Anxiety during inhalation induction in paediatrics: Sitting versus supine position, a randomised trial.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: We evaluated if the sitting or supine positions affect anxiety levels induced by the application of a facemask in children. DESIGN: Prospective, randomised study. SETTING: Paediatric hospital, operating room. PATIENTS: Two to twelve years old children, 1-3 ASA status, undergoing inhalation anaesthesia for elective surgery. INTERVENTION: Children were randomly assigned to a sitting or supine position. After monitoring equipment was established, inhalation was inducted by the application of the mask. MEASUREMENTS: Child anxiety was then assessed with the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (mYPAS) before the application of the facemask and following mask application. MAIN RESULTS: Overall, 99 children in the sitting group and 103 in the supine group were analysed. The mYPAS score was not different in both groups before the application of facemask (40 [28-51] versus 40 [28-53]; P=0.99). It increased (P=0.005) to a similar extent in both groups following mask application without difference between groups (48 [38-60] versus 48 [35-63]; P=0.95). Side effects were not different between both groups. CONCLUSION: In children undergoing inhalation induction, sitting or supine positions did not modify anxiety induced by the application of a facemask, nor adverse effects; therefore, children should be allowed to choose their preferred position.

Is platelet transfusion efficient to restore platelet reactivity in patients who are responders to aspirin and/or clopidogrel before emergency surgery?

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to confirm that emergency platelet transfusion effectively restores platelet function to patients receiving antiplatelet therapy (APT) with aspirin and/or clopidogrel. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a prospective observational case report series conducted between January 1, 2009, and January 1, 2012. All responder patients according to the Verify Now device requiring emergency platelet transfusion because of a potentially life-threatening hemorrhage or before emergency neurosurgery were included. Aspirin or P2Y12-specific tests were used as appropriate for patients under aspirin or clopidogrel. Patients who were responders to aspirin had an aspirin reaction unit of less than 550, and patients who were responders to clopidogrel had an inhibition percentage of more than 20%. The Verify Now test was performed again after platelet transfusion. Pretransfusion and posttransfusion test results were compared. RESULTS: During the 36-month period, 25 patients met the inclusion criteria. Of these patients, 4 were receiving dual APT, 8 were receiving clopidogrel only, and 13 were receiving aspirin only. The average platelet transfusion dose was 0.12 UI/kg (range, 0.10-0.14 UI/kg). For patients under clopidogrel, the inhibition percentage lowered significantly after transfusion (median 54 [range, 31-69] before and 25 [range, 18-50] after transfusion; p < 0.005) but remained above the 20% threshold. Our patients were still responsive to clopidogrel after platelet transfusion. This result is conflicting with the existing literature. The median aspirin reaction unit of aspirin users before and after transfusion were 420 (range, 400-470) and 630 (range, 610-640), respectively (p = 0.001). The efficacy of platelet transfusion to restore aspirin-mediated disaggregation is confirmed by our case series. CONCLUSION: Platelet transfusion does not restore platelet function in patients under clopidogrel, but it is efficient for patients under aspirin. This sheds new light on previous large-scale studies that have been unable to show any effectiveness of emergency platelet transfusion in patients under APT. Emergency platelet transfusion may only be indicated in aspirin users who are responders and not in all patients under APT as is actually recommended.

Partial status epilepticus causing a transient left ventricular apical ballooning.

Transient left ventricular apical ballooning also called Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a recently described cardiac syndrome. It often affects postmenopausal women having an acute physical or emotional stress, but it have also been described after convulsive status epilepticus. Although this association is rare and left ventricular function often recovers, it would be useful to the neurologist to be aware of the signs leading to this diagnosis, to improve the cardiac later care. Here we report a patient with partial status epilepticus in whom the diagnosis of transient left ventricular apical ballooning was made. We describe the diagnostic criteria and the potential complications that should be monitored.

The limited efficacy of tramadol in postoperative patients: a study of ED80 using the continual reassessment method.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to reevaluate the efficacy of tramadol for postoperative analgesia and to determine its ED80 (the clinical dose for which 80% of the patients had their pain adequately relieved) using the Continual Reassessment Method. Because the preliminary results of the first 24 patients were contradictory to the literature, we performed a second trial to verify and validate our data. METHODS: The study was double-blind and prospective. Participants were allocated to a dose of tramadol by 3-patient cohorts, in order of inclusion. The dose of tramadol received in each cohort was determined by the reaction of all previous patients. Five doses were chosen before beginning, with a probability of a positive reaction associated with each: 60 (0.4), 100 (0.55), 140 (0.7), 190 (0.8), and 260 mg (0.9). Tramadol was considered effective if the numeric pain scale was > or = 3/10 at T30. RESULTS: The effective dose in 80% of patients was 260 mg for both trials. The probability of success of the 260 mg dose was 0.699 (95% credibility interval, 0.471-0.874) and 0.657 (95% credibility interval, 0.437-0.853) for trial 1 and trial 2, respectively. CONCLUSION: Tramadol used as a sole drug cannot be considered the drug of choice after moderately painful surgery. The doses needed to relieve pain in 80% of patients are much larger than the usual dose of 100 mg. The Continual Reassessment Method allowed us to determine the ED80 of tramadol with a limited number of patients.

Effective dose of nefopam in 80% of patients (ED80): a study using the continual reassessment method.

AIMS: The effective dose in 50% of patients (ED(50)) is far from being relevant for clinical purposes. We used the continual reassessment method (CRM) to determine the effective dose of nefopam in 80% of the patients suffering from moderate pain in the postoperative period (ED(80)). METHODS: Patients with a pain intensity >3 on a 1-10 numerical pain score (NPS) received increasing or decreasing doses of nefopam (20, 30, 40, 60, 80 mg) postoperatively. The criterion of success was a NPS