The aim of our study was to improve results of treatment of critically ill patients with sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) using the goal-directed dehydration therapy (DT).
Sixty adult patients with sepsis and ARDS receiving mechanical ventilation for at least 24 hours were enrolled into a prospective randomized study. The patients were randomized into groups of dehydration guided either by extravascular (group of extravascular lung water index ‒ EVLWI, n = 30) or intravascular (group of global end-diastolic volume index ‒ GEDVI, n = 30) compartment. Dehydration was performed over 48 hours by administering diuretics or controlled extracorporeal ultrafiltration. We measured ventilation parameters, blood gases, and parameters of volumetric monitoring. The baseline characteristics of the patients did not differ between the groups. By 48 hours, the target fluid balance was achieved in both groups. In the EVLWI group at 48 hours, we found reduction of EVLWI by 15.4% (p < 0.001) and increase in PaO₂/FiO₂ by 23.3% as compared with baseline (p < 0.001). In parallel, we observed decrease in creatinine and urea (p < 0.05). In the GEDVI group, PaO₂/FiO₂ rose by 12.5% (p = 0.021), whereas EVLWI remained unchanged (p = 0.4). Maximal decrease in EVLWI and improvement of PaO₂/FiO₂ were achieved in direct ARDS.
Thus, in patients with sepsis and ARDS the de-escalation goal-directed therapy resulted in the improvement of arterial oxygenation and organ function. The efficacy of dehydration was increased in direct ARDS. The extravascular compartment dehydration algorithm attenuated pulmonary edema and acute kidney injury more efficiently. Therefore, sepsis-induced ARDS may require personalized therapeutic approach.

Introduction: Changes in hormonal status in patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness (PDC) remain poorly understood. There are no studies devoted to the investigation of prognostic value of hormonal changes to predict the outcome which is primarily due to a relatively small number of patients, different variants of structural brain disorders in vegetative state (VS) patients, concomitant somatic pathology including typical complications.
The objective: to study the correlation between outcomes in VS patients with hormonal status and the level of natriuretic peptide. Subjects and methods. 275 patients in VS were examined for the time period from 2007 to 2017. 152 patients had sequela of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and 123 patients suffered from hypoxic brain damage. All patients matched the international criteria of VS diagnosis. In all patients, blood samples were collected during the first week after admission to ICU to test hormones and natriuretic peptide levels. ACTH, cortisol, TSH, free T₃ and T₄ , STH, prolactin and natriuretic peptide were tested in the period from 2 to 4 months of staying in VS. In men, the level of total testosterone, LH and FSH was additionally tested. The obtained data were compared with VS outcome.
Results. The tested hormones were stably insufficient only in few VS patients. None of the tested hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis made a reliable criterion for predicting VS outcome. The tendency of disrupted rhythm of cortisol secretion was found to be most frequent and consistent, with higher rates in the evening hours. The average value of STH was higher in men with sequela of traumatic brain injury who had recovered consciousness versus those who remained in VS. A significant decrease in testosterone levels, regardless of age, was found in the patients with TBI sequela. Mean levels of LH were higher in patients with TBI sequela and hypoxia who remained unconscious versus patients who later restored consciousness. The average level of FSH was higher in patients who had recovered consciousness compared to those who remained in chronic VS. The increased level of natriuretic peptide was observed both in patients who remained in chronic VS and in those who restored consciousness.
Conclusions. When investigating levels of certain hormones, no specific endocrine background characterizing this category of patients was found. Abnormal rhythms of some hormones secretion, in particular cortisol, can be considered typical of VS patients especially patients with TBI sequela.

The objective: to study the diagnostic and prognostic value of amplitude-integrated electroencephalography (aEEG) in sedated neonates in critical state, through testing the level of S100B protein. Subjects and methods: 44 patients were enrolled in the study. The study group included patients with pathological patterns of 24-hour aEEG, in the control group, all patients had normal patterns. The level of serum S100B protein was compared in the groups on the 1st and 7th day of life as well as the early neurological outcome which was used to assess the prognostic significance of aEEG. In addition, the cut-off point of S100B in predicting an adverse outcome was estimated.
Results. There were no significant difference in the level of S100B of the 1st day of life between the groups, however, there was a correlation between the severity of depression of electrocortical activity and the level of S100B protein (tau = -0.36, p < 0.001). On the 7th day of life, the level of S100B protein was significantly (p = 0.047) higher in the study group (337 (251; 819) ng/l) compared to the control group (259 (136; 354) ng/l). Elevation of S100B protein by the 7th day of life was not associated with pathological aEEG patterns or the outcome. aEEG sensitivity (Se) was 87%, specificity (Sp) ‒ 62%. The cut-off point for S100B of the first day of life was 493 ng/l with Se of 52% and Sp of 91%.
Conclusion. There is a correlation between the severity of depression of electrocortical activity recorded by aEEG and S100B level on the 1st and 7th days of life,which confirms the diagnostic value of aEEG in newborns in critical state despite the use of sedation. The elevated level of S100B in the first week of life has neither diagnostic nor prognostic significance. aEEG has the highest predictive sensitivity, and S100B above 493 ng/l has the highest predictive specificity.

Objective: to evaluate the efficacy and safety of adding pectoral nerve block to anesthesia regimen in radical mastectomy.
Subjects and methods. 65 female patients underwent unilateral radical mastectomy under general anesthesia. All patients enrolled into the study were divided into two groups. Group 1 included patients (the main one, n = 33) who had PEC block and general anesthesia; Group 2 (the control one, n = 32) had general anesthesia only.
Results. The group of patients with PEC block versus the Control Group, demonstrated a lower score of the visual analogue scale at all stages of the study. The intra-operative fentanyl consumption was statistically significantly lower in Group 1 versus the Control Group (290.91 ± 67.84 and 393.75 ± 66.90 μg, respectively, p < 0.033). The consumption of opioid analgesics during the 1st day in the Main Group was 2-fold lower compared to the Control Group – 30.91 ± 12.34 and 63.75 ± 9.42 mg, respectively (p < 0.026). In Group 1, the time till the first analgesia with promedol made 309.55 ± 56.59 minutes.
Conclusions. Pectoral nerves block combined with general anesthesia provides effective analgesia during breast surgery with axillary lymph node dissection.

The objective of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of analgesia by infiltration of the skin flap with local anesthetic in children with craniosynostosis after reconstructive surgery.
Materials and subjects. 50 children with craniosynostosis, who underwent reconstructive surgery on skull bones, were divided into two groups based on the method of postoperative anesthesia: in Group 1(experimental), the infiltration of the skin flap was used within multimodal anesthesia, while in Group 2, it was standard parenteral use of analgesic drugs. In the postoperative period, pain severity was assessed by FLACC scales, the amount of opioid and non-opioid analgesics consumed was assessed by the formalized Analgesiс Assessment Scale (FSA), and non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring (BP, HR) was performed.
Results. The statistical analysis of the results revealed significant differences between groups in the assessment results of FSA and FLACC scales. In Group 1, the level of postoperative pain was significantly lower compared to Group 2. The amount of opioid and non-opioid analgesics consumed was also significantly lower in Group 1.
Conclusion. The use of the infiltration of the skin flap as part of multimodal analgesia in children with craniosynostosis, after reconstructive surgery on skull bones significantly reduces the intensity of pain and the amount of opioid analgesics consumed in the postoperative period.

The objective: to assess and compare supraglottic airways of LMA-Supreme and i-gel during orbital osteosynthesis.
Subjects and methods. 91 patients were included into the study. All of them underwent osteosynthesis of the orbit. The patients were randomly divided into two groups. LMA-Supreme group included 42 patients, while i-gel group included 49 patients.
Results. The parameters of hemodynamics, gas exchange, and artificial pulmonary ventilation (APV) did not basically differ between the groups at different stages of the study. The oropharyngeal leak pressure differed between the groups at the end of surgery and made (Me – median, Q₁ and Q₃ – upper and lower quartiles): 28.0 (22.0; 30.0) and 21.0 (19.0; 27.0) mm WG the LMA-Supreme and i-gel groups, respectively; p = 0.021. A significant difference was observed in the insertion time of supraglottic airways (Me is the median, Q₁ and Q₃ are the upper and lower quartiles): 27.5 (19.3; 36.5) sec. for LMA-Supreme and 15.0 (13.8; 25.0) sec. – for i-gel; p = 0.001. When inserting the LMA-Supreme duct in 33 (78.6%) patients, jaw thrust maneuver, extension of the neck, etc. were required; while in the i-gel group, similar maneuvers were necessary in 18 (36.7%) patients; p < 0.001. The number of postoperative complications was minimal in both groups.
Conclusion. Both supraglottic airways can be used with equal efficacy in osteosynthesis of the orbit. At the same time, the i-gel duct has an advantage over the LMA-Supreme in speed and simplicity of insertion. The LMA-Supreme had greater leak pressure at the end of surgery, which might be an advantage in patients requiring greater peak inspiratory pressure to provide effective APV.

The article describes the comparative assessment of efficacy of transversus abdominis plane block as a component of multimodal analgesia during cesarean section.
Subjects and methods. 165 primiparous women were enrolled into the study, their average age made 30.5 years. Operative delivery was performed under spinal anesthesia. All patients were divided into five groups. In the patients in Groups 1 and 3, postoperative analgesia was performed using transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block without ultrasound guidance, while in Groups 2 and 4, TAP block was guided by ultrasound. In Groups 1 and 2, ropivacaine hydrochloride was used at a concentration of 0.2%, in Groups 3 and 4 - 0.375%. In Group 5, paracetamol in combination with narcotic analgesics was used for analgesia. Pain intensity was assessed every hour using a visual analogue pain scale at rest and during movement during the 1st day after delivery. To assess the severity of the stress response and metabolic status of patients, concentrations of cortisol, prolactin and glucose in blood plasma was tested. The levels of cortisol and prolactin were tested in 4 stages: before surgery, 1 hour after surgery, 6 and 24 hours after delivery. Plasma glucose was tested in 3 stages: before surgery, 1 hour and 6 hours after surgery.
Results. TAP block in combination with paracetamol provided adequate postoperative analgesia, reduced the consumption of analgesics, and also contributed to the earliest activation of new mothers after cesarean section. The use of 0.2% ropivacaine hydrochloride solution with TAP block was equally effective as the use of 0.375% solution of ropivacaine hydrochloride. Ultrasound guided TAP block significantly improved the quality of postoperative pain management. TAP block reduced the level of stress hormones in patients but in 24 hours, the levels of stress hormones in all groups of patients receiving and not receiving TAP block did not differ.

The article is devoted to the issue of control over antibiotic resistance of the main pathogens causing nosocomial infections and presents the experience of introducing the antimicrobial therapy control system in a general hospital. The special emphasis is put on capabilities of information technologies used as a tool to support decision making about prescription or restriction of antibacterial drugs.

The problem of difficult airways remains relevant for many years. Complications associated with unpredictable difficult airways often lead to the lethal outcome or neurological problems. This article analyzes the causes of difficult airways in patients with burns of face and neck. Such patients face a higher risk to develop difficult airways and it is impossible to follow the traditional procedure for maintaining airway patency. The article expresses the opinion about the inability of modern methods for assessing airway patency to predict possible problems associated with tracheal intubation and ventilation of patients with burns of face and neck.

The article describes certain key issues of participation of anesthesiologists and resuscitators as experts in criminal cases. The main documents that should guide the anesthesiologist-resuscitator during the examination are presented. Some expert conclusions are critically assessed demonstrating major flaws and invalidity of the made conclusions. Certain wishes and suggestions for the qualitative improvement of forensic examination are expressed.