clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01536470.

In patients with ARDS, use of inhaled sevoflurane improved oxygenation and decreased levels of a marker of epithelial injury and of some inflammatory markers, compared with midazolam. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT 02166853).

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BackgroundAcute pancreatitis (AP) is associated with high morbidity and mortality in its most severe forms. Most patients with severe AP require intubation and invasive mechanical ventilation, frequently for more than 7 days, which is associated with the worst outcome. Recent increasing evidence from preclinical and clinical studies support the beneficial effects of epidural analgesia (EA) in AP, such as increased gut barrier function and splanchnic, pancreatic and renal perfusion, decreased liver damage and inflammatory response, and reduced mortality. Because recent studies suggest that EA might be a safe procedure in the critically ill, we sought to determine whether EA reduced AP-associated respiratory failure and other major clinical outcomes in patients with AP.Methods and analysisThe Epidural Analgesia for Pancreatitis (EPIPAN) trial is an investigator-initiated, prospective, multicentre, randomised controlled two-arm trial with assessor-blinded outcome assessment. The EPIPAN trial will randomise 148 patients with AP requiring admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) to receive EA (with patient-controlled epidural administration of ropivacaine and sufentanil) combined with standard care based on current recommendations on the treatment of AP (interventional group), or standard care alone (reference group). The primary outcome is the number of ventilator-free days at day 30. Secondary outcomes include main complications of AP (eg, organ failure and mortality, among others), levels of biological markers of systemic inflammation, epithelial lung injury, renal failure, and healthcare-associated costs.Ethics and disseminationThe study was approved by the appropriate ethics committee (CPP Sud-Est VI). Informed consent is required. If the combined application of EA and standard care proves superior to standard care alone in patients with AP in the ICU, the use of EA may become standard practice in experienced centres, thereby decreasing potential complications related to AP and its burden in critically ill patients. The results will be disseminated in a peer-reviewed journal.Trial registration numberNCT02126332.

EudraCT (N°: 2012-005225-69); ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01828788).

The hemodynamic effects of intravenously administered trinitroglycerin (TNT) and isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN) in stechiometric equivalent doses were studied in 30 patients with acute myocardial infarction. Both drugs were given over 30 min in every patient, and the stability of the condition of the patient was checked by administering the initial drug again. Measurements were made by right heart catheterization using a balloon tip thermodilution catheter and a catheter in the radial artery. TNT and ISDN have different hemodynamic effects. By multivariate analysis it could be shown that TNT is a venous dilator, lowering mainly pulmonary capillary pressure, while ISDN acts more as a mixed vasodilator, diminishing mainly peripheral vascular resistance and increasing cardiac output. These drugs have, therefore, a different spectrum of indications in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

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