Sex difference and intra-operative tidal volume: Insights from the LAS VEGAS study

BACKGROUND: One key element of lung-protective ventilation is the use of a low tidal volume (VT). A sex difference in use of low tidal volume ventilation (LTVV) has been described in critically ill ICU patients.OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine whether a sex difference in use of LTVV also exists in operating room patients, and if present what factors drive this difference.DESIGN, PATIENTS AND SETTING: This is a posthoc analysis of LAS VEGAS, a 1-week worldwide observational study in adults requiring intra-operative ventilation during general anaesthesia for surgery in 146 hospitals in 29 countries.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Women and men were compared with respect to use of LTVV, defined as VT of 8 ml kg-1 or less predicted bodyweight (PBW). A VT was deemed 'default' if the set VT was a round number. A mediation analysis assessed which factors may explain the sex difference in use of LTVV during intra-operative ventilation.RESULTS: This analysis includes 9864 patients, of whom 5425 (55%) were women. A default VT was often set, both in women and men; mode VT was 500 ml. Median [IQR] VT was higher in women than in men (8.6 [7.7 to 9.6] vs. 7.6 [6.8 to 8.4] ml kg-1 PBW, P < 0.001). Compared with men, women were twice as likely not to receive LTVV [68.8 vs. 36.0%; relative risk ratio 2.1 (95% CI 1.9 to 2.1), P < 0.001]. In the mediation analysis, patients' height and actual body weight (ABW) explained 81 and 18% of the sex difference in use of LTVV, respectively; it was not explained by the use of a default VT.CONCLUSION: In this worldwide cohort of patients receiving intra-operative ventilation during general anaesthesia for surgery, women received a higher VT than men during intra-operative ventilation. The risk for a female not to receive LTVV during surgery was double that of males. Height and ABW were the two mediators of the sex difference in use of LTVV.TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered at Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01601223

An Analysis of Microplastics Ingested by the Mediterranean Detritivore <i>Holothuria tubulosa</i> (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) Sheds Light on Patterns of Contaminant Distribution in Different Marine Areas

Microplastic pollution constitutes a serious environmental problem that requires more effective scientific research to describe its potential impacts on marine fauna. The interaction between microplastics and marine biota can have significant negative effects through the trophic chain, up to human health. To date, several steps forward have been made in our understanding of this phenomenon; however, large knowledge gaps still exist for several taxa and areas. In particular, the pattern of spatial and temporal distribution of microplastics in marine sediments and their interaction with benthic detritivore species still needs to be addressed. The Mediterranean Sea is one of the most impacted areas of the world, and its biota is deeply affected by microplastic pollution. To investigate the effects of the presence of microplastics in the sediments in this area, the echinoderm Holothuria tubulosa was chosen as a model species, and specimens were collected along the Salento peninsula in Apulia, Southern Italy. This peculiar geographic area extends between two ecoregions of the Mediterranean Sea, the Northern Ionian and the Southern Adriatic seas, characterized by peculiar and distinct currents and submarine topologies, resulting in a complex and dynamic ecosystem affected by seasonal fluctuations that make the Salento peninsula an interesting natural laboratory for predictions of future dispersion events on a wider scale. Microplastics were analyzed by investigating the gut contents of H. tubulosa individuals, and the SEM/EDX method was used to confirm the plastic material extracted. Results revealed microplastics in all the specimens analyzed and with a homogeneous pattern of distribution in time and some differences in space, suggesting that the presence of this anthropogenic material is constant throughout the year and its quantity is only slightly affected by the level of conservation and management strategies characterizing the sampling sites

Preoperative evaluation of the adult patient undergoing non-cardiac surgery: guidelines from the European Society of Anaesthesiology

The purpose of these guidelines on the preoperative evaluation of the adult non-cardiac surgery patient is to present recommendations based on available relevant clinical evidence. The ultimate aims of preoperative evaluation are two-fold. First, we aim to identify those patients for whom the perioperative period may constitute an increased risk of morbidity and mortality, aside from the risks associated with the underlying disease. Second, this should help us to design perioperative strategies that aim to reduce additional perioperative risks. Very few well performed randomised studies on the topic are available and many recommendations rely heavily on expert opinion and are adapted specifically to the healthcare systems in individual countries. This report aims to provide an overview of current knowledge on the subject with an assessment of the quality of the evidence in order to allow anaesthetists all over Europe to integrate - wherever possible - this knowledge into daily patient care. The Guidelines Committee of the European Society of Anaesthesiology (ESA) formed a task force with members of subcommittees of scientific subcommittees and individual members of the ESA. Electronic databases were searched from the year 2000 until July 2010 without language restrictions. These searches produced 15 425 abstracts. Relevant systematic reviews with meta-analyses, randomised controlled trials, cohort studies, case-control studies and cross-sectional surveys were selected. The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network grading system was used to assess the level of evidence and to grade recommendations. The final draft guideline was posted on the ESA website for 4 weeks and the link was sent to all ESA members, individual or national (thus including most European national anaesthesia societies). Comments were collated and the guidelines amended as appropriate. When the final draft was complete, the Guidelines Committee and ESA Board ratified the guideline

Indicazioni alla esecuzione del radiogramma del torace nella valutazione preoperatoria del soggetto adulto

Printed from http://www.sirm.org target=NewWindow>www.sirm.org (December 2004). - Supplement to 'Il radiologo', 2003, no. 4Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Biblioteca Centrale - P.le Aldo Moro, 7 , Rome / CNR - Consiglio Nazionale delle RichercheSIGLEITItal

Preoperative evaluation of the adult patient undergoing non-cardiac surgery: guidelines from the European Society of Anaesthesiology

The purpose of these guidelines on the preoperative evaluation of the adult non-cardiac surgery patient is to present recommendations based on available relevant clinical evidence. The ultimate aims of preoperative evaluation are two-fold. First, we aim to identify those patients for whom the perioperative period may constitute an increased risk of morbidity and mortality, aside from the risks associated with the underlying disease. Second, this should help us to design perioperative strategies that aim to reduce additional perioperative risks. Very few well performed randomised studies on the topic are available and many recommendations rely heavily on expert opinion and are adapted specifically to the healthcare systems in individual countries. This report aims to provide an overview of current knowledge on the subject with an assessment of the quality of the evidence in order to allow anaesthetists all over Europe to integrate - wherever possible - this knowledge into daily patient care. The Guidelines Committee of the European Society of Anaesthesiology (ESA) formed a task force with members of subcommittees of scientific subcommittees and individual members of the ESA. Electronic databases were searched from the year 2000 until July 2010 without language restrictions. These searches produced 15 425 abstracts. Relevant systematic reviews with meta-analyses, randomised controlled trials, cohort studies, case-control studies and cross-sectional surveys were selected. The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network grading system was used to assess the level of evidence and to grade recommendations. The final draft guideline was posted on the ESA website for 4 weeks and the link was sent to all ESA members, individual or national (thus including most European national anaesthesia societies). Comments were collated and the guidelines amended as appropriate. When the final draft was complete, the Guidelines Committee and ESA Board ratified the guidelines

Raccomandazioni per la valutazione anestesiologica in previsione di procedure diagnostiche-terapeutiche in elezione

Printed from http://www.siaarti.it target=NewWindow>www.siaarti.it (December 2004)Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Biblioteca Centrale - P.le Aldo Moro, 7 , Rome / CNR - Consiglio Nazionale delle RichercheSIGLEITItal

Perioperative and periprocedural airway management and respiratory safety for the obese patient: 2016 SIAARTI Consensus

Proper management of obese patients requires a team vision and appropriate behaviors by all health care providers in hospital. Specialist competencies are fundamental, as are specific clinical pathways and good clinical practices designed to deal with patients whose Body Mass Index (BMI) is ≥30 kg/m2. Standards of care for bariatric and non-bariatric surgery and for the critical care management of this population exist but are not well defined nor clearly followed in every hospital. Thus every anesthesiologist is likely to deal with this challenging population. Obesity is a multisystem, chronic, proinflammatory disorder. Unfortunately many countries are facing a marked increase in the obese population, defined as "globesity". Obesity presents an added risk in hospital, leading health care organizations to call for action to avoid adverse events and preventable complications. Periprocedural assessment and critical care strategies designed specifically for obese patients are crucial for reducing morbidity and mortality during surgery and in emergency settings, critical care and other particular settings (e.g., obstetrics). Specific care is needed for airway management, as are proactive strategies to reduce the risk of cardiovascular, endocrine, metabolic and infective complications; any effort can be fruitful, including special attention to the science of human factors. The Italian Society of Anesthesia, Analgesia, Resuscitation and Intensive Care (SIAARTI) organized a consensus project involving other national scientific societies to increase risk awareness, define the best multidisciplinary approach for treating obese patients in election and emergency, and enable every hospital to provide appropriate levels of care and good clinical practices. The Obesity Project Task Force, a section of the SIAARTI Airway Management Study Group, used a formal consensus process to identify a series of notes, alerts and statements, to be adopted as bundles, to define appropriate clinical pathways for hospitalized obese patients. The consensus, approved by the Task Force and endorsed by several European scientific societies actively operating in this field, is presented herein