101 research outputs found

    Unusual Displacement of a Mobilised Dental Bridge during Orotracheal Intubation

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    Dental trauma during tracheal intubation mostly happens in case of poor dentition, restricted mouth opening, and/or difficult laryngoscopy. 57-year-old man undergoing laparoscopic radiofrequency ablation of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma had his dental work detached at induction of anesthesia. Oropharyngeal direct view, manual inspection, fibreoptic nosendoscopy, tracheobronchoscopy, and fiberoptic inspection of the esophagus and stomach were unsuccessful in locating the dislodged bridge. While other possible exams were considered, such as lateral and AP x-ray of head and neck, further meticulous manual “sweepings” of the mouth were performed, and by moving the first and second fingers below the soft palate deep towards the posterolateral wall of the pharynx, feeling consistent with a dental prosthesis was detected in the right pharyngeal recess. Only after pulling the palatopharyngeal arch upward was it possible to grasp it and extract it out with the aid of a Magill Catheter Forceps. Even though the preexisting root and bridge deficits were well reported by the consultant dentist, the patient was fully reimbursed. The lack of appropriate documentation of the advanced periodontal disease in the anesthesia records, no mention of potential risks on anesthesia consent, and insufficient protective measures during airway instrumentation reinforced the reimbursement claim

    Continuous right ventricular end diastolic volume and right ventricular ejection fraction during liver transplantation: A multicenter study

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    Cardiac preload is traditionally considered to be represented by its filling pressures, but more recently, estimations of end diastolic volume of the left or right ventricle have been shown to better reflect preload. One method of determining volumes is the evaluation of the continuous right ventricular end diastolic volume index (cRVEDVI) on the basis of the cardiac output thermodilution technique. Because preload and myocardial contractility are the main factors determining cardiac output during liver transplantation (LTx), accurate determination of preload is important. Thus, monitoring of cRVEDVI and cRVEF should help with fluid management and with the assessment of the need for inotropic and vasoactive agents. In this multicenter study, we looked for possible relationships between the stroke volume index (SVI) and cRVEDVI, cRVEF, and filling pressures at 4 predefined steps in 244 patients undergoing LTx. Univariate and multivariate autoregression models (across phases of the surgical procedure) were fitted to assess the possible association between SVI and cRVEDVI, pulmonary artery occlusion pressure (PAOP), and central venous pressure (CVP) after adjustment for cRVEF (categorized as 40%). SVI was strongly associated with both cRVEDVI and cRVEF. The model showing the best fit to the data was that including cRVEDVI. Even after adjustment for cRVEF, there was a statistically significant (P < 0.05) relationship between SVI and cRVEDVI with a regression coefficient (slope of the regression line) of 0.25; this meant that an increase in cRVEDVI of 1 mL m(-2) resulted in an increase in SVI of 0.25 mL m(-2). The correlations between SVI and CVP and PAOP were less strong. We conclude that cRVEDVI reflected preload better than CVP and PAOP

    Extended criteria donor lung reconditioning with the organ care system lung: a single institution experience

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    Lung transplantation is a life-saving procedure limited by donor's availability. Lung reconditioning by ex vivo lung perfusion represents a tool to expand the donor pool. In this study, we describe our experience with the OCS\u2122 Lung to assess and recondition extended criteria lungs. From January 2014 to October 2016, of 86 on-site donors evaluated, eight lungs have been identified as potentially treatable with OCS\u2122 Lung. We analyzed data from these donors and the recipient outcomes after transplantation. All donor lungs improved during OCS perfusion in particular regarding the PaO2/FiO2 ratio (from 340 mmHg in donor to 537 mmHg in OCS) leading to lung transplantation in all cases. Concerning postoperative results, primary graft dysfunction score 3 at 72 h was observed in one patient, while median mechanical ventilation time, ICU, and hospital stay were 60 h, 14 and 36 days respectively. One in-hospital death was recorded (12.5%), while other two patients died during follow-up leading to 1-year survival of 62.5%. The remaining five patients are alive and in good conditions. This case series demonstrates the feasibility and value of lung reconditioning with the OCS\u2122 Lung; a prospective trial is underway to validate its role to safely increase the number of donor lungs. \ua9 2018 Steunstichting ESO

    Experienced Use of Dexmedetomidine in the Intensive Care Unit: A Report of a Structured Consensus

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    OBJECTIVE: Management of pain, agitation and delirium (PAD) remains to be a true challenge in critically ill patients. The pharmacological proprieties of dexmedetomidine (DEX) make it an ideal candidate drug for light and cooperative sedation, but many practical questions remain unanswered. This structured consensus from 17 intensivists well experienced on PAD management and DEX use provides indications for the appropriate use of DEX in clinical practice. METHODS: A modified RAND/UCLA appropriateness method was used. In four predefined patient populations, the clinical scenarios do not properly cope by the current recommended pharmacological strategies (except DEX), and the possible advantages of DEX use were identified and voted for agreement, after reviewing literature data. RESULTS: Three scenarios in medical patients, five scenarios in patients with acute respiratory failure undergoing non-invasive ventilation, three scenarios in patients with cardiac surgery in the early postoperative period and three scenarios in patients with overt delirium were identified as challenging with the current PAD strategies. In these scenarios, the use of DEX was voted as potentially useful by most of the panellists owing to its specific pharmacological characteristics, such as conservation of cognitive function, lack of effects on the respiratory drive, low induction of delirium and analgesia effects. CONCLUSION: DEX might be considered as a first-line sedative in different scenarios even though conclusive data on its benefits are still lacking

    Proceedings of the Fifth Italian Conference on Computational Linguistics CLiC-it 2018

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    On behalf of the Program Committee, a very warm welcome to the Fifth Italian Conference on Computational Linguistics (CLiC-­‐it 2018). This edition of the conference is held in Torino. The conference is locally organised by the University of Torino and hosted into its prestigious main lecture hall “Cavallerizza Reale”. The CLiC-­‐it conference series is an initiative of the Italian Association for Computational Linguistics (AILC) which, after five years of activity, has clearly established itself as the premier national forum for research and development in the fields of Computational Linguistics and Natural Language Processing, where leading researchers and practitioners from academia and industry meet to share their research results, experiences, and challenges
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