Randomized studies are still necessary.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Annick Steib.
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PURPOSE: To review laboratory investigations required for the diagnosis of a constitutional or acquired defect of hemostasis before surgery, or during the perioperative period in context of rapid evolution and possible therapeutic adjustment. METHODS: A review of the literature. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Systematic preoperative screening is poorly efficient. It should be restricted to patients selected on clinical history and physical examination. Intra- and postoperative investigation is oriented by the clinical circumstances. In most instances, laboratory investigation is organized as hierarchical steps, the first one including a platelet count, a prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time. According to the results of these assays and to the clinical circumstances, further tests specific of primary hemostasis, coagulation or fibrinolysis are performed. Point of care (POC) monitoring has been developed more recently for the investigation of a perioperative bleeding. Several tests examine platelet functions, others measure whole blood activated partial thromboplastin time or prothrombin time and some explore global hemostasis, allowing the detection of excessive fibrinolysis. Point of care testing provides a rapid and valuable answer but, if one accepts the monitoring of unfractionated heparin during extracorporeal circulation, most assays have not been properly validated. CONCLUSION: The investigation of hemostasis at the central laboratory and POC testing have distinct objectives. The utility of the former for the diagnosis and the adjustment of therapeutics have been well demonstrated. In contrast, the experience with POC testing is relatively recent, and its utility for patient management remains to be demonstrated in proper clinical trials.
PURPOSE: As the number of patients taking vitamin K antagonists (VKA) is growing, the clinician is increasingly faced with having to make decisions regarding anticoagulation therapy before, during and immediately after surgery. In this article we review the indications for VKA and assess their use in the perioperative period based on available pharmacological and clinical data. SOURCE: An on-line computerized search of Medline was conducted limited to English and French language articles. The bibliographies of relevant articles and additional material from other published sources were retrieved and reviewed. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Assessment of patients taking VKA who need surgery must include three factors: 1) the indication for anticoagulation, which determines the thromboembolic risk; 2) the pharmacokinetics of VKA, which determine the moment at which treatment should be discontinued; and 3) the type of surgery, which determines the hemorrhagic risk. Some patients will need to stop VKA treatment and start a substitution or "bridging" anticoagulant therapy, such as unfractionated heparin or low molecular weight heparin, prior to and after surgery. In patients requiring emergency surgery, prothrombin complex concentrate can be used to improve coagulation and is preferable to, although more expensive than fresh frozen plasma. CONCLUSIONS: For the perioperative setting, further studies are required to determine the optimal substitution ("bridging") regimen and the clinical circumstances that necessitate substitution therapy.
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Pediatric strabismus surgery leads to undesirable intraoperative and postoperative side effects that include pain, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), and oculocardiac reflex (OCR). We hypothesized that subtenon anesthesia performed before the start of surgery and combined with general intravenous anesthesia would reduce these adverse effects. METHODS: Forty children (2.5 to 6 years of age, ASA status I to II) were prospectively randomized to receive either subtenon bupivacaine 0.5% or a saline injection before the beginning of surgery in a double-blind manner. Perioperative analgesic requirements, pain scores (CHEOPS scale), hemodynamics, and incidence of OCR and PONV were compared. RESULTS: Postoperative pain scores were lower (P < .001) at removal of the laryngeal mask and 30 minutes later in the bupivacaine group. Intraoperative and postoperative analgesic requirements were significantly reduced in this group (P < .01). The incidence of OCR and PONV were also significantly decreased (P < .01). Intraoperative values of blood pressure were significantly higher in the saline group at 20 minutes (P < .02). CONCLUSION: We conclude that preoperative subtenon bupivacaine 0.5% compared with a saline injection contributed to reduction of perioperative pain and undesirable side effects in pediatric strabismus surgery performed under general anesthesia.