Acute liver failure: Management update and prognosis.

Acute liver failure is a rare but serious syndrome, with an incidence of approximately 2,000 to 3,000 cases per year in North America. Its pathophysiology and clinical course vary, depending on the cause of the primary liver injury, and can lead to high morbidity and mortality or the need for liver transplantation, despite available therapies. This syndrome involves excessive activation of the immune system, with damage in other organs, contributing to its high mortality rate. The most accepted definition includes liver injury with hepatic encephalopathy and coagulopathy within the past 26 weeks in a patient with no previous liver disease. The main causes are paracetamol poisoning, viral hepatitis, and drug-induced liver injury, among others. Identifying the cause is crucial, given that it influences prognosis and treatment. Survival has improved with supportive measures, intensive therapy, complication prevention, and the use of medications, such as N-acetylcysteine. Liver transplantation is a curative option for nonresponders to medical treatment, but adequate evaluation of transplantation timing is vital for improving results. Factors such as patient age, underlying cause, and severity of organ failure influence the post-transplant outcomes and survival.

Current vision on diagnosis and comprehensive care in hepatic encephalopathy.

The first clinical guidelines on hepatic encephalopathy were published in 2009. Almost 14 years since that first publication, numerous advances in the field of diagnosis, treatment, and special condition care have been made. Therefore, as an initiative of the Asociación Mexicana de Gastroenterología A.C., we present a current view of those aspects. The manuscript described herein was formulated by 24 experts that participated in six working groups, analyzing, discussing, and summarizing the following topics: Definition of hepatic encephalopathy; recommended classifications; epidemiologic panorama, worldwide and in Mexico; diagnostic tools; conditions that merit a differential diagnosis; treatment; and primary and secondary prophylaxis. Likewise, these guidelines emphasize the management of certain special conditions, such as hepatic encephalopathy in acute liver failure and acute-on-chronic liver failure, as well as specific care in patients with hepatic encephalopathy, such as the use of medications and types of sedation, describing those that are permitted or recommended, and those that are not.

Sympathy for Pontius Pilate. Hemicrania in M. A. Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita.

The aim of this study was to explore the description of the migraine attack of Pontius Pilate (a character in the novel The Master and Margarita by M. A. Bulgakov). Some of its features are analysed in light of current migraine literature. It is hypothesized that, at least in part, this description is based on the personal experience of the novel's author. We studied and analysed the text of the novel, other works by Bulgakov, his biography, including his medical training and practice, and the recently published diaries of Bulgakov and his wife E. S. Bulgakova. The novel contains a comprehensive description of a migraine attack. It includes a prodrome/aura of osmophobia. Olfactory perception during or shortly before the migraine attack is altered to the point where neutral or even pleasant odours become unbearable. Bulgakov's extensive history of migraines is seen in his diary, the diary of his wife, letters and other literary works. This is one of the most detailed and extensive depictions of a migraine attack in literature, with osmophobia described with great emphasis. It is likely that Pilate's migraine is described based on the personal history of the novel's author.

Dose response relationships for isobaric spinal mepivacaine using the combined spinal epidural technique.

UNLABELLED: Mepivacaine, a local anesthetic with similar physiochemical properties to those of lidocaine, is an adequate alternative for patients undergoing ambulatory procedures, and is associated with a lower incidence of transient neurologic symptoms (TNS) than lidocaine. We studied the dose-response characteristics of isobaric intrathecal mepivacaine using the combined spinal epidural technique for patients undergoing ambulatory arthroscopic surgery of the knee. Seventy-five patients were randomized prospectively to receive one of three doses of isobaric mepivacaine for spinal anesthesia: 30 mg (2 mL 1.5%), 45 mg (3 mL 1.5%), or 60 mg (4 mL 1.5%). An observer, blinded to the dose, recorded sensory level to pinprick and motor response until resolution of the block. In addition, the incidence of TNS was determined. An initial intrathecal dose of 30 mg of isobaric mepivacaine 1.5% produced satisfactory anesthesia in 72% of ambulatory surgical patients undergoing unilateral knee arthroscopy with a significantly shorter duration of sensory (158 +/- 32 min) and motor blockade (116 +/- 38 min) than doses of 45 and 60 mg. An intrathecal dose of 45 mg produced satisfactory anesthesia in all patients with a shorter duration of sensory (182 +/-38 min) and motor blockade (142 +/- 37 min) than 60 mg of mepivacaine 1.5% (203 +/- 36 min and 168 +/- 36 min, respectively). The incidence of TNS was 7.4% overall (1.2%-13.6% confidence intervals), less than the rates previously reported after spinal anesthesia with lidocaine in ambulatory surgical patients undergoing knee arthroscopy. We conclude that mepivacaine can be used as an adequate alternative to lidocaine for ambulatory procedures. IMPLICATIONS: This study evaluated the postoperative duration of spinal anesthesia after varying doses of isobaric mepivacaine and the incidence of transient radiating back and leg pain. We found that 45 mg of mepivacaine provided adequate anesthesia, a timely discharge, and a lower incidence of back pain than that previously reported after lidocaine spinals.

Repeated episodes of transient radiating back and leg pain following spinal anesthesia with 1.5% mepivacaine and 2% lidocaine.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Transient radiating back and leg pain defined as pain or dysesthesias in the buttocks, thighs, or calves within 24 to 48 hours after recovery from spinal anesthesia has been described with the use of 2% and 5% lidocaine. These symptoms have also been associated with other local anesthetics such as bupivacaine and tetracaine, although with a much lower incidence. A recent case report and prospective study have described transient radiating back and leg pain occurring following spinal anesthesia with 4% mepivacaine. METHODS: We describe a case of transient radiating back and leg pain following spinal anesthesia with 1.5% mepivacaine in a patient with unrecognized spinal stenosis who had had repeated episodes of transient radiating back and leg pain associated with lidocaine spinals. RESULTS: Spinal anesthesia with 1.5% mepivacaine was associated with transient radiating back and leg pain, which was similar in quality and duration to prior episodes following spinal anesthesia with lidocaine. CONCLUSIONS: Transient radiating back and leg pain may occur with lower concentrations (1.5%) of mepivacaine, as it does with lidocaine. The relationship between transient radiating back and leg pain and spinal stenosis is also discussed.

Transient neurologic symptoms after spinal anesthesia with mepivacaine and lidocaine.

BACKGROUND: Spinal anesthesia with lidocaine is ideal for ambulatory surgery because of its short duration of action. However, transient neurologic symptoms (TNS) occur in 0-40% of patients. The incidence of TNS with mepivacaine, which has a similar duration of action, is unknown. METHODS: Sixty ambulatory patients undergoing knee arthroscopy received spinal anesthesia in a randomized, double-blinded manner, with either 45 mg 1.5% mepivacaine or 60 mg 2% lidocaine. An L3-L4 midline approach was used with a 27-gauge Whitacre needle and a 20-gauge introducer. The local anesthetic was injected over approximately 30 s with the aperture of the Whitacre needle in a cephalad direction. Two to 4 days after operation, each patient was questioned about the development of TNS. In addition, the two groups were compared for time to regression of sensory and motor blockade and time to discharge milestones. RESULTS: Three patients receiving lidocaine were lost to follow-up. None of the 30 patients in the mepivacaine group developed TNS, whereas 6 of 27 (22%) in the lidocaine group did (P = 0.008). Time to regression to the L5 sensory level and to complete resolution of motor block were similar in both groups. The times to discharge milestones were also comparable. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of TNS is greater with 2% lidocaine than with 1.5% mepivacaine for patients having unilateral knee arthroscopy under spinal anesthesia. Mepivacaine seems to be a promising alternative to lidocaine for outpatient surgical procedures because of its similar duration of action. Further studies are warranted to determine the optimal dose of intrathecal mepivacaine for ambulatory surgery and the incidence of TNS with other doses and concentrations of intrathecal mepivacaine.

Adrenergic regulation of renin secretion and renal hemodynamics during deliberate hypotension in humans.

To assess the relative contributions of neural and nonneural stimuli of renin secretion, the effects of an alpha 1-agonist, phenylephrine (Phe), or a beta-agonist, epinephrine (Epi), on plasma renin activity (PRA), renal blood flow (RBF), and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were compared during sympathetic blockade with epidural hypotensive anesthesia [mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) = 60 and 50 mmHg]. Controls (NaCl) received saline alone to maintain MAP at 50 mmHg. Epi increased PRA (ng.ml-1.h-1) from 0.9 +/- 0.6 to 3.0 +/- 1.5 at 60 mmHg MAP and 4.7 +/- 1.8 at 50 mmHg MAP, with associated decreases in RBF (-33 and -60%, respectively) and GFR (-27 and -53%, respectively). During hypotension with Phe and NaCl, PRA and RBF were unchanged from baseline but GFR decreased. Urinary Na secretion decreased comparably in all three groups. In conclusion, during sympathetic blockade with epidural anesthesia, marked reductions in both renal perfusion pressure and distal nephron Na delivery were insufficient to increase renin secretion. beta-Adrenergic stimulation (e.g., Epi) was required to increase PRA. Epi decreased RBF suggesting an angiotensin II-mediated effect.