The aim of this study is the assessment of the regional cerebral oximetry - NIRS (near infrared spectroscopy) as an intraoperative monitoring system to protect the patient against the incidents of brain desaturations. We hypothesize that patients monitored with NIRS present a smaller range of postoperative cognitive dysfunctions (POCD) in comparison with those without NIRS monitoring during lumbar spine surgery in a prone position. This study was performed at the Clinical Department of Neurosurgery and Oncology of the Central Nervous System, Medical University of Lodz, Poland. The study completed 43 adult patients qualified for the surgical treatment of lumbar spondylosis. Before the procedures they were randomized into two subgroups: one monitored intraoperatively by means of NIRS cerebral oximetry (INVOS 5100), which numbered 13 patients – 30.2% (13 NIRS devices were made available to the authors) and the other without NIRS intraoperative monitoring, totaling 30 people – 69.8%. The patients who presented a history of psychiatric, neurological and cardiovascular disorders which impair cognitive processes were disqualified from the study. A comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests was preoperatively performed on all patients. The subjects were then divided into two groups: with and without NIRS monitoring. Both groups were statistically homogeneous. Computerized anesthesia records were used to obtain intraoperative data: mean arterial pressure, heart rate, pulsoximetry and cerebral regional oxygenation. The depth of anesthesia monitor was not used. Besides, all the patients passed the same battery of neurocognitive tests 7 days and 1 month postoperatively. The Mann-Whitney test was performed to compare POCD and therefore assess the usefulness of NIRS as a monitoring mechanism during anesthesia in the prone position. There was a significant (p < 0.05) difference in the presence of cognitive deficiencies between the subgroup monitored with NIRS and the subgroup without NIRS. It included: Digit Span Test overall score and forward repetition score 7 days after operation, N- back Test results after 30 days in version 0 "back" - time, N-back Test version 1 "back" results in the number of correct answers and the number of errors. NIRS cerebral oximetry may be useful in reducing postoperative cognitive complications in patients operated on in the prone positioning. RNN/556/08/KB – approval of the ethics committee at Medical University of Lodz, Poland.

Background: Maintaining good physical fitness and oral function in old age is an important element of good quality of life. Disability-related impairment of oral function contributes to a deterioration of the diet of older people and to the reduction of their social activity. Objectives: Investigate the association between masseter muscle tension, dental status, and physical fitness parameters. Materials and methods: Two hundred fifty-nine elderly care home residents (97 men, 162 women; mean age, 75.3±8.9 years) were involved in this cross-sectional study. Their chewing ability was evaluated by masseter muscle tension palpation, differences of masseter muscle thickness, self-reported chewing ability, number of present and functional teeth, and number of posterior tooth pairs. Masseter muscle thickness was measured by ultrasonography. To assess physical fitness, hand grip strength and the timed up-and-go test were performed. Nutritional status was assessed using body mass index and body cell mass index (BCMI), calculated on the basis of electrical bioimpedance measurements. Medical records were used to collect information on systemic diseases and the number of prescribed medications. Subjects were also evaluated for their ability to perform ten activities of daily living. Results: Ninety-seven percent of the subjects suffered from systemic diseases. The three most prevalent illnesses were cardiac/circulatory 64.5%, musculoskeletal 37.3%, and endocrine/metabolic/nutritional 29.3%. Of the participants, 1.5% were underweight and more than one third (34.4%) were overweight. Malnutrition (BCMI below normal) was found in almost half (45.2%) of the subjects. Only 5.8% had a sufficient number of functional natural teeth. Statistically significant correlations were found between palpation of masseter muscle tension and perceived chewing ability, number of present teeth, number of functional teeth, number of posterior tooth pairs, timed up-and-go, hand grip strength, body mass index, BCMI, and activities of daily living. In a multivariate model, after adjusting for age, sex, and education, subjects with higher BCMI, higher hand grip strength, and more present teeth had a significantly higher chance of strong masseter muscle tension. Conclusion: There is a relationship between chewing ability and physical fitness in elderly people. Efficiency of masseter muscles is related to physical fitness in the elderly. Masseter muscle tension examined by palpation can be used in public dentistry as one of the indicators of quality of life.

Point-of-care ultrasound in the intensive care unit has emerged as a routine bedside diagnostic tool. This article provides literature review on the ultrasound-guided percutaneous dilational tracheostomy (US-PDT), which is a relatively novel technique. US-PDT reduces periprocedural complication rate, facilitates identification of proper tube insertion site and provides other additional safety-measures versus non-ultrasound Seldinger-based PDT technique.

Intubation of patients with a supraglottic mass causing obstruction of the glottis remains a difficult problem for the experienced anesthesiologist. Awake fiberscopic endotracheal intubation is the recommended approach in such cases; however, use of a video laryngoscope for awake intubation can be an alternative to a fiberscope. Here we present two cases of awake intubation using a King Vision™ video laryngoscope in patients with a supraglottic mass, and a literature review on use of video laryngoscopes for awake intubation. After topical anesthesia and sedation with opioids, the patients were successfully intubated.

Currently, there are plenty of videolaryngoscopes that appear on the market. They have different specifications. Some of these features favor the fact that they are more suited for educational purposes of future operators and others can be characterized with an excellent clinical use. In this study we compared four types of videolaryngoscopes. The aim of the study was to compare the technical specifications of the above-mentioned devices for usefulness in clinical practice and correlate these parameters with the subjective evaluation of these videolaryngoscopes usage performed in practice by an experienced medical staff. All devices considered in this study participated in another multicenter clinical study on the basis of which we completed the subjective evaluation of the operators. In order to examine the technical parameters of the equipment we established the cooperation with the Department of Microelectronics at Technical University of Lodz. Mechanical and optical parameters and the endoscopic tube current were taken into consideration. The C-MAC has a camera with the widest viewing angle (the OX axis—63.1, the axis OY—47.8), which in combination with the largest diagonal size of the display enables the operator to see the details relevant to clinical practice. It has also the strongest lamp intensity of the devices mentioned in this comparison (7800 Lx). In comparison of the clinical use in almost all compared parameters the Cmac D-blade is a winner, although for clinical education purpose we consider the Vividtrac a better device.

Background: The use of videolaryngoscopes is recommended as a part of routine practice in anaesthesia for morbidly obese patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate C-Mac in a group of morbidly obese patients to see if it improves intubation conditions. Methods: 86 morbidly obese (BMI > 40 kg m^-2) patients scheduled for bariatric surgery were included in the study. In every studied case, C-Mac was used with a Mackintosh shaped blade. For the first attempt, the anaesthetists performing the intubation were asked to use a videolaryngoscope as a standard laryngoscope (they were blinded to the monitor display) and evaluate the glottic view in direct laryngoscopy. Then they were asked to look at the monitor of the videolaryngoscope and intubate the patient. The laryngoscopy conditions were evaluated using the Cormack-Lahane (CL) scale. The time from picking up the laryngoscope to inserting the endotracheal tube was recorded. Results: The evaluation of CL grade in direct laryngoscopy was: 44 patients — grade 1; 23 patients — grade 2; 13 patients — grade 3; six patients — grade 4. In all cases of CL grade > 1 in direct laryngoscopy, the use of C-Mac improved CL grade to 1. Mean time of intubation was 17.2 ± 2.5 sec. Conclusion: The C-Mac improves laryngeal view in morbidly obese patients, and allows for fast endotracheal intubation. Background: The use of videolaryngoscopes is recommended as a part of routine practice in anaesthesia for morbidly obese patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate C-Mac in a group of morbidly obese patients to see if it improves intubation conditions. Methods: 86 morbidly obese (BMI > 40 kg m^-2) patients scheduled for bariatric surgery were included in the study. In every studied case, C-Mac was used with a Mackintosh shaped blade. For the first attempt, the anaesthetists performing the intubation were asked to use a videolaryngoscope as a standard laryngoscope (they were blinded to the monitor display) and evaluate the glottic view in direct laryngoscopy. Then they were asked to look at the monitor of the videolaryngoscope and intubate the patient. The laryngoscopy conditions were evaluated using the Cormack-Lahane (CL) scale. The time from picking up the laryngoscope to inserting the endotracheal tube was recorded. Results: The evaluation of CL grade in direct laryngoscopy was: 44 patients — grade 1; 23 patients — grade 2; 13 patients — grade 3; six patients — grade 4. In all cases of CL grade > 1 in direct laryngoscopy, the use of C-Mac improved CL grade to 1. Mean time of intubation was 17.2 ± 2.5 sec. Conclusion: The C-Mac improves laryngeal view in morbidly obese patients, and allows for fast endotracheal intubation.