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As atelectasis occurs in most patients during general anaesthesia and may be one of the major causes for the development of hypoxaemia and nosocomial pneumonia, its prevention may be considered as an important objective in perioperative management. The major causative mechanisms are the loss of respiratory muscle tone, compression and gas absorption. Vital capacity maneuvers have been proposed as a means to eliminate atelectasis in the vast majority of" patients and restore normal pulmonary gas exchange during general anaesthesia. In this review we describe the pathogenesis of atelectasis in the perioperative period and discuss in the light of recent published investigations the suitability of the vital capacity manoeuvre as a tool during general anaesthesia. Reviewing the current literature, a vital capacity manoeuvre during general anaesthesia may only be useful under specific circumstances when mechanical ventilation with a high inspiratory fraction of oxygen is required or during cardiac surgery at the end of cardiopulmonary bypass to reduce the amount of atelectasis and to maintain adequate gas exchange. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objective; Endogenous catecholamines are released in brain-dead organ donors following painful stimulation during retrieval surgery, and might be harmful to harvested organs. Our hypothesis was that inhibition of pain by fentanyl would inhibit such catecholamine release. Methods: We tested 17 brain-dead organ donors in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded study. Blood samples for determination of epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations were obtained before and l0min after in take of either fentanyl 7 (μ)g kg[&sup-1]) or an equivalent volume of placebo. Further points of measurement were taken after skin incision and sternotomy. Mean arterial pressure and heart race at these points were recorded. Results: Catecholamine concentrations rose following painful stimuli. No differences in haemodynamics, between the fentanyl and the placebo group were detectable. Epinephrine concentrations, but not those of norepinephrine, were higher in the fentanyl group, reaching significance following sternotomy. Conclusion: We conclude that the use of fentanyl (7 μg kg [sup-1]) was not effective in suppressing the catecholamine release, following painful surgical stimulation in brain-dead organ donors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients treated with total knee arthroplasty are at high risk for the development of venous thromboembolism postoperatively. This study compared the efficacy and safety of two common thromboprophylactic agents, enoxaparin (a low-molecular-weight heparin) and warfarin.Methods: Three hundred and forty-nine patients were included in a prospective, randomized, multicenter, open-label, parallel-group clinical trial. Treatment with enoxaparin (30 mg, administered subcutaneously twice daily) or warfarin (adjusted to an international normalized ratio of 2 to 3) was initiated during the immediate postoperative period, within eight hours after the surgery, and was continued for four to fourteen days. Venous thromboembolism was defined as deep-vein thrombosis documented by contrast venography, symptomatic deep-vein thrombosis documented by lower-extremity ultrasonography, or symptomatic pulmonary embolism confirmed by a positive lung scan or pulmonary angiography.Results: In the all-treated-patients group, eighty (45%) of the 176 warfarin-treated patients had venous thromboembolism: fifty-nine (34%) had distal deep-vein thrombosis; twenty (11%), proximal deep-vein thrombosis; and one (0.6%), pulmonary embolism. Venous thromboembolism developed in significantly fewer (p = 0.0001) enoxaparin-treated patients (forty-four of 173; 25%): forty-one (24%) had distal deep-vein thrombosis, three (2%) had proximal deep-vein thrombosis, and none had pulmonary embolism. The enoxaparin-treated patients also had a significantly lower prevalence of proximal deep-vein thrombosis (p = 0.002). The estimated odds for the development of venous thromboembolism were 2.52 times greater (95% confidence interval, 2.00 to 3.19) with warfarin than they were with enoxaparin. Major hemorrhage occurred in four warfarin-treated patients and nine enoxaparin-treated patients; with the numbers available, this difference was not significant (p = 0.17). Clinically important operative-site hemorrhage occurred in six (3%) of the warfarin-treated patients and twelve (7%) of the enoxaparin-treated patients (p = 0.15).Conclusions: A fixed 30-mg subcutaneous dose of enoxaparin, administered twice daily, with the first dose administered within eight hours after the completion of surgery, was significantly more effective than adjusted-dose warfarin in reducing the occurrence of asymptomatic venous thromboembolism, including proximal deep-vein thrombosis, in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty. With the numbers available, there was no significant difference between groups with regard to the occurrence of major hemorrhagic complications; however, the rate of overall hemorrhagic complications was higher in the enoxaparin group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although several agents have been shown to reduce the risk of thromboembolic disease, there is no clear preference for thromboembolic prophylaxis in elective total hip arthroplasty. The purpose of this study was to define the efficacy and safety of the agents that are currently used for prophylaxis against deep venous thrombosis -- namely, low-molecular-weight heparin, warfarin, aspirin, low-dose heparin, and pneumatic compression.Methods: A Medline search identified all randomized, controlled trials, published from January 1966 to May 1998, that compared the use of one of the prophylactic agents with the use of any other agent or a placebo in patients undergoing elective total hip arthroplasty. For a study to be included in our analysis, bilateral venography had to have been performed to confirm the presence or absence of deep venous thrombosis. Fifty-two studies, in which 10,929 patients had been enrolled, met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. The rates of distal, proximal, and total (distal and proximal) deep venous thrombosis; symptomatic and fatal pulmonary embolism; minor and major wound-bleeding complications; major non-wound bleeding complications; and total mortality were determined for each agent in each study. The absolute risk of each outcome was determined by dividing the number of events by the number of patients at risk. A general linear model with random effects was used to calculate the 95 percent confidence interval of risk. A crosstabs of study by outcome was performed to test homogeneity (ability to combine studies). The risk of each outcome was compared among agents and between each agent and the placebo.Results: With prophylaxis, the risk of total (proximal and distal) deep venous thrombosis ranged from 17.7 percent (low-molecular-weight heparin) to 31.1 percent (low-dose heparin); the risk with prophylaxis with any agent was significantly lower than the risk with the placebo (48.5 percent) (p < 0.0001). The risk of proximal deep venous thrombosis was lowest with warfarin (6.3 percent) and low-molecular-weight heparin (7.7 percent), and again the risk with any prophylactic agent was significantly lower than the risk with the placebo (25.8 percent) (p < 0.0001). Compared with the risk with the placebo (1.51 percent), only warfarin (0.16 percent), pneumatic compression (0.26 percent), and low-molecular-weight heparin (0.36 percent) were associated with a significantly lower risk of symptomatic pulmonary embolism. There were no significant differences among agents with regard to the risk of fatal pulmonary embolism or of mortality with any cause. The risk of minor wound-bleeding was significantly higher with low-molecular-weight heparin (8.9 percent) and low-dose heparin (7.6 percent) than it was with the placebo (2.2 percent) (p < 0.05). Compared with the risk with the placebo (0.28 percent), only low-dose heparin was associated with a significantly higher risk of major wound-bleeding (2.56 percent) and total major bleeding (3.46 percent) (p < 0.0001).Conclusions: The best prophylactic agent in terms of both efficacy and safety was warfarin, followed by pneumatic compression, and the least effective and safe was low-dose heparin. Warfarin provided the lowest risk of both proximal deep venous thrombosis and symptomatic pulmonary embolism. However, there were no identifiable significant differences in the rates of fatal pulmonary embolism or death among the agents. Significant risks of minor and major bleeding complications were observed with greater frequency with certain prophylactic agents, particularly low-molecular-weight heparin (minor bleeding) and low-dose heparin (both major and minor bleeding). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comments on the utilization of the APACHE II and III scoring systems to evaluate disease severity in intensive care patients. Discussion on post-surgical care; Views on emergency surgery.

Procalcitonin, a new innovative inflammation parameter is presently being evaluated in clinical studies. It has been shown to be increased markedly in patients with severe bacteria induced inflammation, septic shock, endotoxinaemia and multiple organ failure. In contrast, severe viral infections or inflammatory reactions of non-infectious origin as well as autoimmune or allergic disorders do not or only very moderately increase procalcitonin serum levels. Because procalcitonin is observed at significantly higher concentrations in bacterial infections, it might assist differentiation between these infections and other aetiologies of critical illnesses. Furthermore, procalcitonin correlates with the severity of infection and sepsis and thus could serve as a useful marker for monitoring surgical high risk patients. Procalcitonin may serve as a valid and sensitive indicator for bacterial infection with important diagnostic potential in the peri-operative period and in intensive care medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neuromuscular early-onset scoliosis (N-EOS) often presents with a long sweeping thoracolumbar scoliosis and pelvic obliquity. With severe pelvic obliquity, the ribs come into contact with the high side of the pelvis, termed rib-on-pelvis deformity (ROP). The goal of this study is to evaluate whether ROP is associated with reported pain and other health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measures. We hypothesize that ROP is associated with increased pain and negative HRQOL., Methods: A multicenter international registry was queried for all nonambulatory patients with N-EOS from 2012 to 2022. Both surgical and nonsurgical patients were included. ROP was classified as a binary radiographic assessment of preoperative (surgical patients) and most recent follow-up (nonsurgical patients) upright radiographs. Reported pain and other HRQOL measures were assessed through the 24-Item Early Onset Scoliosis Questionnaire (EOSQ-24). Patients with nonupright radiographs or EOSQ-24 questionnaires and corresponding radiographs >4 months apart were excluded., Results: Totally, 225 patients (8.4±3.1 y, 55% female) were included. The median major curve was 63.3 (IQR: 40.6 to 81.2) degrees and median pelvic obliquity was 15.5 degrees (IQR: 8.8 to 26.4). Eighty-three patients (37%) had ROP. ROP was associated with both frequency ( P <0.001) and severity ( P <0.001) of pain. ROP was associated with worse general health ( P =0.01), increased difficulty with vocalization ( P =0.02), increased frequency of shortness of breath ( P =0.002), and increased difficulty sitting upright ( P =0.04). Regarding overall EOSQ-24 domains, ROP was associated with worse general health, pain/discomfort, pulmonary function, and physical function ( P <0.01). In a subanalysis of 76 patients who underwent surgical intervention with at least 2 years of follow-up, patients with preoperative ROP experienced significantly greater improvements in both frequency ( P =0.004) and severity ( P =0.001) of pain than the patients without preoperative ROP at 2 years postoperatively., Conclusions: The overall incidence of ROP in N-EOS is about 37%. ROP is associated with greater pain and worse HRQOL through the EOSQ-24 questionnaire. Furthermore, these patients experienced a greater reduction in pain after surgery. Clinicians and parents must be aware that ROP is possibly a pain generator, but responds positively to surgical intervention., Level of Evidence: Level III., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: The authors disclose no conflict of interest.

Objective: Early treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can improve developmental outcomes. Children with ASD from minority families often receive services later. We explored factors related to child's age at time of mother's first concerns about child's development and subsequent time to service initiation among children with ASD., Methods: Analysis included 759 preschool-age children classified with ASD based on comprehensive evaluations. Factors associated with retrospectively reported child age at time of first maternal concern and subsequent time to service initiation were investigated using multiple linear regression and Cox proportional hazards., Results: Earlier maternal concern was associated with multiparity, ≥1 child chronic condition, externalizing behaviors, and younger gestational age, but not race/ethnicity. Time to service initiation was longer for children of non-Latino Black or other than Black or White race and higher developmental level and shorter for children with ≥1 chronic condition and older child age at first maternal concern., Conclusion: Parity, gestational age, and child health and behavior were associated with child age at first maternal concern. Knowledge of child development in multiparous mothers may allow them to recognize potential concerns earlier, suggesting that first time parents may benefit from enhanced education about normal development. Race/ethnicity was not associated with child's age when mothers recognized potential developmental problems; hence, it is unlikely that awareness of ASD symptoms causes racial/ethnic disparities in initiation of services. Delays in time to service initiation among children from racial/ethnic minority groups highlight the need to improve their access to services as soon as developmental concerns are recognized., Competing Interests: Disclosure: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Written work prepared by employees of the Federal Government as part of their official duties is, under the U.S. Copyright Act, a “work of the United States Government” for which copyright protection under Title 17 of the United States Code is not available. As such, copyright does not extend to the contributions of employees of the Federal Government.)

Objectives: The goal of this human factors engineering-led improvement initiative was to examine whether the independent double check (IDC) during administration of high alert medications afforded improved patient safety when compared with a single check process., Methods: The initiative was completed at a 24-bed pediatric intensive care unit and included all patients who were on the unit and received a medication historically requiring an IDC. The total review examined 37,968 high-risk medications administrations to 4417 pediatric intensive care unit patients over a 40-month period. The following 5 measures were reviewed: (1) rates of reported medication administration events involving IDC medications; (2) hospital length of stay; (3) patient mortality; (4) nurses' favorability toward single checking; and (5) nursing time spent on administration of IDC medications., Results: The rate of reported medication administration events involving IDC medications was not significantly different across the groups (95% confidence interval, 0.02%-0.08%; P = 0.4939). The intervention also did not significantly alter mortality ( P = 0.8784) or length of stay ( P = 0.4763) even after controlling for the patient demographic variables. Nursing favorability for single checking increased from 59% of nurses in favor during the double check phase, to 94% by the end of the single check phase. Each double check took an average of 9.7 minutes, and a single check took an average of 1.94 minutes., Conclusions: Our results suggest that performing independent double checks on high-risk medications administered in a pediatric ICU setting afforded no impact on reported medication events compared with single checking., Competing Interests: The authors disclose no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Talipes equinovarus (TEV) can be an isolated idiopathic deformity or associated with various syndromes. The purpose of our study was to examine the demographics of TEV in Indiana. All TEV patients from 2010 to 2019 from our institution were reviewed, recording standard demographic variables. The socioeconomic level of the family was determined using the 2018 Area Deprivation Index (ADI). There were 568 patients; 456 had idiopathic TEV and 112 syndromic. Within the idiopathic group, 69.1% were male, 92.1% were typical and 7.9% were atypical. Medical issues during the pregnancy occurred in 19.5%, maternal smoking in 2.9%, hypertension in 3.9% and diabetes in 5.3%. The most common syndromic patients were myelomeningocele (29%) and arthrogryposis (17%). Patients with syndromic TEV had more bilateral involvement (68.2% vs. 45.2%) and other associated congenital deformities (67.0% vs. 11.4%). TEV was less common in Hispanics and Asians but more common in Whites and Blacks ( P  = 0.003). Complex TEVs were less frequent in White (6.9%) and Black (5.0%) and more common in Hispanic (30%) children ( P  = 0.0002). The ADI demonstrated no difference in prevalence across socioeconomic levels. There were no differences by state ADI levels for TEV type (syndromic/idiopathic), sex, maternal smoking or illicit drug use, or typical/complex TEV. This study is the first to describe the demographics of TEV in Indiana, demographic differences between typical and complex types of clubfeet, and TEV patients using the ADI. TEV did not show any difference in prevalence by socioeconomic level., (Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Congenital myopathies (CMs) are complex conditions often associated with early-onset scoliosis (EOS). The purpose of this study was to investigate radiographic outcomes in CM patients undergoing EOS instrumentation as well as complications. Secondarily, we sought to compare these patients to a population with higher prevalence, cerebral palsy (CP) EOS patients., Methods: This is a retrospective study of a prospectively collected multicenter registry. The registry was queried for EOS patients with growth-sparing instrumentation (vertical expandable prosthetic titanium ribs, magnetically controlled growing rods, traditional growing rod, or Shilla) and a CM or CP diagnosis with minimum 2 years follow-up. Outcomes included major curve magnitude, T1-S1 height, kyphosis, and complications., Results: Sixteen patients with CM were included. Six (37.5%) children with CM experienced 11 complications by 2 years. Mean major curve magnitude for CM patients was improved postoperatively and maintained at 2 years (P<0.01), with no significant increase in T1-S1 height or maximum kyphosis(P>0.05). Ninety-seven patients with CP EOS were included as a comparative cohort. Fewer CP patients required baseline respiratory support compared with CM patients (20.0% vs. 92.9%, P<0.01). Fifty-four (55.7%) CP patients experienced a total of 105 complications at 2 years. There was no evidence that the risk of complication or radiographic outcomes differs between cohorts at 2 years, though CP EOS patients experienced significant improvement in all measurements at 2 years., Conclusions: EOS CM children face a high risk of complication after growing instrumentation, with similar curve correction and risk of complication to CP patients., Level of Evidence: Level III., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

The clinical approach towards the midface is one of the most important interventions for practitioners when treating age-related changes of the face. Currently a plethora of procedures are used and presented. However, few of these approaches have been validated or passed review board assigned evaluations. Therefore, it is the aim of this work to establish a guideline manual for practitioners for a safe and effective mid-face treatment based on the most current concepts of facial anatomy. The latter is based on the 5-layered structural arrangement and its understanding is the key towards the favoured outcome and for minimizing complications.

Background: Aging of the face, neck, and décolletage is a multifactorial process involving epidermal photodamage and loss of soft tissue and bony volume. Multilevel rejuvenation of these areas can be obtained by enhancing volume restoration, neocollagenesis, and tissue contraction with combined efficacy of poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) and microfocused ultrasound (MFU, Ultherapy) treatments., Methods: The authors reviewed the use of PLLA and MFUs as collaborative modalities to improve the appearance of the face, neck, and décolletage., Results: Experienced cosmetic dermatology centers deliver PLLA and MFU in a single session to target multiple tissue planes., Conclusions: Concurrent treatment with PLLA and MFUs can be performed efficiently and safely; however, additional research is needed to explore the synergistic effects of these treatments. Patients may also benefit from decreased overall downtime and necessary office visits.

Summary: : The American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Academy of Dermatology, with the support of other sister societies, conducted the Facial Soft-Tissue Fillers: Assessing the State of the Science conference in December of 2009. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Academy of Dermatology established a panel of leading experts in the field of soft-tissue fillers-from researchers to clinicians-and other stakeholders for the conference to examine and discuss issues of patient safety, efficacy, and effectiveness in relation to the approved and off-label use of soft-tissue fillers, and other factors, including the training and level of experience of individuals administering fillers. This report represents the systematic literature review that examines comprehensively the available evidence and gaps in the evidence related to soft-tissue fillers, to inform and support the work of the state-of-the-science conference panel. This evidence-based medicine review will serve as the foundation for future evidence-based medicine reports in this growing field.

Objectives: To determine whether pulse oximetry is accurate and if it correlates with arterial blood gas saturation in pediatric patients with sickle cell anemia., Design: Prospective, comparative study using a convenience sample of patients with sickle cell anemia who had simultaneous arterial blood gas sampling and pulse oximetry., Setting: Children's Memorial Hospital, a large tertiary care pediatric hospital in Chicago, IL. Patients selected from the emergency department and the pediatric intensive care unit., Patients: Twenty-four consecutive patients with sickle cell anemia who had simultaneous arterial blood gas sampling and pulse oximetry., Measurements and Main Results: Twenty-four patients had a total of 70 simultaneous pulse oximeter and blood gas pair samples. Each patient's initial pulse oximeter/blood gas pair was used in the statistical analysis. Three patients had venous samples and were excluded from comparison, leaving 21 arterial blood gas/pulse oximeter pairs for analysis. The pulse oximeter correlated well with the cooximeter-measured arterial saturation (r(2) =.74). The pulse oximeter significantly underestimated saturation by a mean of -1.6% (95% confidence interval, -0.3 to -3; p =.03)., Conclusions: Pulse oximetry correlates well with cooximeter-measured saturation in patients with sickle cell anemia. Pulse oximetry significantly underestimates true arterial saturation, but the bias is clinically insignificant. Pulse oximetry can be used reliably to estimate the arterial oxygen saturation in patients with sickle cell anemia.

Direct current auditory evoked potentials (DC-AEPs) are a sensitive indicator of depth of anesthesia in animals. However, they have never been investigated in humans. To assess the potential usefulness of DC-AEPs as an indicator of anesthesia in humans, we performed an explorative study in which DC-AEPs were recorded during propofol and methohexital anesthesia in humans. DC-AEPs were recorded via 22 scalp electrodes in 19 volunteers randomly assigned to receive either propofol or methohexital. DC-AEPs were evoked by binaurally presented 2-s, 60-dB, 800-Hz tones; measurements were taken during awake baseline, anesthesia, and emergence. Statistical analysis included analysis of variance and discriminant analysis of data acquired during these three conditions. About 500 ms after stimulus presentation, DC-AEPs could be observed. These potentials were present only during baseline and emergence-not during anesthesia. Statistically significant differences were found between baseline and anesthesia and between anesthesia and emergence. In conclusion, similar effects, as reported in animal studies of anesthetics on the DC-AEPs, could be observed in anesthetized humans. These results demonstrate that DC-AEPs are potentially useful in the assessment of cortical function during anesthesia and might qualify the method for monitoring anesthesia in humans.

We describe a case of neurological symptoms after the intrathecal use of an opioid. These symptoms were not reversible by the use of an opioid-antagonist.

Unlabelled: In a prospective, randomized, and controlled trial, we compared the stress responses after insertion of the Combitube (CT; Kendall-Sheridan Catheter Corp., Argyle, NY), the laryngeal mask airway (LMA), or endotracheal intubation (ET). Seventy-five patients scheduled for routine urological or gynecological surgery were randomly allocated to one of three groups and were ventilated via either an ET, a LMA, or a CT. All three devices could be inserted easily and rapidly, providing adequate ventilation and oxygenation. Insertion of the CT was associated with a significant increase in mean maximal systolic arterial pressure (160+/-32 mm Hg) and diastolic arterial pressure (91+/-17 mm Hg) compared with ET (140+/-24, 78+/-11 mm Hg; P < 0.05, P < 0.01, respectively) or insertion of the LMA (115+/-33,63+/-22 mm Hg, both P < 0.001). The mean maximal epinephrine and norepinephrine plasma concentrations after insertion of the CT (37.3+/-31.1 and 279+/-139 pg/mL, respectively) were significantly higher than those after ET (35.8+/-89.8 and 195+/-58 pg/mL, respectively) or insertion of a LMA (17.3+/-13.3 and 158+/-67 pg/mL, respectively). This might be attributed to the pressure of the pharyngeal cuff of the CT on the anterior pharyngeal wall. We conclude that insertion of the CT causes a pronounced stress response and that precautions should be taken when used in patients at risk of hypertensive bleeding., Implications: In this study, we showed that the hemodynamic and catecholamine stress responses after insertion of the Combitube (Kendall-Sheridan Catheter Corp., Argyle, NY) were significantly higher compared with laryngeal mask airway or endotracheal intubation. We conclude that the increased stress response to insertion of a Combitube may represent a serious hazard to patients with cardiovascular disease.

Objective: To analyze the influence of extracerebral organ system dysfunction after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) on mortality and neurologic outcome., Design: Observational study with retrospective data extraction., Setting: Neurosurgical intensive care unit (NICU) at a primary level university hospital, supervised and staffed by both members of the Clinic of Neurosurgery and the Clinic of Anesthesiology and General Intensive Care., Patients: Two hundred forty-two patients treated for intracranial aneurysm rupture within 7 days of the most recent SAH., Interventions: Routine neurosurgical interventions for obliteration of the ruptured aneurysm (microsurgery, Guglielmi Detachable Coils embolization) and for treatment of posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus (ventriculostomy, cerebrospinal fluid shunt implantation)., Measurements and Main Results: Respiratory, renal, hepatic, cardiovascular, and hematologic organ system functions were evaluated both individually and in aggregate by using a modified version of the Multiple Organ Dysfunction (mMOD) score. Of 1,452 organ system functions assessed in 242 patients during their NICU stay, 714 organ system functions were intact (cerebral: 0, extracerebral: 714), 556 organ systems had mild-to-moderate dysfunctions (mMOD scoremax 1-2 for the affected organ system; cerebral: 153, extracerebral: 403), and 182 organ systems failed (mMOD scoremax 3 for the affected organ system; cerebral: 89, extracerebral: 93). Severity of extracerebral organ system dysfunctions correlated with the degree of neurologic impairment (Hunt and Hess [H&H] score) in a graded fashion. Similarly, the chance to develop systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) during the NICU stay increased with increasing admission H&H grade. The incidence of SIRS and septic shock was 29% and 10.3%, respectively. The mortality rate was 40.2% in patients with SIRS and 80% for patients suffering septic shock. Seventy-seven percent of extracerebral organ system failures (OSFs) occurred in conjunction with SIRS: 51% of respiratory OSFs, 97% of renal OSFs, 100% of hepatic OSFs, 96% of cardiovascular OSFs, and 73% of hematopoietic OSFs. Both CNS dysfunction and extracerebral organ system dysfunctions were significantly related to neurologic outcome. The probability of unfavorable neurologic outcome significantly increased with both decreasing cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) and increasing severity of extracerebral organ dysfunction., Conclusion: Aneurysmal SAH and its neurologic sequelae accounted for the principal morbidity and mortality in the current series. Development of extracerebral organ system dysfunction was associated with a higher probability of unfavorable neurologic outcome. Systemic inflammation (SIRS) and secondary organ dysfunction were the principal non-neurologic causes of death.

Objective: To determine whether the time that red blood cells are stored in citrate phosphate dextrose adenine-1 solution before transfusion alters the ability to improve tissue oxygenation., Design: Prospective, randomized, controlled study., Setting: University research institute laboratory., Subjects: Male Sprague-Dawley rats (350 to 450 g)., Interventions: Twenty-four hours after randomization to sham laparotomy (n = 21) or cecal ligation and perforation (n = 16)1 supply-dependency of systemic oxygen uptake (VO2) was induced in rats by isovolemic hemodilution. Rats were then re-randomized to receive either rat red blood cells stored in citrate phosphate dextrose adenine-1 for 3 days ("fresh" n = 17) or rat red blood cells stored in citrate phosphate dextrose adenine-1 for 28 days ("old" n = 20)., Measurements and Main Results: Changes in systemic VO2 were measured for 90 mins to determine the efficiacy of the treatment. Statistical analysis included a fully factorial repeated-measures, generalized linear model. No significant interaction was found between cecal ligation and perforation or sham animals and transfusion with fresh or old red blood cells. However, comparing the combined groups of animals receiving either fresh or old red blood cells, we found that after the transfusion of old red blood cells, systemic VO2 was not significantly improved (after hemodilution 1.68 +/- 0.27 mL/100 g/min, after transfusion 1.86 +/- 0.17 mL/100 g/min; p > .05). In contrast, transfusion with fresh red blood cells acutely increased systemic VO2 (after hemodilution 1.62 +/- 0.06 mL/100 g/min, after transfusion 2.10 +/- 0.09 mL/100 g/min; p = .049)., Conclusion: Storage of rat red blood cells for 28 days in citrate phosphate dextrose adenine-1 impaired their ability to improve tissue oxygenation when transfused into either control or septic rats placed into supply dependency of systemic VO2.