask airways

We performed a randomised, crossover, single-blind trial among 168 patients, to compare the single-use SoftSeal and LMA Unique laryngeal mask airways in spontaneously breathing adults. Size-3 and -4 laryngeal mask airways, inserted by experienced anaesthetists, performed equivalently for successful first-time placement (148 (91%) vs 155 (96%) for the SoftSeal and LMA Unique, respectively). The SoftSeal was more often rated as difficult to insert (27 (17%) vs 4 (3%); p < 0.001) and was more likely to show evidence of mucosal trauma after the first insertion (14 (10%) vs 5 (4%); OR 1.3 (95% CI 1.3-11.3); p < 0.05). The fibreoptic view of the larynx was better through the SoftSeal (vocal cords not visible in 27 (17%) vs 44 (27%); p < 0.05) and it more frequently provided a ventilation seal at 20 cmH(2)O (93 (59%) vs 62 (39%); OR 2.15 (CI 1.44-3.21); p < 0.001). In contrast to the LMA Unique(trade mark), its cuff pressure did not increase during nitrous oxide anaesthesia (median (IQR [range]) decrease 3 (- 20-23 [-40-94]) cmH(2)O vs increase of 16 (-2-39 [-54-112]) cmH(2)O; p < 0.01). Both devices were equivalent for the success of first-time insertion and performed satisfactorily clinically. There were some performance differences, but either appears suitable for airway management in spontaneously breathing patients.     

Systemic inflammation in COPD visualised by gene profiling in peripheral blood neutrophils

Background: The inflammatory process in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterised by the presence of neutrophils in the lung that are able to synthesise de novo several inflammatory mediators. The local chronic persistent inflammatory response is accompanied by systemic effects such as cytokine induced priming of peripheral leucocytes and muscle wasting. The preactivation or priming of peripheral blood neutrophils was used to gain more insight into the mechanisms of this systemic inflammatory response.

Methods: Gene arrays were performed on peripheral blood neutrophils obtained from healthy donors after stimulation in vitro with tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), or both. The expression of many inflammatory genes was regulated in these cells following stimulation. The expression of inflammatory genes in peripheral blood neutrophils in healthy subjects and those with COPD was measured by real time RT-PCR after stimulation with TNFα, GM-CSF, interleukin (IL)-8, fMLP, TNFα + GM-CSF, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

Results: The genes regulated in the gene array with TNFα/GM-CSF stimulated neutrophils included cytokines (such as IL-1ß), chemokines (such as IL-8), and adhesion molecules (such as ICAM-1). Disease severity as measured by forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV₁) in COPD patients correlated with expression of several of these genes including IL-1ß (r = –0.540; p = 0.008), MIP-1ß (r = –0.583; p = 0.003), CD83 (r = –0.514; p = 0.012), IL-1 receptor 2 (r = –0.546; p = 0.007), and IL-1 receptor antagonist (r = –0.612; p = 0.002).

Conclusions: These data are consistent with the hypothesis that progression of COPD is associated with the activation of neutrophils in the systemic compartment. De novo expression of inflammatory mediators by peripheral blood neutrophils suggests a pro-inflammatory role for these cells in the pathogenesis of COPD.

     

Long-term lithium treatment and thyroid antibodies: a controlled study

OBJECTIVE: Because the role of thyroid autoimmunity in the development of lithium-induced thyroid dysfunction remains controversial, we compared the prevalence of thyroid autoantibodies in patients with affective disorders receiving long-term lithium maintenance therapy with that of age- and sex-matched controls. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study with 100 adult patients with major affective disorders diagnosed according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, revised (DSM-III-R), who were undergoing lithium therapy for 6 months or more at a specialized lithium university clinic and 100 age- and sex-matched controls with no history of an axis I psychiatric disorder. Serum autoantibodies against thyroid peroxidase (TPOAb), thyroglobulin (TgAb) and TSH receptors (TRAb) were measured. RESULTS: TPOAb were found in 7 patients and 11 controls, and TgAb were found in 8 patients and 15 controls. TRAb were not found in either group. CONCLUSIONS: In this sample of patients with affective disorders, long-term lithium treatment did not increase the prevalence of thyroid autoimmunity.     

Bull's-Eye Maculopathy with Deferoxamine Treatment

BACKGROUND: A bull's-eye maculopathy can be provoked by drugs. CASE REPORT: A 67-year-old man observed transient green-yellow spots with both eyes. The visual acuity was 1.0 in the right eye and 0.9 in the left. Tiny pigmentary irregularities of the macula were observed by ophthalmoscopy. Fluorescein angiography revealed a cockade formation of the macula. The multifocal ERG showed normal latencies in the periphery, however, in the centre the amplitudes were reduced to approximately half of the normal values. An acute myeloid leukaemia was diagnosed in 1997 which arose from a myelodysplasia, after performance of a peripheral allogenic blood stem cell transplantation. Because of a serious anaemia, the patient received numerous multiple transfusions with packed blood red cells from April 1999 to April 2000 (a total of more than 90 transfusions). In consequence, a haemosiderosis occurred with a ferritin value of 4390 ng/ml (November 1999) which made treatment with deferoxamine necessary. Multiple injections of deferoxamine (one to two grams were given from August 2000 until February 2001, afterwards an intermittent application until November 2002 was carried out) which resulted in the maculopathy. CONCLUSION: Retinal changes, in particular, a maculopathy, should be considered even if visual acuity and visual fields are not remarkably changed. Dependent on the extent of the disease, deferoxamine treatment should be discontinued in case of distinct visual deterioration.