Authors: Jean Guglielminotti MD PhD et al Anesthesiology 11 2015, Vol.123, 1013-1023 Background: Cesarean delivery (CD) is associated with significantly increased risks of anesthesia-related adverse events (ARAEs) and nonanesthetic perioperative morbidity compared with vaginal delivery. Temporal trends in these adverse outcomes remain unknown despite efforts to improve maternal safety. This study examines temporal trends in ARAEs and […]
Read MoreBoth acupuncture and the Alexander Technique can improve chronic neck pain, according to a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Over 500 U.K. patients with nonspecific neck pain of at least 3 months’ duration were randomized to one of three strategies: 12 acupuncture sessions plus usual care, 20 one-to-one Alexander Technique lessons plus usual care, […]
Read MoreAuthors: Hendriksen JMT et al., BMJ 2015 Sep 8; 351:h4438 In the primary care setting, Wells and Geneva rules all performed well. How accurate are prediction rules, combined with point-of-care D-dimer testing, for ruling out pulmonary embolism (PE) in the primary care setting? In a systematic review followed by a validation study, researchers assessed five rules and specific […]
Read MoreAuthors: Wechsler ME et al., JAMA 2015 Oct 27; 314:1720 Tiotropium is not inferior to long-acting β-agonists for add-on asthma therapy. National asthma guidelines recommend long-acting β-agonists (LABAs) for patients whose asthma is not controlled by low-dose inhaled corticosteroids (ICS; J Allergy Clin Immunol 2007; 120:5 Suppl:S94); however, LABAs might be associated with risk for severe asthma exacerbations. […]
Read MoreAuthors: Gill JC et al., Blood 2015 Oct 22; 126:2038 Outcomes were excellent in 96.9% of bleeds in patients with severe disease. Patients with severe von Willebrand disease (VWD) have persistent, recurrent episodes of mucosal bleeding, menorrhagia, and bleeding with surgery or trauma. Treatment with plasma-derived von Willebrand factor (VWF) concentrates controls bleeding but exposes patients to […]
Read MoreAuthors: You-Ten KE et al., Anaesthesia 2015 Nov 70:1230 In laboring at-term patients, palpation of the cricothyroid membrane was less accurate in obese than in nonobese patients, whereas ultrasound identified the cricothyroid membrane in all patients. Obesity is a common marker of airway difficulty and may make a “can’t intubate, can’t oxygenate” scenario (and the need for […]
Read MoreAuthors: Felix Kork, MD et al Anesthesiology 12 2015, Vol.123, 1301-1311 Background: Surgical patients frequently experience postoperative increases in creatinine levels. The authors hypothesized that even small increases in postoperative creatinine levels are associated with adverse outcomes. Methods: The authors examined the association of postoperative changes from preoperative baseline creatinine with all-cause in-hospital mortality and hospital length of […]
Read MoreAuthors: Oivind Jans, MD. PhD et al Anesthesiology 12 2015, Vol.123, 1292-1300 Background: Early postoperative mobilization is essential for rapid recovery but may be impaired by orthostatic intolerance (OI) and orthostatic hypotension (OH), which are highly prevalent after major surgery. Pathogenic mechanisms include an insufficient postoperative vasopressor response. The oral α-1 agonist midodrine hydrochloride increases vascular resistance, […]
Read MoreAuthors: Elizabeth L. Whitlock, MD et al Anesthesiology 12 2015, Vol.123, 1312-1321. Background: The National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry collects demographic and outcome data from anesthesia cases, with the goal of improving safety and quality across the specialty. The authors present a preliminary analysis of the National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry database focusing on the rates of […]
Read MoreAuthors: Rasmus Vestergaard Juul, M.SC et al Anesthesiology 12 2015, Vol.123, 1411-1419 Background: Reduction in consumption of opioid rescue medication is often used as an endpoint when investigating analgesic efficacy of drugs by adjunct treatment, but appropriate methods are needed to analyze analgesic consumption in time. Repeated time-to-event (RTTE) modeling is proposed as a way to describe analgesic […]
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