Anasthesiologie Intensivmedizin Notfallmedizin Schmerztherapie 

About: Anasthesiologie Intensivmedizin Notfallmedizin Schmerztherapie is an academic journal published by Georg Thieme Verlag. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Medicine & Intensive care. It has an ISSN identifier of 0939-2661. Over the lifetime, 3022 publications have been published receiving 14998 citations. The journal is also known as: Anästhesiologie, Intensivmedizin, Notfallmedizin, Schmerztherapie & AINS. Anästhesiologie, Intensivmedizin, Notfallmedizin, Schmerztherapie (Print).

[Guidelines for preventing health-care-associated pneumonia].

Abstract: Because of the high morbidity and mortality associated with health-care-associated pneumonia, it is important to implement evidence-based prevention measures. Recently by CDC published Guidelines for Preventing Health-Care-Associated Pneumonia describe prevention measures based on evaluated studies, randomized controlled trials or meta-analyses. In this paper the most important prevention measures are given, as well as the evidence classification. "Among the changes in the recommendations to prevent bacterial pneumonia, especially ventilator-associated pneumonia, are the preferential use of or tracheal rather than naso-tracheal tubes in patients who receive mechanically assisted ventilation, the use of noninvasive ventilation to reduce the need for and duration of endotracheal intubation, changing the breathing circuits of ventilators when they malfunction or are visibly contaminated, and (when feasible) the use of an endotracheal tube with a dorsal lumen to allow drainage of respiratory secretions."

[Development of opioid tolerance -- molecular mechanisms and clinical consequences].

Abstract: Introduction One often identified effect of opioid administration is that of the development of tolerance to the analgesic effect. While it is generally agreed that tolerance to opioid analgesia does occur, it does not appear to be a limiting factor. Dose escalation in chronic pain therapy is considered to be predominantly a consequence of increasing pain, which is a result of increasing nociceptive input as the disease progresses. The underlying cause of tolerance to opioids, however, as commonly identified in the ICU can be identified as an adaptation process. When the opioid is given continuously several causes of adaptation can be identified, all of which can be traced back to the cellular and molecular level. Receptor related changes involved in tolerance Initial effects of opioid administration in most individuals are analgesia, sedation, nausea/vomiting, respiratory depression, pupillary constriction, constipation and euphoria or dysphoria. However, numerous studies and clinical experience suggest that tolerance to different opioid effects develop at different rates, which has been termed selective tolerance. While tolerance to nausea, vomiting, sedation, euphoria and respiratory depression occur rapidly, there is minimal development of tolerance to constipation and miosis. Such diversity suggest receptor-related differences in the speed of development of tolerance. In the ICU other compounds such as benzodiazepines, when given together with opioids, seem to speed up the rate of development of tolerance of the latter. Such an effect very likely is due to a reduction in activity of the descending inhibitory nervous system. In addition, there is surmountable data suggesting that the higher the intrinsic activity of the opioid at only one receptor site, lesser receptors are needed in order to induce a potent analgesic effect. As a net result the incidence of tolerance is less likely to become clinically apparent when potent ligands such as fentanyl or sufentanil are administered. N-METHYL-D-ASPARTATE (NMDA) ACTIVATION, OPIOID RECEPTOR INTERNALIZATION AND DESENSITIZATION: An altered metabolism has little effect on the rate of development of tolerance. In chronic pain treatment with morphine, however, an increased ratio of the metabolite morphine-3-glucuronide, with antiopioid effects, to morphine-6-glucuronide is associated with staggering doses of the analgesic. Opioids which interact with micro - and/or kappa-binding sites, demonstrate an adaptation process called desensitization which is due to a reduced interaction with the internal second messenger system called G-protein. This is only a short-lived phenomenon following binding of the ligand. Another underlying mechanism of tolerance development is that of internalization of the opioid receptors. This short-lived phenomenon, termed endocytosis, results in lesser binding sites available for the mediation of analgesia. Another and more relevant mechanism of long-term opioid binding is that of subsequent protein kinase C (PKC), phospholipase C (PLC) translocation and activation of nitric oxide synthetase (NOS). All of this contributes to a N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor activation with ensuing antiopioid effect and tolerance. Clinical consequences following the development of tolerance Most likely genetic difference in opioid receptor synthesis and difference in their affinities for various ligands is the cause for the wide margin of dose variability in patients (genetic polymorphism). Once tolerance to the analgesic effect of the opioid is observed and in order to avoid unnecessary further development of tolerance, simultaneous administration of other receptor mediated analgesics is advocated. In the perioperative period strategies like the multimodal analgesic concept is fostered. It consists of the simultaneous administration of low-dose ketamine, co-administration of an alpha 2-agonist, and the administration of a selective COX-2 inhibitor (refecoxib, parecoxib) respectively. In chronic pain therapy combined administration with either dextromethorpharphane, or opioid rotation of a more potent ligand such as methadone, fentanyl TTS or oxycodone is suggested. Since conversion factors are not reliable in opioid rotation, it is best to start off with 50 % of the equivalent dose and rapidly titrate to the desired effect. With regard to tolerance development in the ICU, co-administration of an alpha 2-agonist (clonidine, dexmedetomidine), and daily intermittent cessation of benzodiazepine administration are advocated. Since continuous dosing of an opioid, commonly handled in the ICU setting is more likely to induce tolerance, intermittent administration is advocated. Taken together, there is an abundance of experimental data which suggests, that with every dose of an opioid several adaptive processes are being initiated. Due to genetic polymorphism such adaptation is seen clinically with striking individual different dosages, the degree and the time of onset of tolerance. Although tolerance development may result in staggering doses of an opioid, there is no reason to evade the use of such agents. On the contrary, the concept of multimodal analgesia consisting of the simultaneous use of analgesics with a different mode of action can counteract tolerance development.

[Transfusion-transmitted infections].

Abstract: Although the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections today is lower than ever, the supply of safe blood products remains subject to contamination with known and yet to be identified human pathogens. Only continuous improvement and implementation of donor selection, sensitive screening tests and effective inactivation procedures can ensure the elimination, or at least reduction, of the risk of acquiring transfusion transmitted infections. In addition, ongoing education and up-to-date information regarding infectious agents that are potentially transmitted via blood components is necessary to promote the reporting of adverse events, an important component of transfusion transmitted disease surveillance. Thus, the collaboration of all parties involved in transfusion medicine, including national haemovigilance systems, is crucial for protecting a secure blood product supply from known and emerging blood-borne pathogens. Background Although there are early reports in the history of medicine that describe attempts to treat patients with human or animal blood products, transfusion medicine is a relatively young field that has developed only since the second half of the last century. Very rapidly, however, it became clear that these therapeutic approaches also carried their problems, such as the (in-)compatibility of red blood cells and plasma between donors and recipients, and the possibility of transmitting infectious diseases [1,2]. While in the past, the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections (TTI) was accepted by patients and physicians as unavoidable, a low-risk blood supply is expected today. Since the early nineteen sixties, blood banks, as well as plasma manufacturing industries, have aggressively pursued strategies to reduce the risks of TTI. In particular, donor exclusion criteria, such as a history of hepatitis or transfusions in the past six months have been in place since early on. Today, donor evaluation, laboratory screening tests and pathogen inactivation procedures are considered crucial tools to reduce the risk of TTI, but do not completely eliminate all risk. At the same time these advances have moved transfusion medicine towards increasingly safer products, at steadily escalating costs and thus leading to major differences in transfusion product safety between wealthy and poor countries. The current efforts and strategies have greatly helped reduce transfusion-associated risks. Indeed, the risk of being infected by a contaminated blood unit today is orders of magnitude lower when compared to thirty years ago (Table 1). A considerable portion of this improvePublished: 6 June 2007 Journal of Translational Medicine 2007, 5:25 doi:10.1186/1479-5876-5-25 Received: 18 May 2007 Accepted: 6 June 2007 This article is available from: http://www.translational-medicine.com/content/5/1/25 © 2007 Bihl et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.