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The perioperative management of pediatric patients with psycho-physical disorders with related relational and cognitive problems must be carefully planned, in order to make the entire hospitalization process as comfortable and as less traumatic as possible. This article reports an overview of the anesthetic management of non-cooperative patients between 6 and 14 years old. The pathologies most frequently responsible for psycho-physical disorders can be summarized into three groups: (1) collaboration difficulties (autism spectrum disorders, intellectual impairment, phobia); (2) motor dysfunction (cerebral palsy, epilepsy, other brain pathologies, neuromuscular disorders), and (3) craniofacial anomalies (Down syndrome, other genetic syndromes). Anesthesia can be performed safely and successfully due to careful management of all specific problems of these patients, such as a difficult preoperative evaluation (medical history, physical examination, blood sampling, evaluation of vital parameters and predictive indices of difficult airway) and the inapplicability of a “standard” perioperative path (timing and length of the hospitalization, anesthetic premedication, postoperative management). It is necessary to ensure a dedicated perioperative process that is safe, comfortable, tailored to specific needs, and as less traumatic as possible. At the same time, all necessary precautions must be taken to minimize possible complications.

Background: The definition of patients with special needs (SNs) is used in the literature to refer to individuals with mental and physical disorders for whom the usual perioperative pathways are not applicable due to lack of cooperation, regardless of age. Studies in the literature recognize the appropriateness of general anesthesia for performing day surgery dental care in this type of patient. Objectives: The main objective was to assess the possible incidence of difficult airway management, understood as difficulty ventilating and/or intubating the patient. A secondary objective was to highlight the influence of general anesthesia on patient outcomes by testing the incidence of perioperative complications. Methods: The present retrospective, single-center, observational study involved 41 uncooperative patients aged between 3 and 17 undergoing dental surgery under general anesthesia. Data relating to airway management and general anesthesia present in the medical records were analyzed. Results: Tracheal intubation was successfully completed in all of the patients considered, and in no case did the patient have to be woken up because of difficulty in airway management. No perioperative complications attributable to anesthesia were found in any patients. Conclusions: From the present experience, it can be concluded that general anesthesia is a suitable option for performing dental care in pediatric subjects with special needs, and that although the peculiar perioperative management of these patients might increase the risk of possible anesthesia-related side effects, no complications have been encountered in any case.

Main challenges to the implementation of telemedicine Section Key barriers identified Fragmentation and Variability Across Systems - Wide variability in organizational models across institutions and regions - Lack of standardization impedes scalability - No shared clinical protocols or benchmarks - Inequities in access to TM services Uncertainty in Patient Selection and Clinical Appropriateness - Absence of validated algorithms to identify candidates suitable for TM - Clinical uncertainty in ASA classification and comorbidity assessment - Risk of excluding complex cases or reverting to in-person visits Legal, Ethical and Professional Ambiguities - Ambiguous professional liability in remote care contexts - Legal risks in choosing TM over in-person consultation - Problems with digital patient identification - Inadequate or unclear digital consent processes - Data protection and GDPR compliance issues - Legal uncertainty about division of responsibility between clinicians, hospitals, and tech providers - Lack of appropriate insurance coverage for remote activities Infrastructure Gaps and Interoperability Issues - Limited access to certified digital tools in many healthcare settings - Inadequate interoperability with national EHR systems - Fragmented documentation and workflows - Poor audiovisual quality on patient side - Unequal access to devices and networks, increasing digital divide Lack of Reimbursement Clarity and Economic Incentives - No unified or transparent reimbursement for preoperative TM visits - TM services often not included in regional or national tariff codes - Financial disincentives for both hospitals and providers Challenges in Remote Prehabilitation and Postoperative Follow-up - Unclear criteria for selecting patients for tele-prehabilitation - Lack of validated indicators for monitoring adherence and response - Difficulty integrating tele-follow-up into care pathways Absence of Regulatory Guidance and National Monitoring - No national registry or real-time monitoring tool for TM implementation—Inability to track regional disparities or evaluate outcomes - Missed opportunity for national strategic alignment Fragmentation and variability across systems One of the foremost obstacles is the heterogeneity of healthcare systems. Recent randomized controlled data demonstrated that pre-anesthesia telemedicine evaluation yielded comparable clinical outcomes to in-person visits, supporting its role in carefully selected surgical populations [8]. Without data collection and feedback mechanisms, identifying best practices or areas for improvement is challenging [7, 15]. Defining patient eligibility and selection algorithms Blending remote triage with targeted in-person evaluations Investing in interoperable digital infrastructure and security compliance Delivering structured provider training Establishing sustainable reimbursement models Launching national monitoring systems to track telemedicine pathways and outcomes Anesthesiologists must lead the evolution of telemedicine into standardized, ethically informed, and patient-centered preoperative care.

Intubation with a flexible fibrobronchoscope in an awake patient is frequently considered the technique of choice in patients with predicted difficult intubation. There are, however, situations in which the use of the fibrobronchoscope is not applicable, particularly due to problems attributable to the patient or to limited use of the instrument. In such situations, the video laryngoscope can be a useful alternative, as long as it is associated with adequate sedation of the patient. In fact, it ensures excellent viewing of the glottis, allowing for successful orotracheal intubation to be performed even in case of difficult airways, while keeping the patient spontaneously breathing throughout the procedure. From the data present in the literature, this technique seems to ensure a success rate and a safety profile similar to those obtained with the fibrobronchoscope, moreover, with greater ease of use by the anaesthesiologist. The main purpose of this work is to provide a valid and safe alternative to intubation with a fibrobronchoscope while awake in those patients with anticipated difficult airway management and in whom, for different reasons, fibrobronchoscope cannot be used.

Introduction. This observational study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of ultramicronized palmitoylethanolamide (um-PEA) (Normast®) administration, as add-on therapy for chronic pain, in the management of pain-resistant patients affected by failed back surgery syndrome. Methods. A total of 35 patients were treated with tapentadol (TPD) and pregabalin (PGB). One month after the start of standard treatment, um-PEA was added for the next two months. Pain was evaluated by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at the time of enrollment (T0) and after one (T1), two (T2), and three (T3) months. Results. After the first month with TDP + PGB treatment only, VAS score decreased significantly from 5.7±0.12 at the time of enrollment (T0) to 4.3 ± 0.11 (T1) (p<0.0001); however, it failed to provide significant subjective improvement in pain symptoms. Addition of um-PEA led to a further and significant decrease in pain intensity, reaching VAS scores of 2.7 ± 0.09 (T2) and 1.7 ± 0.11 (T3, end of treatment) (p<0.0001) without showing any side effects. Conclusions. This observational study provides evidence, albeit preliminary, for the efficacy and safety of um-PEA (Normast) as part of a multimodal therapeutic regimen in the treatment of pain-resistant patients suffering from failed back surgery syndrome.

Chronic pain is a key symptom in fibromyalgia (FM), and its management is still challenging for rheumatologists in daily practice. FM patients show psychological and psychiatric manifestations, going from mood and emotional disorders to depression and alexithymia that negatively impact their quality of life, limiting their daily activities. Since pharmacological strategies have a limited efficacy in FM pain, alternative or complementary non-pharmacological approaches have been introduced in the clinical management of FM. This is a retrospective study on FM patients (n=52) treated with a novel integrated postural counseling (PC) rehabilitation program carried out by a counselor physiotherapist. The clinical impact of PC was evaluated by 1) a semi-structured interview using an ad hoc modified questionnaire McGill Illness Narrative Interview (MINI) 1 to obtain data on pain management by highlighting everyday experience of living with pain and 2) an FM impact questionnaire (FIQ) total score. Two main structures of narrative emplotment of FM illness were recognized: 1) the cumulative life narrative structure (46.15%) and 2) the broken life (53.85%) narrative structure. Baseline FIQ score was 77.38±7.77, and it was significantly reduced after PC to 39.12±13.27 ( <0.0001). Although well-being still requires further definition as outcome in pain management, it is important for FM patients, dealing with pain-related sensations, thoughts and feelings and limiting their daily activities. In our study, 87.5% of interviewed FM patients reported an improvement in their well-being after PC. Our data suggest that an integrated PC program positively impacts chronic pain and fatigue based on self-management strategies. PC allows FM patients to resume their own life and regenerate their own image. Finally, we propose the introduction of the evaluation of the ability to resume daily activities as the target of rehabilitation programs in FM.

327-337. On page 336, the wrong author name was given in part of the author contributions section. The correct details follow. Author contributions P Caramaschi, D Biasi and A Carletto were the rheumatologists in charge of FM patients, and they collected and analyzed the patients' data and wrote the paper. C Galvani and G Ongaro were the counselor physiotherapists involved in FM treatment, collected illness narratives, analyzed the data and wrote the paper. L De Franceschi, P Mura, M Evangelista, A Paladini and G Finco analyzed the data and wrote the paper. A Ciannameo, A Pari, and E Arnaudo carried out the interviews, analyzed the data and wrote the paper. A Piroli and G Varrassi wrote and reviewed the paper and A Piroli also approved the text. All authors contributed toward data analysis, drafting and critically revising the paper, gave final approval of the version to be published, and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.Read the original article

Background: A growing body of evidence suggests that neuroinflammation, which is characterized by infiltration of immune cells, activation of mast cells and glial cells, and production of inflammatory mediators in the peripheral and central nervous systems, has an important role in the induction and maintenance of chronic pain. These findings support the notion that new therapeutic opportunities for chronic pain might be based on anti-inflammatory and pro-resolving mediators that act on immune cells, in particular mast cells and glia, to mitigate or abolish neuroinflammation. Among anti-inflammatory and pro-resolving lipid mediators, palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) has been reported to down-modulate mast cell activation and to control glial cell behaviors. Objective: The aim of this study was to perform a pooled meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of micronized and ultra-micronized palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) on pain intensity in patients suffering from chronic and/or neuropathic pain. Study Design: Pooled data analysis consisting of double-blind, controlled, and open-label clinical trials. Methods: Double-blind, controlled, and open-label clinical trials were selected consulting the PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane databases, and proceedings of neuroscience meetings. The terms chronic pain, neuropathic pain, and micronized and ultra-micronized PEA were used for the search. Selection criteria included availability of raw data and comparability between tools used to diagnose and assess pain intensity. Raw data obtained by authors were pooled in one database and analyzed by the Generalized Linear Mixed Model. The changes in pain over time, measured by comparable tools, were also assessed by linear regression post-hoc analysis and the Kaplan-Meier estimate. Twelve studies were included in the pooled meta-analysis, 3 of which were double-blind trials comparing active comparators vs placebo, 2 were open-label trials vs standard therapies, and 7 were open-label trials without comparators. Results: Results showed that PEA elicits a progressive reduction of pain intensity significantly higher than control. The magnitude of reduction equals 1.04 points every 2 weeks with a 35% response variance explained by the linear model. In contrast, in the control group pain, reduction intensity equals 0.20 points every 2 weeks with only 1% of the total variance explained by the regression. The Kaplan-Meier estimator showed a pain score ≤ 3 in 81% of PEA treated patients compared to only 40.9% in control patients by day 60 of treatment. PEA effects were independent of patient age or gender, and not related to the type of chronic pain. Limitations: Noteworthy, serious adverse events related to PEA were not registered and/or reported in any of the studies. Conclusion: These results confirm that PEA might represent an exciting, new therapeutic strategy to manage chronic and neuropathic pain associated with neuroinflammation. Key words: Chronic pain, neuropathic pain, neuroinflammation, astrocytes, glia, mast cells, microglia, micronized and ultra-micronized palmitoylethanolamide

Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) is a multisystem, recurrent, environmental disorder that flares in response to different exposures (i.e., pesticides, solvents, toxic metals and molds) under the threshold limit value (TLV) calculated for age and gender in the general population. MCS is a syndrome characterized by cutaneous, allergic, gastrointestinal, rheumatological, endocrinological, cardiological and neurological signs and symptoms. We performed a systematic review of the literature to summarize the current clinical and therapeutic evidence and then oriented an eDelphi consensus. Four main research domains were identified (diagnosis, treatment, hospitalization and emergency) and discussed by 10 experts and an MCS patient. Thus, the first Italian MCS consensus had the double aim: (a) to improve MCS knowledge among healthcare workers and patients by standardizing the clinical and therapeutic management to MCS patients; and (b) to improve and shed light on MCS misconceptions not supported by evidence-based medicine (EBM).