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Journal and News Scan
October 23, 2019
Submitted by: Jill Ley
A federal court in Minnesota has dismissed over 5000 lawsuits against 3M Bair Hugger, disagreeing with assertions by plaintiffs that forced-air warming contributes to surgical site infections (SSI). A fallout between the inventor and the company he founded contributed to the acrimony and disparate recommendations surrounding this therapy. Ultimately, the judge agreed with a preponderance of published evidence, the FDA, and independent organizations such as ECRI in concluding the benefits of forced-air warming systems outweigh potential but unproven risks of SSI due to disruption of air currents.
October 23, 2019
Submitted by: Jill Ley
A new multidisciplinary guideline for surgical attire has been issued that replaces controversial 2014 recommendations from the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN). The new standard, written by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), American College of Surgeons (ACS), AORN, and others has reversed prior mandates regarding head and arm covering, and clothing worn under scrubs, due to lack of evidence. It is anticipated that The Joint Commission and other regulatory bodies will follow these new guidelines which state, “No recommendation can be made” for the type of head covering worn, wearing long sleeves, or clothing worn underneath scrubs. The author notes significant cost savings from elimination of disposable jackets, and encourages anesthesiologists to have greater input in future policy decisions. A resurgence of the skull cap is warranted based on evidence. A key lesson from this 5-year distraction is the need for multidisciplinary collaboration by ALL stakeholders impacted by a national policy of this scope.
October 21, 2019
Submitted by: Mark Ferguson
Better cardiorespiratory fitness as quantified by treadmill exercise testing was associated with a substantially decreased likelihood of lung cancer in former smokers (77% reduction in very fit) and reduced mortality in smokers who subsequently developed lung cancer (85% reduction in very fit).
October 19, 2019
Submitted by: Aristotle Protopapas
Quite interesting to see that the incidence of revascularisation after multivessel PCA (the additional element on the second co-primary outcome) appears to have occured in more than 1% of the patients within three years...
October 18, 2019
Submitted by: Mark Ferguson
Using data from the FREEDOM (Future Revascularizaiton Evaluation in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus: Optimal Management of Multivessel Disease) trial, the authors developed an 8 variable model that predicts individual risk of major acute cardiovascular events in diabetic patients with multivessel disease. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) never outperformed CABG; the latter was superior to PCI in 54% of patients overall and in 100% of those who smoked.
October 17, 2019
Submitted by: Emily Robinson
This review offers data suggesting that intermediate-term outcomes for saphenous vein grafting are similar to those for radial artery grafts used for CABG.
October 17, 2019
Submitted by: Mark Ferguson
A coalition of international organizations dealing with cancer and sports medicine have updated recommendations, stating that exercise may help prevent cancer and can improve survival in patients with cancer. Methods of implementation are discussed.
October 17, 2019
Submitted by: Mark Ferguson
Patients with proton-pump inhibitor refractory heartburn have a multitude of underlying causes. In this randomized trial of patients with refractory heartburn, only 21% had symptoms related to gastroesophageal reflux disease. Treatments included fundoplication vs omeprazole and baclofen vs omeprazole. Success at one year was higher in the surgery group than either of the medical therapy groups (67% vs 28% vs 12%).
October 15, 2019
Submitted by: Mark Ferguson
Using gender specific thresholds for abnormalities in cardiac troponin I, the rate of injury among women increased by 42%. This did not translate into improved management of women, who remained about half as likely to undergo revascularization, receive dual antiplatet therapy, or undergo other interventions.
October 14, 2019
Submitted by: Aristotle Protopapas
A narrative review offering an intensivists' viewpoint on specific cardiovascular sequela of double-lumen anaesthesia for pulmonary resections (and by extension, implantation of donor lungs) and other cardiothoracic and vascular operations.