Clinical trials

Open Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) repair is a high-risk surgical procedure accompanied by intense endocrine and metabolic responses to surgical stress, with subsequent activation of the inflammatory cascade, cytokine and acute-phase protein release, and bone marrow activation. There is a proven correlation of surgical stress, which patients undergoing open AAA repair are subjected to, with patient outcome, morbidity/mortality, intensive care unit stay and overall length of stay. Modern general anesthetic techniques have been revised and rely on perioperative multimodal anesthetic and analgesic strategies for improved overall patient outcome. Based on this context of a multimodal anesthetic technique and having taken into consideration the international "opioid-crisis" epidemic, an Opioid Free Anesthesia-Analgesia (OFA-A) strategy started to emerge. It is based on the administration of a variety of anesthetic/analgesic agents with different mechanisms of action, including immunomodulating and anti-inflammatory effects. Our basic hypothesis is that the implementation of a perioperative multimodal OFA-A strategy, involving the administration of pregabalin, ketamine, dexmedetomidine, lidocaine, dexamethasone, dexketoprofen, paracetamol and magnesium sulphate, will lead to attenuation of surgical stress response compared to a conventional Opioid-Based Anesthesia-Analgesia (OBA-A) strategy. Furthermore, the anticipated attenuation of the inflammatory response, is pressumed to be associated with equal or improved analgesia, compared to a perioperative OBA-A technique.

This study aims to investigate the effect of a VExUS ultrasound guided protocol of perioperative fluid management within a goal-directed therapy framework, on postoperative respiratory complications, and the occurrence of acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients undergoing thoracic surgery.

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a complex, multifactorial syndrome characterized by widespread chronic pain with hyperal- gesia and allodynia and a constellation of somatic and psychological manifestations, including fatigue, sleep dis- orders, depression, anxiety, gastrointestinal and cognitive disorders. FM is now recognized as one of the most common chronic pain conditions and its management remains a challenge for patients and healthcare profes- sionals. The fact that FM is associated with chronic pain without any obvious peripheral tissue damage has given rise to the concept of nociplastic pain with evidence of dysfunction in mono-aminergic neurotransmission, lead- ing to elevated levels of excitatory neurotransmitters and decreased levels of serotonin and norepinephrine in the spinal cord at the level of descending anti-nociceptive pathways. Additionally, dopamine dysregulation and altered activity of endogenous cerebral opioids have been observed in FM. Recent European guidelines on FM treatment emphasize that there should be a comprehensive assessment of patient's pain, function and psychosocial context. It is recognized that there are profound and fundamental problems associated with the pain assessment tools in common use, as most of these represent an attempt to reduce a multidimensional experience to a coarse unidimensional measure. Use of multiple tools for sub- jective and objective assessment of pain may reflect more accurately patient's pain experience. Furthermore, tracing a biologic pain marker in FM patients would facilitate both the initial assessment of pain and the re- sponse to treatment. Management of pain in FM patients should focus first on non-pharmacological modalities. Acupuncture therapy is an effective and safe treatment and exerts its analgesic effect through activation of pe- ripheral and central pain control systems with the release of β-endorphins, enkephalins, dynorphins, serotonin, norepinephrine, γ-aminobutyric acid or ATP. The aim of our study is to assess initially reported pain and evaluate the effectiveness of electroacupuncture (with or without diet modifications) on the "whole experience of pain" in FM patients in a multimodel assessment frame.

Lobectomy is a major, high-risk surgical procedure that in addition to one-lung ventilation (OLV) exerts a potent surgical stress response. An overwhelming immune cell recruitment may lead to excessive tissue damage, peripheral organ injury and immunoparesis. The effect of anesthesia on the immune system is modest, compared to the effects induced by major surgery. However, to an immunocompromised patient, due to cancer and/or other comorbidities, the immunosuppressive effects of anesthesia may increase the incidence of post-operative infections, morbidity, and mortality. Exogenous opioids have been correlated with immunosuppression, opioid-induced hyperalgesia, and respiratory depression, with deleterious outcomes. An Opioid-Free Anaesthesia-Analgesia (OFA-A) strategy is based on the administration of a variety of anaesthetic/analgesic and other pharmacological agents with different mechanisms of action, including immunomodulating and anti-inflammatory effects. Our basic hypothesis is that the implementation of a perioperative multimodal OFA-A strategy, will lead to an attenuated surgical stress response and attenuated immunosuppression, compared to a conventional Opioid-Based Anaesthesia-Analgesia (OBA-A) strategy. The aforementioned effects, are presumed to be associated with equal or improved analgesia and decreased incidence of postoperative infections compared to a perioperative OBA-A technique.