BackgroundWe performed a systematic review of randomized controlled studies evaluating any drug, technique or device aimed at improving the success rate or safety of tracheal intubation in the critically ill.MethodsWe searched PubMed, BioMed Central, Embase and the Cochrane Central Register of Clinical Trials and references of retrieved articles. Finally, pertinent reviews were also scanned to detect further studies until May 2017. The following inclusion criteria were considered: tracheal intubation in adult critically ill patients; randomized controlled trial; study performed in Intensive Care Unit, Emergency Department or ordinary ward; and work published in the last 20 years. Exclusion criteria were pre-hospital or operating theatre settings and simulation-based studies. Two investigators selected studies for the final analysis. Extracted data included first author, publication year, characteristics of patients and clinical settings, intervention details, comparators and relevant outcomes. The risk of bias was assessed with the Cochrane Collaboration’s Risk of Bias tool.ResultsWe identified 22 trials on use of a pre-procedure check-list (1 study), pre-oxygenation or apneic oxygenation (6 studies), sedatives (3 studies), neuromuscular blocking agents (1 study), patient positioning (1 study), video laryngoscopy (9 studies), and post-intubation lung recruitment (1 study). Pre-oxygenation with non-invasive ventilation (NIV) and/or high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) showed a possible beneficial role. Post-intubation recruitment improved oxygenation, while ramped position increased the number of intubation attempts and thiopental had negative hemodynamic effects. No effect was found for use of a checklist, apneic oxygenation (on oxygenation and hemodynamics), videolaryngoscopy (on number and length of intubation attempts), sedatives and neuromuscular blockers (on hemodynamics). Finally, videolaryngoscopy was associated with severe adverse effects in multiple trials.ConclusionsThe limited available evidence supports a beneficial role of pre-oxygenation with NIV and HFNC before intubation of critically ill patients. Recruitment maneuvers may increase post-intubation oxygenation. Ramped position increased the number of intubation attempts; thiopental had negative hemodynamic effects and videolaryngoscopy might favor adverse events.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13054-017-1927-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Introduction:The use of ketamine as an option in the treatment of depressive disorder is growing rapidly, supported by numerous clinical trials attesting its efficacy and safety. Esketamine, the S (+) enantiomer of ketamine, is the most widely used form in the anesthetic environment in some countries, and new studies have shown that it may also be effective in depression and with better tolerability. However, no study so far has directly compared esketamine with racemic ketamine. Here we propose a protocol of a clinical trial to evaluate esketamine as a noninferior medication when compared to ketamine in the treatment of patients with treatment-resistant depression.Methods/design:This study protocol is for a randomized, controlled, double-blind noninferiority clinical trial. Subjects will be 18 years or older, with major depression characterized as treatment-resistant. Participants will receive a single infusion of either esketamine (0.25 mg/kg) or ketamine (0.5 mg/kg) over 40 minutes. The primary outcome will be the difference in remission rates between the 2 treatment arms at 24 and 72 hours after drug infusion. Secondary outcomes will include other timepoints, measurements of cognition, dissociation, and blood biomarkers.Discussion:A head-to-head study is the best way to evaluate whether the esketamine is in fact comparable to the racemic ketamine in terms of both efficacy and safety, and, if positive, it would be an initial step to increase the access to that type of treatment worldwide.Ethics and dissemination:The study was approved by the local Institutional Review Board (University Hospital Professor Edgard Santos—Federal University of Bahia—Number: 46657415.0.0000.0049). Subjects will only participate after voluntarily agreeing and signing the Informed Consent Form. The study findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international conferences.Trial registration:This trial has been registered in the Japan Primary Registries Network (JPRN): UMIN000032355, which is affiliated with the World Health Organization.

In the publication of this article [1], there was an error in a contributors Family Name. This has now been updated in the original article.

The novel coronavirus SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic dramatically changed the workflow of healthcare professionals around the world. Surgical procedures were withheld and postponed in a scenario of fear and uncertainty. Despite numerous medical institutions having swiftly and widely implemented pre-operative screening protocols, cost-effective studies remain scarce specially when comparing to other mitigation measures such as the donning of masks and social distancing measures. The objective of our study is to report the monthly positivity rates of SARS-COV-2 infection in our service and compare our data with monthly positivity rates reported by the State Health Department. Between April, 2020, to February, 2022, 7,199 patients had the RT-PCR for SARS-COV-2 collected, with 187 (2.59%) testing positive for COVID-19. Most of them (62.1%) were asymptomatic. The most common symptoms were coryza (10.7%), fever (10%), and diarrhea (8.7%). Nonetheless, there were two deaths due to COVID-19 reported in our center. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the impact of pre-operative screening for SARS-COV-2 in asymptomatic patients.

RESUMO A pandemia causada pelo novo coronavírus (SARS-COV-2) alterou a rotina de pacientes, profissionais e serviços de saúde em todo o mundo levando ao adiamento ou suspensão de muitos procedimentos cirúrgicos. Muitos serviços implementaram protocolos de triagem sistemática pré-operatória para SARS-COV-2. No entanto, segue incerta a eficácia da triagem sistemática de pacientes assintomáticos para SARS-COV-2 quando comparada com outras medidas de mitigação como o uso de máscaras e o distanciamento social apesar da aparente sensação de segurança conferida pela testagem pré-operatória de pacientes para SARS-COV-2. Sendo assim, descrevemos a experiência de dois anos de um hospital pediátrico (n=7.199) na triagem sistemática pré-operatória para SARS-COV-2 e comparamos a taxa de positividade mensal reportada pelo serviço em relação a taxa de positividade mensal regional do Estado de São Paulo. No período de Abril de 2020 a Fevereiro de 2022 houveram 187 (2,56%) RT-PCR positivos para COVID-19 dos quais 62.1% assintomáticos. Os sintomas mais comuns foram coriza (10,7%), febre (10%) e diarreia (8,7%). Dois pacientes faleceram em decorrência de sintomas relacionados a COVID-19. Mais estudos são necessários para determinar o impacto da testagem pré-operatória de RT-PCR para SARS-COV-2 em pacientes assintomáticos na mitigação da transmissão intra-hospitalar e na morbidade cirúrgica.