Intravenous (IV) oliceridine can effectively and safely help manage moderate-to-severe post-surgical pain, according to results of a phase 3 study presented at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). Eugene R. Viscusi, MD, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, and colleagues assessed the proportion of patients who responded to […]

When it comes to intubation, every second counts, and difficult airways can quickly become life-threatening situations. At Johns Hopkins Hospital, in Baltimore, any concern for a difficult airway can trigger activation of the difficult airway response team (DART), which brings together a multidisciplinary group of physicians that can quickly and effectively manage the most challenging […]

Increasing age, male gender and a history of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) were predictive of difficult endotracheal intubation. But a recent prospective study found that, surprisingly, body mass index (BMI) as an independent variable was not predictive. A number of other bedside measurements were suggestive of difficult intubation. The investigators reported that a Mallampati score […]

Implementation of either periarticular injection or adductor canal block plus periarticular injection with multimodal analgesia is suitable for pain control after total knee arthroplasty. Results of a study showed no difference in readiness to discharge between patients randomly assigned to either technique. According to researchers, however, the combination of adductor canal block and periarticular injection […]

Persistent pain is associated with accelerated memory decline and development of dementia in the elderly. According to researchers, elderly patients who reported having persistent pain experienced an accelerated decline in functional independence. After 10 years, the additional amount of memory decline expected in participants with persistent pain shows they would be significantly less likely to […]

Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who are administered oxygen therapy postoperatively may develop elevated levels of carbon dioxide (CO2), according to researchers. The study, which used transcutaneous CO2 to measure CO2, found that 11.3% of study patients (14/123) had elevated CO2 in their blood, exceeding 55 mm Hg, “indicating a degree of respiratory depression in postoperative […]

The app industry has its sights set on health care, and it’s targeting more than the latest fitness tracker. Mobile applications may soon play an integral role in pain management. A preliminary assessment of Panda, a smartphone app designed to aid parents in managing their child’s postoperative pain, has yielded positive feedback from users. Given […]

Anil Pisharoty, MD Associate Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology University of Rochester School of Medicine Rochester, New York This article describes the process by which an office surgery center becomes accredited. Maintenance of accreditation is also explained. In addition, the economic factors that bear upon the viability of the operation of an office surgery center are […]

Incorporating design principles into the anesthesiology workspace is crucial to reducing medication administration errors, according to investigators at Seattle Children’s Hospital and the University of Washington, in Seattle. Eliot Grigg, MD, assistant professor of anesthesiology and pain medicine at the University of Washington and director of sedation at Seattle Children’s Hospital, likened current thinking about […]

Chronic pain can increase the risk of ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke, as underlying comorbidities like hypertension increase stroke risk, according to results of a retrospective analysis presented at the 142nd Annual Meeting of the American Neurological Association (ANA). “Chronic pain may be an important, modifiable risk factor for ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke,” stated lead author […]