Pre-operative physical performance as a predictor of in-hospital outcomes in older patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery.

Objective: Risk stratification of cardiac surgery patients is usually based on the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) score, that has limited predictive value in older persons. We aimed assessing whether the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) improves, beyond the STS score, assessment of hospital prognosis in older patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery.

Methods: All patients aged 75+ years referred for elective cardiac surgery to Careggi University Hospital (Florence, Italy) from April 2013 to March 2017 were evaluated pre-operatively.

Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in cardiac arrest: results of a hands-on training for a simplified TEE protocol.

Background: Integration of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) with Focused Cardiac Ultrasound (FoCUS) can impact decision-making, assist in the diagnosis of reversible etiologies and help guiding resuscitation of patients with cardiac arrest.

Objective: To evaluate the ability of emergency physicians (EPs) to obtain and maintain skills in performing resusTEE after a course with clinical training in the cardiac surgery theatre.

Methods: Ten EPs without previous TEE experience underwent a resusTEE course, based on a 2-h workshop and an 8-h hands-on training.

Patient blood management in cardiac surgery: The "Granducato algorithm".

Background: Patients undergoing cardiac surgery are subject to severe alterations of the coagulation system. The four cardiac surgery centers in Tuscany (Italy) structured and shared an algorithm (Granducato Patient Blood Management algorithm, G-PBMa) with predefined interventions for patient blood management. The aim of the study is to analyze the impact of that algorithm on the transfusion needs and bleeding-related outcomes in a large patient population.

Transcutaneous electrical stimulation applied to the infratrochlear nerve induces a homatropine-resistant miosis in humans.

1. Both high- and low-intensity transcutaneous electrical stimuli were applied to the emergence of the infratrochlear nerve in 18 healthy subjects. The effect on the size of the homolateral pupil was investigated.