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Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) are specially designed multimodal perioperative care pathways which are intended to attain and improve rapid recovery after surgical interventions by supporting preoperative organ function and attenuating the stress response caused by surgical trauma, allowing patients to get back to normal activities as soon as possible. Evidence-based protocols are prepared and published to implement the conception of ERAS. Although they vary amongst health care institutions, the main three elements (preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative components) remain the cornerstones. Postoperative pain influences the quality and length of the postoperative recovery period, and later, the quality of life. Therefore, the optimal postoperative pain management (PPM) applying multimodal analgesia (MA) is one of the most important components of ERAS. The main purpose of this article is to discuss the concept of MA in PPM, particularly reviewing the use of opioid-sparing measures such as paracetamol, nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), other adjuvants, and regional techniques.

Objective This study was performed to investigate the correlation among decreased regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO2), blood levels of brain injury biomarkers, and postoperative cognitive disorder (POCD) after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Methods This prospective observational study included 59 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery with CPB. All patients underwent neuropsychological tests (Mini Mental State Evaluation, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, digit span test, digit symbol substitution test, and Schulte table) the day before and 10 days after the surgery. The blood levels of two brain injury biomarkers, neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), were measured before and 1 day after the surgery. Results The rSO2 decreased during surgery in 21 (35%) patients. POCD was detected in 22 (37%) patients. After the surgery, no significant changes in the GFAP blood level occurred in any patients. No significant correlations were found among the decreased rSO2, increased NSE blood level, and rate of POCD. Conclusion These results suggest that a decrease in rSO2 during cardiac surgery is not necessarily related to the development of POCD or an increased blood level of the brain injury biomarker NSE.

Background and Objectives: The aim of this study is to identify risk factors for the development of delayed neurocognitive recovery (dNCR). Materials and Methods: 140 patients underwent neurocognitive evaluations (Adenbrooke, MoCa, trial making, and CAM test) and middle cerebral artery (MCA) blood flow velocity (BFV) measurements, one day before cardiac surgery. BFV was re-evaluated after anesthesia induction, before the beginning, middle, end, and after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and postsurgery. To measure glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and neurofilament heavy chain (Nf-H), blood samples were collected after anesthesia induction, 24 and 48 h after the surgery. Neurocognitive evaluation was repeated 7–10 days after surgery. According to the results, patients were divided into two groups: with dNCR (dNCR group) and without dNCR (non-dNCR group). Results: 101 patients completed participation in this research. GFAP increased in both the non-dNCR group (p < 0.01) and in the dNCR group (p < 0.01), but there was no difference between the groups (after 24 h, p 0.342; after 48 h, p 0.273). Nf-H increased in both groups (p < 0.01), but there was no difference between them (after 24 h, p = 0.240; after 48 h, p = 0.597). MCA BFV was significantly lower in the dNCR group during the bypass (37.13 cm/s SD 7.70 versus 43.40 cm/s SD 9.56; p = 0.001) and after surgery (40.54 cm/s SD 11.21 versus 47.6 cm/s SD 12.01; p = 0.003). Results of neurocognitive tests correlated with CO2 concentration (Pearson’s r 0.40, p < 0.01), hematocrit (r 0.42, p < 0.01), MCA BFV during bypass (r 0.41, p < 0.01), and age (r −0.533, p < 0.01). The probability of developing dNCR increases 1.21 times with every one year of increased age (p < 0.01). The probability of developing dNCR increases 1.07 times with a decrease of BFV within 1 cm/s during bypass (p = 0.02). Conclusion: Risk factors contributing to dNCR among the tested patients were older age and middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity decrease during bypass.

Background and Objectives: Cardiac surgery is associated with various durations of cerebral autoregulation (CA) impairment and can significantly impact cognitive function. Cognitive functions such as memory, psychomotor speed, and attention are significantly impacted after cardiac surgery, necessitating prioritization of these areas in cognitive function tests. There is a lack of research connecting cerebral autoregulation impairment to specific cognitive function domains after cardiac surgery. This study aimed to determine if impaired cerebral autoregulation is associated with postoperative memory impairment and to test the hypothesis that the duration of this impairment affects the development of postoperative memory issues. Materials and Methods: A prospective study was conducted in 2021–2023. After approval of the Ethics Committee and with patient’s written consent, 83 adult patients undergoing elective on-pump coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery were enrolled. All patients were assessed for cognitive function 1 day before surgery using the Mini-Mental state examination (MMSE-2) test as a screening tool and the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R) to assess memory specifically. To diagnose possible memory impairment (IM), all patients underwent a repeat assessment of cognitive function on the 7th–10th postoperative day. Cerebral autoregulation monitoring using transcranial Doppler was performed. Cerebral autoregulation status index (Mx) was recorded using Intensive Care Brain Monitoring System software, 9.1.5.23 (Cambridge, UK). Results: According to our research, the incidence of postoperative memory impairment is 30.1%. Temporary cerebral autoregulation impairment occurs in all patients undergoing elective in-pump CABG surgery. The duration of the single longest CA impairment event in seconds (LCAI) and the LCAI dose were higher in patients with postoperative memory impairment, p = 0.006 and p < 0.007, respectively. Conclusions: Cerebral autoregulation impairment is important in developing memory loss after cardiac surgery. The duration and dose of the LCAI event are predictive of postoperative memory impairment.

Burnout is a syndrome of depersonalization, emotional exhaustion, and low personal accomplishment. Little is known about burnout in physicians. Our objective was to determine the prevalence of burnout among anesthetists and intensive care physicians, and associations between burnout and personal, as well as professional, characteristics.

INTRODUCTION Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) occurs during the first post-operative week in approximately 33–83% of cases. Recent clinical data shows that patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) experience episodes of cerebrovascular autoregulation (CA) impairment. This impairment is related to POCD and delirium. METHODS The observational study of non-invasive ultrasonic volumetric CA monitoring included 59 patients without pre-operative neurological disorders undergoing elective coronary artery bypass graft surgery with CPB in Kaunas Clinics, Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (Lithuania). All patients received a standardized anaesthetic and CPB management. All patients underwent a set of neuropsychological tests the day before and 10 days after the surgery to evaluate cognitive function. Monitoring of CA status was performed by using a non-invasive ultrasonic CA monitoring method that is based on real-time measurements of intracranial blood volume (IBV) reactions following changes in ABP. RESULTS Twenty-two patients (37%) experienced POCD, 37 patients (63%) did not display any evidence of cognitive deterioration. The duration of the single longest CA impairment event was found reliably associated with occurrence of POCD (P < .05). The critical duration of the single longest CA impairment event was 5.03 minutes (odds ratio 14.5; CI 3.9-51.8) for investigated population. CONCLUSION The performed study by using non-invasive real-time CA monitoring method for patients undergoing cardiac surgery with CPB showed that the duration of the single longest CA impairment event is reliably associated with POCD. One cause of impaired CA is mean arterial blood pressure drop below the individual lower limit of CA. The duration of the single longest CA impairment event is the risk factor that is associated with POCD.

Autotransfusion of the residual blood from the cardio-pulmonary bypass (CPB) circuit is considered to be one of the methods enabling reduction in the need for transfusion, the possible adverse effects of which are well known and documented. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the autologous autotrans-fusion of centrifuged red blood cells from the residual blood of the CPB circuit in patients following heart surgery. Three groups of patients who underwent heart surgery were examined. The first group (Group 1) consisted of 37 patients who received all of the residual blood in the bypass circuit after CPB (collected into sterile plastic bags) during the early postoperative period. The second group (Group 2) consisted of 45 patients who did not receive the residual blood following CPB. The third group (Group 3) consisted of 42 patients who underwent re-infusion of centrifuged red blood cells from the residual blood remaining in the CPB circuit during the early postoperative period. Hematocrit (Hct) values 12 hours after the operation were found to be higher in Group 3 compared with those of the first and the second groups (by 13.2% and 11.1%, respectively). Blood loss during the first 12 hours after the operation and during the time spent in the intensive care unit did not differ between the groups. The number of transfusions was significantly lower in Group 3 (28.57%) in comparison with that of Groups 1 and 2 (37.83% and 38.10%, respectively). The rate of infective complications in Group 3 was lower in comparison with both Group 1 and Group 2 (9.2% and 18.1%, respectively). The duration of in-hospital stay in Group 3 was 25.8% shorter than Group 1. We conclude that autotransfusion of centrifuged red blood cells processed from the residual blood of the CPB circuit after CPB was effective in increasing Hct values 12 hours postoperatively, reducing the need for donor blood product transfusions, the rate of infective complications and lenght of stay in hospital.

It is well documented that older age, chronic concomitant diseases (such as diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive lung disease, etc.), and poor left ventricular function can increase the postoperative complication rate and worsen the general outcomes of coronary artery bypass (CABG) and concomitant repair of ischemic mitral regurgitation (MR). Retrospective data of 394 patients after CABG and mitral valve (MV) repair (mainly annuloplasty) were analyzed. Patients were grouped according to age, diabetes mellitus (DM), and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Echocardiography data, the rate of postoperative complications (cardiogenic shock, preoperative myocardial infarction, bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract, cognitive disorders, stroke, sepsis, deep wound infection), and early and late mortality were compared between paired groups. There were no differences between age groups in reverse positive remodeling of LV. A significantly higher incidence of sepsis and deep wound infection in younger patients was observed. Patients with DM had no change in the pre-postoperative NYHA class and a higher rate of perioperative MI (10.3% vs. 3.1% respectively, p < 0.05) in comparison to patients with no DM. In all LVEF groups, MR was significantly decreased, but reverse positive remodeling of LV was pronounced only in those with \"poor\" and \"moderately lowered\" LVEF. Postoperative complications did not differ among these three groups. Elderly age, concomitant DM and lowered LVEF do not influence either early or late mortality, including early postoperative outcomes after MV repair for ischemic MR following CABG. Concomitant DM increases the rate of perioperative MI and impairs reverse remodeling of LV.