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Objective:: The role of supraglottic airway devices in emergency airway management is highlighted in international airway management guidelines. We evaluated the application of the new generation laryngeal tube suction (LTS-II/LTS-D) in the management of in-hospital unexpected difficult airway and cardiopulmonary resuscitation., Methods:: During a seven-year period, patients treated with a laryngeal tube who received routine anesthesia and had an unexpected difficult airway (Cormack Lehane Grade 3-4), who underwent cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or who underwent cardiopulmonary resuscitation outside the operating room and had a difficult airway were evaluated. Successful placement of the LTS II/LTS-D, sufficient ventilation, time to placement, number of placement attempts, stomach content, peripheral oxygen saturation/end-tidal carbon dioxide development (SpO2/etCO2) over 5 minutes, subjective overall assessment and complications were recorded., Results:: In total, 106 adult patients were treated using an LTS-II/LTS-D. The main indication for placement was a difficult airway (75%, n=80), followed by cardiopulmonary resuscitation (25%, n=26) or an overlap between both (18%, n=19). In 94% of patients (n=100), users placed the laryngeal tube during the first attempt. In 93% of patients (n=98), the tube was placed within 30 seconds. A significant increase in SpO2 from 97% (0-100) to 99% (5-100) was observed in the whole population and in cardiopulmonary resuscitation patients. The average initial etCO2 of 39.5 mmHg (0-100 mmHg) decreased significantly to an average of 38.4 mmHg (10-62 mmHg) after 5 minutes. A comparison of cardiopulmonary resuscitation patients with non-cardiopulmonary resuscitation patients regarding gastric contents showed no significant difference., Conclusions:: LTS-D/LTS-II use for in-hospital unexpected difficult airway management provides a secure method for primary airway management until other options such as video laryngoscopy or fiber optic intubation become available.

Background: Posttraumatic epileptic seizures (PTS) are a serious complication in patients with subdural haematoma (SDH). However, to date, several studies have shown discordances about SDH-associated seizures in terms of incidence, risk factors and prophylactic antiepileptic treatment., Objective: The aim of this study was to analyse the incidence, risk factors of PTS and the role of prophylactic antiepileptic treatment in patients with SDH., Data Sources: A systematic literature review examining PTS in patients with SDH was performed using PubMed gateway, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Excerpta Medica dataBASE between September 1961 and February 2016. Search terms included subdural haematoma, seizure, epilepsy, prophylactic antiepileptic drugs, anticonvulsive medication, and risk factors., Data Selection: Human-based clinical studies focusing on epileptic seizures in patients with SDH., Data Extraction and Synthesis: PRISMA statements were used for assessing data quality. Two independent reviewers extracted data from included studies and disagreement was solved by consensus. Twenty-four studies were identified for inclusion into the study., Results: Overall incidence of early PTS (ePTS) and late PTS (lPTS)/2 years was 28% and 43% in acute SDH (aSDH) whereas the incidence of e- and lPTS was lower in chronic SDH (cSDH; 5.3% vs. 10%). Overall risk factors for PTS in patients with aSDH were: 24h postoperative Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) score below 9 (OR 10.5), craniotomy (OR 3.9), preoperative GCS below 8 (OR 3.1). In patients with cSDH the risk factors were alcohol abuse (OR 14.3), change of mental status (OR 7.2), previous stroke (OR 5.3) and density of haematoma in computer tomography (OR 3.8). Age, sex, haematoma size/side and midline shifts were not significant risk factors for PTS in both types of SDH. In prevention of PTS phenytoin and levetiracetam showed similar efficacy (OR 1.3), whereas levetiracetam was associated with significantly lower adverse effects (OR 0.1)., Limitations: Most of the studies were of retrospective nature with a small sample size. Due to the inclusion criteria, some studies had to be excluded and that might lead to selection bias., Conclusions: PTS are a serious complication in patients with SDH, particularly in aSDH. The "prophylactic use" of antiepileptic drugs might be beneficial in patients with cumulative risk factors., (Copyright © 2016 British Epilepsy Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Recent findings support the idea that interleukin (IL)-22 serum levels are related to disease severity in end-stage liver disease. Existing scoring systems--Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD), Survival Outcomes Following Liver Transplantation (SOFT) and Pre-allocation-SOFT (P-SOFT)--are well-established in appraising survival rates with or without liver transplantation. We tested the hypothesis that IL-22 serum levels at transplantation date correlate with survival and potentially have value as a predictive factor for survival., Material and Methods: MELD, SOFT, and P-SOFT scores were calculated to estimate post-transplantation survival. Serum levels of IL-22, IL-6, IL-10, C-reactive protein (CRP), and procalcitonin (PCT) were collected prior to transplantation in 41 patients. Outcomes were assessed at 3 months, 1 year, and 3 years after transplantation., Results: IL-22 significantly correlated with MELD, P-SOFT, and SOFT scores (Rs 0.35, 0.63, 0.56 respectively, p<0.05) and with the discrimination in post-transplantation survival. IL-6 showed a heterogeneous pattern (Rs 0.40, 0.63, 0.57, respectively, p<0.05); CRP and PCT did not correlate. We therefore added IL-22 serum values to existing scoring systems in a generalized linear model (GLM), resulting in a significantly improved outcome prediction in 58% of the cases for both the P-SOFT (p<0.01) and SOFT scores (p<0.001)., Conclusions: Further studies are needed to address the concept that IL-22 serum values at the time of transplantation provide valuable information about survival rates following orthotopic liver transplantation.

Objective. To test the influence of personalized ultrasound (PersUS) on patient management in critical care. Design of the Study. Prospective, observational, and critical care setting. Four substudies compared PersUS and mobile ultrasound, work distribution, and diagnostic and procedural quality. Patients and Interventions. 640 patient ultrasound exams including 548 focused diagnostic exams and 92 interventional procedures. Main Outcome Measures. Number of studies, physician's judgement of feasibility, time of usage per patient, and referrals to echo lab. Results. Randomized availability of PersUS increased its application in ICU work shifts more than twofold from 33 to 68 exams mainly for detection and therapy of effusions. Diagnostic and procedural quality was rated as excellent/very good in PersUS-guided puncture in 95% of cases. Integrating PersUS within an initial physical examination of 48 randomized cases in an emergency department, PersUS extended the examination time by 100 seconds. Interestingly, PersUS integration into 53 randomized regular ward rounds of 1007 patients significantly reduced average contact time per patient by 103 seconds from 8.9 to 7.2 minutes. Moreover, it lowered the patient referral rate to an echo lab from 20% to 2% within the study population. Conclusions. We propose the development of novel ultrasound-based clinical pathways by integration of PersUS.

Background. Lung ultrasound has become an emerging tool in acute and critical care medicine. Combined theoretical and hands-on training has been required to teach ultrasound diagnostics. Current computer technology allows for display, explanation, and animation of information in a remote-learning environment. Objective. Development and assessment of an e-learning program for lung ultrasound. Methods. An interactive online tutorial was created. A prospective learning success study was conducted with medical students using a multiple-choice test (Trial A). This e-learning program was used as preparation for a certified course followed by an evaluation of trained doctors (Trial B) by linear analogue scales. Pretests were compared with postcourse tests and sustainability tests as well as a posttest of a one-day custom classroom training. Results. In Trial A, during the learning success study (n = 29), the increase of correct answers was 11.7 to 17/20 in the post-test and to 16.6/20 in the sustainability test (relative change 45.1%, P < 0.0001). E-learning almost equalled scores of classroom-based training regarding gain and retention of factual knowledge. In Trial B, nineteen participating doctors found a 79.5% increase of knowledge (median, 95% CI: 69%; 88%). Conclusion. The basics of lung ultrasound can be taught in a highly effective manner using e-learning.