Flexible nasal bronchoscopy vs. Airtraq® videolaryngoscopy for awake tracheal intubation: a randomised controlled non-inferiority study

Videolaryngoscopy is a suitable alternative to flexible bronchoscopy to facilitate awake tracheal intubation. The relative effectiveness of these techniques in clinical practice is unknown. We compared flexible nasal bronchoscopy with Airtraq^® videolaryngoscopy in patients with an anticipated difficult airway scheduled for awake tracheal intubation. Patients were allocated randomly to flexible nasal bronchoscopy or videolaryngoscopy. All procedures were performed with upper airway regional anaesthesia blockade and a target-controlled intravenous infusion of remifentanil. The success rate with the allocated technique was the primary outcome. A non-inferiority analysis with a predefined limit of 8% was planned. Seventy-eight patients were recruited, allocated randomly and analysed. The rate of successful intubation was 97% and 82% in the flexible bronchoscopy and videolaryngoscopy groups, respectively, p = 0.032. The median (IQR [range]) time to tracheal intubation was shorter with the Airtraq, 163 (105-332 [40-1004]) vs. 217 (180-364 [120-780]) s, p = 0.030. There were no significant differences for complications found between the groups. The median visual analogue scale for ease of intubation was 8 (7-9 [0-10]) for Airtraq vs. 8 (7-9 [0-10]) for flexible bronchoscopy, p = 0.710. The median visual analogue scale for patient comfort for Airtraq was 8 (6-9 [2-10]) vs. 8 (7-9 [3-10]) for flexible bronchoscopy, p = 0.370. The Airtraq videolaryngoscope is not non-inferior to flexible bronchoscopy for awake tracheal intubation in a clinical setting when awake tracheal intubation is indicted. It may be a suitable alternative when judged on a case-by-case basis.

Time to medical fitness for discharge following surgical evacuation of chronic subdural haematoma with general or regional anaesthesia: a prospective randomised trial

General or regional anaesthesia can be used for chronic subdural haematoma evacuation, but no study has compared these types of anaesthesia in terms of peri-operative outcomes. This single-centre, prospective, randomised study included adult patients (age ≥ 18 years) undergoing surgical chronic subdural haematoma evacuation. Patients were randomly allocated to general (target-controlled total intravenous anaesthesia with propofol and remifentanil) or regional anaesthesia (bilateral scalp block with remifentanil sedation if required). The primary outcome measure was duration of hospital stay, based on the day patients were judged by an investigator blinded from the allocation group to be medically fit for discharge. Secondary outcomes included: rate of regional anaesthesia failure; rate of intra-operative and postoperative adverse events at 24 hours; and pain scores at 24 hours. Data from 60 patients were analysed (30 general anaesthesia and 30 regional anaesthesia). Median (IQR [range]) time until patients were judged medically fit for discharge was 3 (3-3 [2-10]) days and 3 (2-5 [2-15]) days for general and regional anaesthesia, respectively (p = 0.700). Regional anaesthesia failed in two patients. There were more intra-operative adverse events in patients who received general anaesthesia (25 vs. 11, respectively; p = 0.001). The occurrence of postoperative adverse events was similar for general and regional anaesthesia (16 vs. 13 patients, respectively; p = 0.605). In patients requiring chronic subdural haematoma evacuation, general and regional anaesthesia are comparable in terms of duration of time until medically fit for discharge and occurrence of postoperative complications. The rate of intra-operative adverse events (mainly arterial hypotension) is greater with general anaesthesia.

Diagnostic accuracy of hemoconcentration for pulmonary edema as the cause of weaning failure

BACKGROUND

Our objective was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of hemoconcentration for cardiogenic pulmonary edema (PE) as the cause of weaning failure, using left ventricular filling pressure elevation assessed by transthoracic echocardiography as the reference standard.

METHODS

This prospective observational study included 41 patients who failed their first spontaneous breathing trial of weaning from mechanical ventilation. They were divided into two groups, with and without PE by echocardiographic criteria. Hemoconcentration and other hemodynamic parameters were compared between the groups.

RESULTS

The group (N.=21) with PE by echocardiographic criteria had a higher frequency of failure of the second spontaneous breathing trial (P=0.03) and a longer total weaning time (P=0.02) compared to the other group. The receiver-operating characteristics curve indicated that changes in plasma protein or hemoglobin concentration from initiation to completion of the second spontaneous breathing trial did not predict PE as the cause of failure (areas under the receiver-operating characteristics curve, 0.47±0.09 and 0.51±0.09, respectively). The only factor predicting failure due to PE was a positive fluid balance from intensive care unit admission to study inclusion (P=0.01). The increase in mean arterial blood pressure seemed suggestive of weaning failure due to cardiac causes.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared to echocardiographic criteria for left ventricular filling pressure elevation, hemoconcentration assessed based on plasma protein and hemoglobin levels did not help to diagnose cardiogenic PE as the cause of weaning failure.

Predictive factors for a single successful cytapheresis session during the first mobilisation

To avoid repeated apheresis, the objective of this study was to analyse the predictive factors for a single successful cytapheresis during the first mobilisation. The pre-collection characteristics of 170 lymphoma and 95 myeloma patients were analysed. Among 60 lymphoma patients who had less than 30 CD34 cells/mm(3) the day before the first apheresis, an increase in the CD34 cell count between Day -1 and Day 1 was predictive of first stem cell mobilisation success, with a sensitivity of 100% if the Day 1 was higher than 30/mm(3) (10/60 patients). Success rate of obtaining an appropriate number of stem cells in one apheresis was 120 among 170 patients.

NIDCAP in preterm infants and the neurodevelopmental effect in the first 2 years

This paper has been retracted because it contained errors in the data extraction and analyses that affect the results, figures and tables. Data from a study that had been published in two different journal articles were included twice in the analyses. There was an error in the description of the measures used for neurodevelopmental testing in the reporting of the results.

Use of censored data to monitor surgical-site infections

OBJECTIVE

To take into account the proportion of patients lost to follow-up when calculating surgical-site infection (SSI) rates.

DESIGN

A multicenter SSI monitoring network in Basse-Normandie, France, using the definitions for SSI of the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

PATIENTS

Between January 1, 1998, and December 31, 1999, 3,705 patients were operated on in 25 units of 10 institutions.

RESULTS

Of the patients, 41.2% (range, 5.1% to 95.5%) were seen 30 days or more after their operation. The global SSI attack rate was 2.19% (95% confidence interval, 1.72% to 2.66%). With the use of the Kaplan-Meier method, the incidence rate was 3.11% (95% confidence interval, 3.06% to 3.16%). The difference between the attack rate and the Kaplan-Meier incidence rate for each unit varied according to the percentage of patients seen on or after day 30 postoperatively and the number of SSIs diagnosed in patients seen on or after day 30.

CONCLUSIONS

Practice guidelines are needed for the international monitoring for postdischarge SSIs and the calculation of SSI rates. The proportion of patients seen 30 days after their operation is a major quality criterion for SSI monitoring and should be routinely given in monitoring reports, oral communications, and publications to compare results obtained by different teams