Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPC) may result in longer duration of in-hospital stay and even mortality. Both thoracic surgery and intraoperative mechanical ventilation settings add considerably to the risk of PPC. It is unclear if one-lung ventilation (OLV) for thoracic surgery with a strategy of intraoperative high positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) and recruitment maneuvers (RM) reduces PPC, compared to low PEEP without RM. PROTHOR is an international, multicenter, randomized, controlled, assessor-blinded, two-arm trial initiated by investigators of the PROtective VEntilation NETwork. In total, 2378 patients will be randomly assigned to one of two different intraoperative mechanical ventilation strategies. Investigators screen patients aged 18 years or older, scheduled for open thoracic or video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery under general anesthesia requiring OLV, with a maximal body mass index of 35 kg/m2, and a planned duration of surgery of more than 60 min. Further, the expected duration of OLV shall be longer than two-lung ventilation, and lung separation is planned with a double lumen tube. Patients will be randomly assigned to PEEP of 10 cmH2O with lung RM, or PEEP of 5 cmH2O without RM. During two-lung ventilation tidal volume is set at 7 mL/kg predicted body weight and, during OLV, it will be decreased to 5 mL/kg. The occurrence of PPC will be recorded as a collapsed composite of single adverse pulmonary events and represents the primary endpoint. PROTHOR is the first randomized controlled trial in patients undergoing thoracic surgery with OLV that is adequately powered to compare the effects of intraoperative high PEEP with RM versus low PEEP without RM on PPC. The results of the PROTHOR trial will support anesthesiologists in their decision to set intraoperative PEEP during protective ventilation for OLV in thoracic surgery. The trial was registered in clinicaltrials.gov ( NCT02963025 ) on 15 November 2016.

The main goal of enhanced recovery program after thoracic surgery is to minimize stress response, reduce postoperative pulmonary complications, and improve patient outcome, which will in addition decrease hospital stay and reduce hospital costs. As minimally invasive technique, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery represents an important element of enhanced recovery program in thoracic surgery. Anesthetic management during preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative period is essential for the enhanced recovery. In the era of enhanced recovery protocols, non-intubated thoracoscopic procedures present a step forward. This article focuses on the key elements of the enhanced recovery program in thoracic surgery. Having reviewed recent literature, the authors highlight potential procedures and techniques that might be incorporated into the program.

The beginnings of the enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) program were first developed for patients in colorectal surgery, and after it was established as the standard of care in this surgical field, it began to be applied in many others surgical areas. This is multimodal, evidence-based approach program and includes simultaneous optimization of preoperative status of patients, adequate selection of surgical procedure and postoperative management. The aim of this program is to reduce complications, the length of hospital stay and to improve the patients outcome. Over the past decades, special attention was directed to the postoperative management in vascular surgery, especially after major vascular surgery because of the great risk of multiorgan failure, such as: respiratory failure, myocardial infarction, hemodynamic instability, coagulopathy, renal failure, neurological disorders, and intra-abdominal complications. Although a lot of effort was put into it, there is no unique acceptable program for ERAS in this surgical field, and there is still a need to point out the factors responsible for postoperative outcomes of these patients. So far, it is known that special attention should be paid to already existing diseases, type and the duration of the surgical intervention, hemodynamic and fluid management, nutrition, pain management, and early mobilization of patients.

Article: Clinical indices and biomarkers for perioperative cardiac risk stratification: an update - Minerva Anestesiologica 2017 April;83(4):392-401 - Minerva Medica - Journals

Purpose of review: The goal of risk prediction is to identify high-risk patients who will benefit from further preoperative evaluation. Clinical scores and biomarkers are very well established tools for risk prediction but their accuracy remains a controversial issue. Recent findings: Current guidelines recommend one of the risk tools for preoperative cardiac risk assessment: American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) calculator or Revised Cardiac Risk Index. Although not as easy to use as risk scores, risk models are more accurate and can predict individual patient risk more precisely. A step forward in risk estimation was performed by introducing new risk models developed from the American College of Surgeons NSQIP database – NSQIP surgical risk calculator and Myocardial Infarction or Cardiac Arrest index. Although biomarkers, especially in cardiac risk assessment, are already present in current European and American guidelines, this use is still controversial. Novel biomarkers: microRNAs, heart-type fatty acid-binding protein and mid-regional proadrenomedullin, can be used as new potential biomarkers in clinical practice. Also some of the experimental biomarkers have not yet been introduced into clinical practice, preliminary results are encouraging. Summary: Different risk indices and biomarkers might lead to varying risk estimates. However, the importance of clinical judgment in risk assessment should not be underestimated.

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a systolic heart failure that occurs during the last month of pregnancy or within five months after delivery. It is uncommon disease of unknown ethiopatogenesis and very high rate of maternal mortality. Because of similarity between symptoms of PPCM and physiological discomforts during pregnancy, the early diagnosis of PPCM presents a major challenge. Since hemodynamic changes during PPCM can vitally jeopardise the mother and the fetus, patients with severe forms of PPCM require a multidisciplinary approach in intensive care units. This review summarize the current state of knowledge about the diagnosis, monitoring, and the treatment of PPCM. Having reviewed the recent researches it gives insight into the new treatment strategies of this rare disease.