Advancing primary and community care for persons with spinal cord injury: Key findings from a Canadian summit

Context: Persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) experience significant challenges when they access primary care and community services.

Design: A provincial summit was held to direct research, education, and innovation for primary and community care for SCI.

Setting: Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Participants: Key stakeholders (N?=?95) including persons with SCI and caregivers, clinicians from primary care, rehabilitation, and specialized care, researchers, advocacy groups, and policy makers.

Methods: A one-day facilitated meeting that included guest speakers, panel discussions and small group discussions was held to generate potential solutions to current issues related to SCI care and to foster collaborative relationships to advance care for SCI. Perspectives on SCI management were shared by primary care, neurosurgery, rehabilitation, and members of the SCI community

Outcome Measures: Discussions were focused on five domains: knowledge translation and dissemination, application of best practices, communication, research, and patient service accessibility.

Results: Summit participants identified issues and prioritized solutions to improve primary and community care including the creation of a network of key stakeholders to enable knowledge creation and dissemination; an online repository of SCI resources, integrated health records, and a clinical network for SCI care; development and implementation of strategies to improve care transitions across sectors; implementation of effective care models and improved access to services; and utilization of empowerment frameworks to support self-management.

Conclusions: This summit identified priorities for further collaborative efforts to advance SCI primary and community care and will inform the development of a provincial SCI strategy aimed at improving the system of care for SCI.     

Étude exploratoire de la santé musculo-squelettique du rachis d’étudiants en ostéopathie

BackgroundDuring their training, students in osteopathy regularly undergo spinal manipulation exercises. This exposes the students’ spine to unskilled gestures performed by their colleagues learning spinal manipulation. Discomfort, muscle soreness or moderate pain following spinal manipulations lasting two or three days are commonly reported. In addition, some students may have ongoing spinal musculoskeletal disease (SMSD) during their studies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of SMSDs and their maximum intensity in a population of osteopathy students and to determine whether individual differences exist.MethodAn exploratory cross-sectional study took place over three years. Data were collected by means of a self-administrated standardised questionnaire screening for MSD: the Nordic questionnaire.ResultsThere were 733 exploitable questionnaires, giving an average response rate of 91.5%. Average prevalence of SMSD was 98.4% during the last 12 months. Average maximum intensity perceived was 6/10 and 45% of students experienced an intense SMSD (scored between 7 and 10/10). Variation of the maximum intensity of SMSD between “before osteopathy studies” and “the last 12 months” was 1.2/10. This variation was influenced by the number of days students were manipulated during a week (p < 0.0001). On average, students underwent manipulation three days a week.ConclusionThis study confirms the important prevalence of SMSD among osteopathy students. This result led us to carry out a qualitative study for exploring students’ conceptions in health and spinal manipulative practices.     

Measured and predicted resting energy expenditure in wheelchair rugby athletes

Objective: Report measured resting energy expenditure (REE) in wheelchair rugby athletes and evaluate agreement between REE and the prediction models of Chun, Cunningham, Harris-Benedict, Mifflin, Nightingale and Gorgey, and Owen.

Design: Cohort-based validation study.

Setting. Paralympic team training camp.

Participants: Fourteen internationally competitive athletes who play wheelchair rugby, 13 of whom had cervical spinal cord injuries (SCI).

Outcome Measures: A portable metabolic analyzer was used to measure REE following an overnight fast and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was used to assess lean body mass for the prediction equations.

Results: REE in the current sample was 1735?±?257?kcal?×?day^?1 ranging from 1324 to 2068?kcal?×?day^{?1 Bhambhani Y. Physiology of wheelchair racing in athletes with spinal cord injury. Sports Med 2002;32(1):23–51.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]}. Bland–Altman analyses revealed negative mean bias but similar limits of agreement between measured REE and scores predicted by Chun, Cunningham, Mifflin, Nightingale and Gorgey, and Owen models in elite athletes who play wheelchair rugby.

Conclusion: Prediction models regressed on persons with and without SCI under-predicted REE of competitive wheelchair rugby athletes. This outcome may be explained by the higher REE/fat-free mass (FFM) ratio of current athletes compared to less active samples. Findings from the current study will help practitioners to determine nutrient intake needs on training days of varied intensity.     

全麻复合硬膜外在高龄患者腹腔镜直肠癌根治术中的应用

目的:研究全麻复合硬膜外在高龄患者腹腔镜直肠癌根治术中的应用效果。方法:选择60岁以上择期行腹腔镜直肠癌根治术患者60例,随机分为G组和GA组,每组各30例。G组患者为单纯全麻组,GA组患者为硬膜外复合全麻组。GA组患者在诱导前取L1~2硬膜外穿刺置管,予0.5%罗哌卡因5 ml,术中每小时追加5~7 ml。两组患者诱导方法相同:即,咪哒唑仑0.04 mg/kg、舒芬太尼0.3~0.4μg/kg、顺阿曲库铵0.15~0.20 mg/kg、依托咪酯0.2~0.3 mg/kg。监测并记录患者血压(BP),心率(HR),心电图(ECG),术中全麻药用量及术后患者苏醒情况。结果:GA组患者气腹后、拔管前BP、HR明显低于G组(P<0.05),且全麻药用量明显低于G组(P<0.05)。结论:全麻复合硬膜外应用于老年腹腔镜直肠癌手术较单纯全麻用药量减少,术中循环更加稳定,是腹腔镜直肠癌根治术比较安全可行的麻醉方法。     

EEG power spectral density under Propofol and its association with burst suppression,a marker of cerebral fragility

ObjectiveUnder General Anesthesia (GA), age and Burst Suppression (BS) are associated with cognitive postoperative complications, yet how these parameters are related to per-operative EEG and hypnotic doses is unclear. In this prospective study, we address this question comparing age and BS occurrences with a new score (BP_TIVA) based on Propofol doses, EEG and alpha-band power spectral densities, evaluated for SEF₉₅ = 8–13 Hz.Methods59 patients (55 [34–67] yr, 67% female) undergoing neuroradiology or orthopedic surgery were included. Total IntraVenous Anesthesia was used for Propofol and analgesics infusion. Cerebral activity was monitored from a frontal electrodes montage EEG.ResultsBP_TIVA was inversely correlated with age (Pearson r = −0.78, p < 0.001), and was significantly lower (p < 0.001) when BS occurred during the GA first minutes (induction). Additionally, the age-free BP_TIVA score was better associated with BS at induction than age (AUC = 0.94 versus 0.82, p < 0.05).ConclusionWe designed BP_TIVA score based on hypnotics and EEG. It was correlated with age yet was better associated to BS occurring during GA induction, the latter being a cerebral fragility sign.SignificanceThis advocate for an approach based on evaluating the cerebral physiological age (« brain age ») to predict postoperative cognitive evolution.     

Anesthetic management of parturients with Arnold Chiari malformation-I: a multicenter retrospective study

BackgroundConsensus regarding the safest mode of delivery and anesthetic management for parturients with Arnold Chiari malformation-I (ACM-I) remains controversial. This study assessed their anesthetic management and reported anesthetic complications during hospitalization for delivery.MethodsThis was a multicenter, retrospective, cohort study of patients with ACM-I undergoing vaginal or cesarean delivery. Data were obtained from the electronic databases of four United States academic institutions using International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes from 2007–2017 at three sites and 2004–2017 at one site. The primary outcome was anesthetic complications.ResultsData were analyzed for 185 deliveries in 148 patients. Diagnosis of ACM-I was made prior to delivery in 147 (80%) cases. Pre-delivery neurosurgical consultation for management of ACM-I was performed in 53 (36%) patients. Pre-existing symptoms were recorded for 89 (48%) of the deliveries. Vaginal deliveries occurred in 80 (43%) cases, and 62 women (78%) received neuraxial labor analgesia. Cesarean delivery was performed in 105 (57%) cases, of which 70 women (67%) had neuraxial anesthesia and 34 (32%) received general anesthesia. Post-dural puncture headache was reported in three (2%) patients who had neuraxial anesthesia, and in two (12%) patients with syringomyelia. There was one (3%) reported case of aspiration pneumonia with general anesthesia.ConclusionsThe findings suggest that anesthetic complications occur infrequently in patients with ACM-I regardless of the anesthetic management. Although institutional preference in anesthetic and obstetric care appears to drive patient management, the findings suggest that an individualized approach has favorable outcomes in this population.     

电针复合TCI靶控输注在单肺通气食管癌开胸手术麻醉中的应用与安全性＊

目的 探讨电针复合靶控输注（Target Controlled Infusion， TCI）在单肺通气食管癌开胸手术麻醉中的应用价值。方法 选取于我院拟行单肺通气食管癌开胸切除手术患者60例作为研究对象。随机将其分为试验组与对照组，对照组30例采取气管插管全麻及TCI靶控输注维持麻醉深度，试验组30例则在对照组方案基础上辅助电针麻醉，记录两组患者手术麻醉时间、药物用量、苏醒时间、并发症；以及术前（T_Ⅰ）、插管前即刻（T_Ⅱ）、插管后1 min（T_Ⅲ）、切皮即刻（T_Ⅳ）、去骨时（T_Ⅴ）、拔管即刻（T_Ⅵ）时平均动脉压（MAP）、平均心率（HR）、BIS值；术前、术后1天、术后3天简易智能精神状态检查量表（MMSE）；并于麻醉诱导前（T₀）、手术开始2 h（T₁）、术后1天（T₂）、术后3天（T₃）时抽取患者外周静脉血检测IL-1β、IL-6、IL-10、TNF-α浓度。结果 试验组手术用时、麻醉时间略低于对照组，但差异无统计学意义（P>0.05），试验组异丙酚、舒芬太尼用量以及苏醒时间均明显低于对照组（P<0.05）；T_Ⅱ时两组平均动脉压（Mean Arterial Pressure， MAP）、心率（Heartrate， HR）较术前明显降低，且试验组MAP明显低于对照组（P<0.05），但两组T_Ⅱ时HR比较无显著差异（P>0.05）；T_Ⅲ、T_Ⅵ时对照组MAP、HR明显高于T_Ⅰ时，而试验组MAP、HR与T_Ⅰ比较无显著差异（P>0.05）。术后1天、3天试验组简易智能精神状态检查量表（Mini-Mental State Examination， MMSE）评分低于对照组，有显著性差异（P<0.05）。T₁、T₂、T₃时试验组白介素-1β（IL-1β）、白介素-6（IL-6）、肿瘤坏死因子（Tumor Necrosis Factor-α， TNF-α）水平明显低于对照组（P<0.05），白介素-10（IL-10）水平明显高于对照组（P<0.05）。结论 采用电针复合TCI靶控输注麻醉方案可有效提升单肺通气食管癌开胸手术麻醉效果，能够降低患者术后认知功能障碍发生风险。