Laxatives are generally well tolerated and may be considered safe drugs. When taken at much higher than the recommended doses (laxative abuse) some side effects may occur (e.g. hypokalemia, metabolic alkalosis, renal tubular damage). It is controversial whether the laxatives currently used may lead to morphologic changes of the autonomous nervous system of the colon. Melanosis coli is due to pigment-laden macrophages within the submucosa. It occurs after long-term intake of anthraquinones and has no functional consequences. No case of 'cathartic colon' has been observed during the last few decades, and we can assume that it was probably caused by laxatives which are no longer in use.

Adverse effects of laxatives: fact and fiction.

Pharmacology

Syncope is a concerning symptom that affects a large proportion of patients. It can be related to a heterogeneous group of pathologies ranging from trivial causes to diseases with a high risk of sudden death. However, benign causes are the most frequent, and identifying high-risk patients with potentially severe etiologies is crucial to establish an accurate diagnosis, initiate effective therapy, and alter the prognosis. The term cardiac syncope refers to those episodes where the cause of the cerebral hypoperfusion is directly related to a cardiac disorder, while arrhythmic syncope is cardiac syncope specifically due to rhythm disorders. Indeed, arrhythmias are the most common cause of cardiac syncope. Both bradyarrhythmia and tachyarrhythmia can cause a sudden decrease in cardiac output and produce syncope. In this review, we summarized the main guidelines in the management of patients with syncope of presumed arrhythmic origin. Therefore, we presented a thorough approach to syncope work-up through different tests depending on the clinical characteristics of the patients, risk stratification, and the management of syncope in different scenarios such as structural heart disease and channelopathies.

Arrhythmic syncope: From diagnosis to management.

World Journal of Cardiology

The goal of hemodynamic resuscitation is to optimize the microcirculation of organs to meet their oxygen and metabolic needs. Clinicians are currently blind to what is happening in the microcirculation of organs, which prevents them from achieving an additional degree of individualization of the hemodynamic resuscitation at tissue level. Indeed, clinicians never know whether optimization of the microcirculation and tissue oxygenation is actually achieved after macrovascular hemodynamic optimization. The challenge for the future is to have noninvasive, easy-to-use equipment that allows reliable assessment and immediate quantitative analysis of the microcirculation at the bedside. There are different methods for assessing the microcirculation at the bedside; all have strengths and challenges. The use of automated analysis and the future possibility of introducing artificial intelligence into analysis software could eliminate observer bias and provide guidance on microvascular-targeted treatment options. In addition, to gain caregiver confidence and support for the need to monitor the microcirculation, it is necessary to demonstrate that incorporating microcirculation analysis into the reasoning guiding hemodynamic resuscitation prevents organ dysfunction and improves the outcome of critically ill patients.

The future of intensive care: the study of the microcirculation will help to guide our therapies.

Critical Care : the Official Journal of the Critical Care Forum

Pain is the leading cause of medical consultations and occurs in 50-70% of emergency department visits. To date, several drugs have been used to manage pain. The clinical use of ketamine began in the 1960s and it immediately emerged as a manageable and safe drug for sedation and anesthesia. The analgesic properties of this drug were first reported shortly after its use; however, its psychomimetic effects have limited its use in emergency departments. Owing to the misuse and abuse of opioids in some countries worldwide, ketamine has become a versatile tool for sedation and analgesia. In this narrative review, ketamine's role as an analgesic is discussed, with both known and new applications in various contexts (acute, chronic, and neuropathic pain), along with its strengths and weaknesses, especially in terms of psychomimetic, cardiovascular, and hepatic effects. Moreover, new scientific evidence has been reviewed on the use of additional drugs with ketamine, such as magnesium infusion for improving analgesia and clonidine for treating psychomimetic symptoms. Finally, this narrative review was refined by the experience of the Pain Group of the Italian Society of Emergency Medicine (SIMEU) in treating acute and chronic pain with acute manifestations in Italian Emergency Departments.

Narrative Review: Low-Dose Ketamine for Pain Management.

Journal of Clinical Medicine

The "2023 Guideline for the Management of Patients With Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage" replaces the 2012 "Guidelines for the Management of Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage." The 2023 guideline is intended to provide patient-centric recommendations for clinicians to prevent, diagnose, and manage patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

A comprehensive search for literature published since the 2012 guideline, derived from research principally involving human subjects, published in English, and indexed in MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and other selected databases relevant to this guideline, was conducted between March 2022 and June 2022. In addition, the guideline writing group reviewed documents on related subject matter previously published by the American Heart Association. Newer studies published between July 2022 and November 2022 that affected recommendation content, Class of Recommendation, or Level of Evidence were included if appropriate.

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage is a significant global public health threat and a severely morbid and often deadly condition. The 2023 aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage guideline provides recommendations based on current evidence for the treatment of these patients. The recommendations present an evidence-based approach to preventing, diagnosing, and managing patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, with the intent to improve quality of care and align with patients' and their families' and caregivers' interests. Many recommendations from the previous aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage guidelines have been updated with new evidence, and new recommendations have been created when supported by published data.

2023 Guideline for the Management of Patients With Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Guideline From the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

Stroke; a Journal of Cerebral Circulation

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is frequently associated with sepsis. ARDS and sepsis exhibit a common pathobiology, namely excessive inflammation. Corticosteroids are powerful anti-inflammatory agents that are routinely used in septic shock and in oxygen-dependent SARS-CoV-2 related acute respiratory failure. Recently, corticosteroids were found to reduce mortality in severe community-acquired pneumonia. Corticosteroids may therefore also have a role to play in the treatment of ARDS. This narrative review was undertaken following a PubMed search for English language reports published before January 2023 using the terms acute respiratory distress syndrome, sepsis and steroids. Additional reports were identified by examining the reference lists of selected articles and based on personnel knowledge of the authors of the field. High-quality research is needed to fully understand the role of corticosteroids in the treatment of ARDS and to determine the optimal timing, dosing and duration of treatment.

Corticosteroids in ARDS.

Central venous catheterization (CVC) is a frequent procedure, practiced by intensivists, anesthesiologists and advanced practice nurses in intensive care units and operative rooms. To reduce CVC-associated morbidity, it is essential to strive for best practices, based on the latest evidence. This narrative review aims to synthesize current knowledge on evidence-based best practices for CVC that improve the use and feasibility of real-time ultrasound-guided insertion procedures. Optimization of the vein puncture technique and the development of new technologies are discussed to reinforce the use of the subclavian vein catheterization as first choice. The search for alternative site of insertions, without increasing infectious and thrombotic risks, deserves further research.

How to improve the efficiency and the safety of real-time ultrasound-guided central venous catheterization in 2023: a narrative review.

Annals of Intensive Care

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a complex syndrome defined by the existence of different organ failures (OFs) in patients with chronic liver disease, mainly cirrhosis. Several definitions have been proposed to define the syndrome, varying in the grade of the subjacent liver disease, the type of precipitants and the organs considered in the definition. Liver, coagulation, brain, kidney, circulatory and pulmonary are the six types of OFs proposed in the different classifications, with different prevalence worldwide. Irrespective of the definition used, patients who develop ACLF present a hyperactive immune system, profound haemodynamic disturbances and several metabolic alterations that finally lead to organ dysfunction. These disturbances are triggered by different factors such as bacterial infections, alcoholic hepatitis, gastrointestinal bleeding or hepatitis B virus flare, among others. Because patients with ACLF present high short-term mortality, a prompt recognition is needed to start treatment of the trigger event and specific organ support. Liver transplantation is also feasible in carefully selected patients and should be evaluated.

Adverse effects of laxatives: fact and fiction.

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