Liver Transplantation Using Allografts With Recent Liver Blunt Trauma: A Nationwide Audit From the French CRISTAL Biomedicine Agency Registry.

Background: In the current setting of organ shortage, brain-dead liver donors with recent liver trauma (RLT) represent a potential pool of donors. Yet, data on feasibility and safety of liver transplantation (LT) using grafts with RLT are lacking.

Methods: All liver grafts from brain-dead donors with RLT proposed for LT between 2010 and 2018 were identified from the nationwide CRISTAL registry of the Biomedicine Agency.

Effect of Lung-Protective Ventilation in Organ Donors on Lung Procurement and Recipient Survival.

Previous studies have shown that a lung-protective strategy, which aims at minimizing ventilator-induced lung injury (with low Vt/high positive end-expiratory pressure as the main pillars), in selected potential organ donors after brain death increased lung eligibility and procurement. This prospective nationwide cohort study aimed to evaluate the impact of lung-protective ventilation (PV) in nonselected donors on lung procurement and recipient survival after lung transplantation. We included all reported donors aged 18-70 years after brain death without a lung recovery contraindication and with at least one organ recovered between January 2016 and December 2017.

Kidney Transplant From Uncontrolled Donation After Circulatory Death: Contribution of Normothermic Regional Perfusion.

Background: The French uncontrolled donors after circulatory death (DCD) protocol restricts donor age to <55 years, no-flow time to <30 minutes, and functional warm ischemia time to <150 minutes. In situ kidney perfusion can be performed at either 4°C (in situ cooling [ISC]) or 33-36°C (normothermic regional perfusion [NRP]). Hypothermic machine perfusion is systematically used.

Being Convinced and Taking Responsibility: A Qualitative Study of Family Members' Experience of Organ Donation Decision and Bereavement After Brain Death.

Objectives: Family members of brain dead patients experience an unprecedented situation in which not only they are told that their loved one is dead but are also asked to consider organ donation. The objective of this qualitative study was to determine 1) what it means for family members to make the decision and to take responsibility, 2) how they interact with the deceased patient in the ICU, 3) how family members describe the impact of the process and of the decision on their bereavement process.

Design: Qualitative study using interviews with bereaved family members who were approached for organ donation after the death of their relative in the ICU (brain death).

Perioperative management of adult diabetic patients. Review of hyperglycaemia: definitions and pathophysiology.

Diabetes mellitus is defined by chronic elevation of blood glucose linked to insulin resistance and/or insulinopaenia. Its diagnosis is based on a fasting blood-glucose level of ≥1.26g/L or, in some countries, a blood glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) level of >6.

Perioperative management of adult diabetic patients. Preoperative period.

In diabetic patients undergoing surgery, we recommend assessing glycaemic control preoperatively by assessing glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels and recent capillary blood sugar (glucose) levels, and to adjust any treatments accordingly before surgery, paying particular attention to specific complications of diabetes. Gastroparesis creates a risk of stasis and aspiration of gastric content at induction of anaesthesia requiring the use of a rapid sequence induction technique. Cardiac involvement can be divided into several types.

Perioperative management of adult diabetic patients. Postoperative period.

Follow on from continuous intravenous administration of insulin with an electronic syringe (IVES) is an important element in the postoperative management of a diabetic patient. The basal-bolus scheme is the most suitable taking into account the nutritional supply and variable needs for insulin, reproducing the physiology of a normal pancreas: (i) slow (long-acting) insulin (=basal) which should immediately take over from IVES insulin simulating basal secretion; (ii) ultra-rapid insulin to simulate prandial secretion (=bolus for the meal); and (iii) correction of possible hyperglycaemia with an additional ultra-rapid insulin bolus dose. A number of schemes are proposed to help calculate the dosages for the change from IV insulin to subcutaneous insulin and for the basal-bolus scheme.

Perioperative management of adult diabetic patients. Intraoperative period.

Perioperative hyperglycaemia (>1.80g/L or 10mmol/L) increases morbidity (particularly due to infection) and mortality. Hypoglycaemia can be managed in the perioperative period by decreasing blood sugar levels with insulin between 0.

Perioperative management of adult diabetic patients. Specific situations.

Ambulatory surgery can be carried out in diabetic patients. By using a strict organisational and technical approach, the risk of glycaemic imbalance is minimised, allowing the patients to return to their previous way of life more quickly. Taking into account the context of ambulatory surgery, with a same day discharge, the aims are to minimise the changes to antidiabetic treatment, to maintain adequate blood sugar control and to resume oral feeding as quickly as possible.

Grief Symptoms in Relatives Who Experienced Organ Donation Requests in the ICU.

Rationale: Studies show that the quality of end-of-life communication and care have a significant impact on the living long after the death of a relative and have been implicated in the burden of psychological symptoms after the ICU experience. In the case of organ donation, the patient's relatives are centrally involved in the decision-making process; yet, few studies have examined the impact of the quality of communication on the burden of psychological symptoms after death.

Objectives: To assess the experience of the organ donation process and grief symptoms in relatives of brain-dead patients who discussed organ donation in the ICU.

Physiological and self-assessed psychological stress induced by a high fidelity simulation course among third year anesthesia and critical care residents: An observational study.

Introduction: The use of high fidelity simulators in Medicine can improve knowledge, behaviour and practice but may be associated with significant stress. Our objective was to measure physiological and psychological self-assessed intensity of stress before and after a planned simulation training session among third year anaesthesia and critical care residents.

Methods: A convenience sample of 27 residents participating in a simulation training course was studied.

Uncontrolled donation after circulatory death: European practices and recommendations for the development and optimization of an effective programme.

The shortage of organs remains one of the biggest challenges in transplantation. To address this, we are increasingly turning to donation after circulatory death (DCD) donors and now in some countries to uncontrolled DCD donors. We consolidate the knowledge on uncontrolled DCD in Europe and provide recommendations and guidance for the development and optimization of effective uncontrolled DCD programmes.

French survey of the first three-years of liver transplantation activity from uncontrolled donors deceased after cardiac death.

Objective: To assess the first three years of French activity related to liver transplantation from uncontrolled donation after cardiac death (uDCD).

Study Design: Prospective and observational study in the three active centres authorized by the French Biomedicine Agency.

Patients And Methods: All patients deceased between 2010 and 2012 after an uncontrolled cardiac arrest admitted to one of three centres (Pitié-Salpêtrière, Saint-Louis or Bicêtre hospitals, AP-HP, Paris, France) and potentially eligible for liver recovery were included.

The limits of succinylcholine for critically ill patients.

Background: Urgent tracheal intubations are common in intensive care units (ICU), and succinylcholine is one of the first-line neuromuscular blocking drugs used in these situations. Critically ill patients could be at high risk of hyperkalemia after receiving succinylcholine because one or more etiologic factors of nicotinic receptor upregulation can be present, but there are few data on its real risk. Our objectives in this study were to determine the factors associated with arterial potassium increase (ΔK) and to assess the occurrence of acute hyperkalemia ≥6.

[Does cerebral salt wasting syndrome exist?].

Increased natriuresis is a frequent situation after subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). It may be responsible for hyponatremia, which can be dangerous in case of severe hypo-osmolarity or hypovolemia. Inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone or cerebral salt wasting syndrome (CSWS) have been incriminated for hyponatremia after SAH, but it remains difficult to distinguish between both syndromes.

Renal arterial resistance in septic shock: effects of increasing mean arterial pressure with norepinephrine on the renal resistive index assessed with Doppler ultrasonography.

Objective: To determine the effects of increasing mean arterial pressure (MAP) on renal resistances assessed by Doppler ultrasonography in septic shock.

Design And Setting: Prospective, single-center, nonrandomized, open-label trial in the surgical intensive care unit in a university teaching hospital.

Patients And Participants: 11 patients with septic shock who required fluid resuscitation and norepinephrine to increase and maintain MAP at or above 65 mmHg.