Introduction: Anaesthesia and intensive care units are specific workplaces. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the level of the sense of self-efficacy and the intensification of personality traits in a group of nurse anaesthetists and to develop a regression model explaining the sense of self-efficacy. Method: The population of the questionnaire survey included nurse anaesthetists from five hospitals in south-eastern Poland. The NEO-FFI was used in assessing their personality traits. The general self-efficacy scale was employed for the self-efficacy assessment. A total of 143 correctly filled surveys were analyzed. Results: The respondents typically perceived their own self-efficacy level as upper moderate. The nurse anaesthetists participating in the study revealed a tendency to high scores in conscientiousness and extraversion, and low scores related to neuroticism. The persons characterized by high conscientiousness, extraversion and openness to experience revealed a tendency to high scores related to the sense of self-efficacy. The relationship between personality traits and experiencing the nuisance of selected stressful job factors was demonstrated. Regression analysis showed that conscientiousness and extraversion are most closely related to the sense of self-efficacy. Conclusions: It seems to be beneficial to implement occupational consulting for nurses, who are starting their work or/and taking into consideration working in anesthesiology and intensive care units. The importance of personality traits and self- efficacy in relation with well-being of medical personnel needs deeper investigations.

Background: Home mechanical ventilation (HMV) is becoming more widely available in many countries. Objectives: The aim of this study was to measure the health-related quality of life and stress levels of patients ventilated mechanically at home. The relation between quality of life and stress levels was investigated including multiple regression analysis. Methods: 100 patients treated with HMV in Poland were surveyed with the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). Results: 26% of patients assessed their quality of life as bad or very bad and 34% as good or very good. Stress levels measured with PSS-10 Scale were high level. For the group of patients with neurological disorders, stress levels were significantly higher than for the group of patients with pulmonological disorders. Conclusions: The higher the stress levels of patients, the lower the quality of life in particular domains. Improving the living conditions of HMV patients can influence improving their quality of life.

Postoperative neurological deficits remain a concern for patients undergoing cardiac surgeries. Even minor injuries can lead to neurocognitive decline (i.e., postoperative cognitive dysfunction). Dexmedetomidine may be beneficial given its reported neuroprotective effect. We aimed to investigate the effects of dexmedetomidine on brain injury during cardiac surgery anaesthesia. This prospective observational study analysed data for 46 patients who underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery with extracorporeal circulation between August 2018 and March 2019. The patients were divided into two groups: control (CON) with typical anaesthesia and dexmedetomidine (DEX) with dexmedetomidine infusion. Concentrations of the biomarkers matrix metalloproteinase-12 (MMP-12) and myelin basic protein (MBP) were measured preoperatively and at 24 and 72 h postoperatively. Cognitive evaluations were performed preoperatively, at discharge, and 3 months after discharge using Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination version III (ACE-III). The primary endpoint was the ACE-III score at discharge. Increased MMP-12 and MBP concentrations were observed in the DEX group 24 and 72 h postoperatively. No significant differences in ACE-III scores were observed between the groups at discharge; however, the values were increased when compared with initial values after 3 months (p = 0.000). The current results indicate that the administration of dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant to anaesthesia can increase MMP-12 and MBP levels without effects on neurocognitive outcomes at discharge and 3 months postoperatively.

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