Hippocrates is alive and weaning in Brazil

In a group of postoperative patients, Taniguchi and coworkers compared the effect of a computerized system for weaning against 'manual care'. The computerized system involved automatic adjustments to the level of pressure support to achieve a target respiratory rate. Manual care involved adjustments to the level of pressure support to keep the ratio of respiratory frequency to tidal volume below 80. The duration of ventilator weaning was equivalent with the two approaches. The level of pressure support, however, was lower with manual care than with computerized ventilation. The study adds support to the notion that ventilator duration is shortened when weaning is contemplated at the earliest possible time. The findings also emphasize the importance of the Hippocratic dictum that patient outcome is improved when care is individualized rather than delivered according to a protocol

Cytoreductive Surgery For Intestinal Cancer Patients Metastatic To Ovaries Presenting As Primary Ovarian Cancer

Colorectal cancer accounts for one third of non-genital tumors metastasize to the ovaries. We aimed to investigate the role of cytoreductive surgery in colon and small intestinal cancer patients with adnexal metastases, which were operated as primary epithelial ovarian cancer. This analysis included 26 patients with adnexal metastasis from colon and distal ileum, patients presented as primary ovarian cancer cases and were operated upon in Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Hospital, Gynecologic Oncology Unit between 2008 and 2014. Patients with history of intestinal cancers were not included in the study. The median age of patients was 54 (range= 26-77). Among all patients, 63% were premenopausal and 37% were postmenopausal. Most common presenting symptom was abdominal distention (80%). Optimal cytoreduction was performed in 21 patients. Right hemicolon was the primary site of tumor in 8 patients, while recto-sigmoid and appendiceal tumors were present in 7 and 7 patients, respectively. Isolated ovarian metastases were found in 6 patients, the remaining 20 patients had peritoneal carcinomatosis. Median follow-up was 25 months (ranging 3-59). In total, 11 patients died, of them, two patients had isolated ovarian metastasis, while the remaining nine patients had peritoneal carcinomatosis. Estimated median overall survival was 36.8 months (95% CI= 28.6-45.1 months). Median overall survival of patients who underwent cytoreductive surgery was not reached (36.8+ months), compared with 18.3 (95% CI= 0.0-46.4) months for patients with suboptimal cytoreductive surgery (p= 0.008). This retrospective study showed that cytoreductive surgery might have beneficial effect in selected patients with intestinal cancer metastatic to the adnexal.WoSScopu

Management of kyphoscoliosis patients with respiratory failure in the intensive care unit and during long term follow up

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We aimed to evaluate the ICU management and long-term outcomes of kyphoscoliosis patients with respiratory failure.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A retrospective observational cohort study was performed in a respiratory ICU and outpatient clinic from 2002–2011. We enrolled all kyphoscoliosis patients admitted to the ICU and followed-up at regular intervals after discharge. Reasons for acute respiratory failure (ARF), ICU data, mortality, length of ICU stay and outpatient clinic data, non-invasive ventilation (NIV) device settings, and compliance were recorded. NIV failure in the ICU and the long term effect of NIV on pulmonary performance were analyzed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Sixty-two consecutive ICU kyphoscoliosis patients with ARF were enrolled in the study. NIV was initially applied to 55 patients, 11 (20%) patients were intubated, and the majority had sepsis and septic shock (p < 0.001). Mortality in the ICU was 14.5% (n = 9), reduced pH, IMV, and sepsis/septic shock were significantly higher in the non-survivors (p values 0.02, 0.02, 0.028, 0.012 respectively). Among 46 patients attending the outpatient clinic, 17 were lost to follow up and six were died. The six minute walk distance was significantly increased in the final follow up (306 m versus 419 m, p < 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We strongly discourage the use of NIV in the case of septic shock in ICU kyphoscoliosis patients with ARF. Pulmonary performance improved with NIV during long term follow up.</p

Türkiye’de nonvalvüler atriyum fibrilasyonlu hastalarda vitamin K antagonisti ve yeni oral antikoagülan kullanımı uygulamalarını değerlendirmek için epidemiyolojik çalışma - AFTER*-2 çalışması dizaynı

Amaç: Atriyum fibrilasyonu (AF) önlenebilir iskemik inmenin en sık nedenlerinden biri olup artmış kardiyovasküler morbidite ve mortaliteyle ilişkilidir. Ülkemizde yeni oral antikoagülan kullanım sıklığı, vitamin K antagonisti kullanan hastalarda Uluslararası Düzeltme Oranı’nın (INR) etkin düzeyde kalma oranı ve AF tedavi yönetimi ile ilgili büyük bir çalışma mevcut değildir. Bu çok merkezli çalışmada amacımız nonvalvüler AF hastalarında epidemiyolojik verilerin analizi, takibi ve değerlendirilmesidir. Çalışma planı: Kırk iki merkezden elektrokardiyografisinde en az bir defa AF atağı tespit edilmiş ardışık 4100 erişkin hasta çalışmaya alınacaktır. Romatizmal mitral darlığı ve protez kapak hastalığı olan AF hastaları çalışmaya alınmayacaktır. Hastalar birinci yılın sonunda majör kardiyak sonlanım noktaları (ölüm, geçici iskemik atak, inme, sistemik tromboembolizm, majör kanama ve hastane yatışı) açısından değerlendirilecektir. Bulgular: İlk sonuçlar Haziran 2015 yılında bekleniyor. Majör kardiyak sonlanım noktaları açısından veriler Ocak 2016’da elde edilecektir. Sonuç: AFTER-2 çalışması ile ülkemizdeki non-valvüler AF hastalarının oral antikoagülan tedavi kullanım sıklığı ve çeşidi, varfarin alan hastalarda etkin INR düzeylerinde kalma oranı ve benimsenen tedavi yönetimi belirlenecektir. Ayrıca, ülkemizde AF’li hastalarda majör istenmeyen olay sıklığı ve bu olayların bağımsız belirteçleri de ortaya çıkarılacaktır (AFTER-2 Study ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02354456). Anahtar Kelimeler: Antikoagülan ilaç; atriyum fibrilasyonu/epidemiyoloji; ilaç kullanımı; elektrokardiyografi; uluslararası düzeltme oranı; varfarin.Objectives: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most common causes opreventable ischemic stroke and is related to increased cardiovasculamorbidity and mortality. There is a lack of data in Turkey on the use onew oral anticoagulants (NOACs), and time in therapeutic INR range (TTR) in vitamin K antagonist users and AF management modalityIn this multi-center trial, we aimed to analyze, follow and evaluate the epidemiological data in non-valvular AF patients. Study design: Four thousand one hundred consecutive adulpatients from 42 centers with at least one AF attack identified on electrocardiography will be included in the study. Patients with rheumatic mitral valve stenosis and prosthetic valve disease will be excluded from the study. At the end of one year, the patients will be evaluated in terms of major cardiac end points (death, transient ischemic attack, strokesystemic thromboembolism, major bleeding and hospitalization). Results: First results are expected in June 2015. Data about majocardiovascular end-points will be available in January 2016. Conclusion: The rates and kind of oral anticoagulant use, TTR in vitamin K antagonist users and main management modality applied in non-valvular AF patients will be determined by AFTER-2 studyIn addition, the rate of major adverse events (MACEs) and the independent predictors of these MACEs will be detected (AFTER-2 Study ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02354456.)