Pain. 2016;157(12):2621-2622. Pain fluctuates, and pain fluctuations are tremendously varied between patients and between clinical circumstances. Opioid analgesic regimes have never been entirely satisfactory in terms of being able to cope with pain fluctuations. Nevertheless, waiting out short painful episodes such as colic or movement-induced bone pain, or waiting until morphine started to work, used to […]
Read MoreWith the physical footprint of American hospitals growing ever larger, the risk for patients developing hypoxia during transport from the operating room (OR) to the PACU is real. Recently, researchers found that nearly 7% of patients will develop hypoxia en route, prompting them to recommend the availability of portable pulse oximetry and supplemental oxygen in […]
Read MoreAuthors: Michael C. Grant, MD et al Anesth Analg. 2016;123(5):1100-1107. A Meta-analysis Background. Nonopioid adjuvant medications are increasingly included among perioperative Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocols. Preoperative pregabalin has been shown to improve postoperative pain and limit reliance on opioid analgesia. Our group investigated the ability of preoperative pregabalin to also prevent postoperative nausea and vomiting […]
Read MoreAuthors: Franklin Dexter, MD, PhD et al Anesth Analg. 2016;123(5):1297-1301. Background. In order to provide guidance to organizations considering elective weekend surgical case scheduling, we analyzed data from the American Society of Anesthesiologist’s Anesthesia Quality Institute. We determined the US anesthesia workload on Saturdays and Sundays. Methods. The American Society of Anesthesiologist’s Anesthesia Quality Institute data were from […]
Read MoreAUTHORS: Yao, Weidong MD et al Anesthesia & Analgesia: March 2017 – Volume 124 – Issue 3 – p 800–806 BACKGROUND: Limited mandibular condylar mobility plays an important role in difficult laryngoscopy. Indirect assessment methods, such as mouth opening, have been proven to be useful predictors of difficult laryngoscopy. Sonography is a new direct assessment method […]
Read MoreAuthors: Daniel I. McIsaac et al BMC Anesthesiol. 2016;16(111) Study Protocol for a Prospective Cohort Study Background: Frailty is an aggregate expression of susceptibility to poor outcomes, owing to age-, and disease-related deficits that accumulate within multiple domains. Older patients who are frail before surgery are at an increased risk of morbidity and mortality, and use a […]
Read MoreWe wish all of our readers a fun and safe Memorial Day.
Read MoreSending patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who are undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) to the ICU for intensive monitoring during the first postoperative night improves respiratory complication–related outcomes, a new study has found. Patients with OSA have a higher incidence of postoperative respiratory complications, according to researchers from Jikei University, in Tokyo. Certain procedures, […]
Read MoreAuthors: Didier Roulin, MD et al Annals of Surgery. 2016;264(5):717-722. Are the 72 Hours Still the Rule?: A Randomized Trial Objective: The aim of this study was to compare clinical outcomes of early versus delayed laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) in acute cholecystitis with more than 72 hours of symptoms. Background: LC is the treatment of acute cholecystitis, with consensus […]
Read MoreAUTHORS: Eichler, Klaus MD, MPH et al Anesthesia & Analgesia: March 2017 – Volume 124 – Issue 3 – p 925–933 BACKGROUND: Pharmacologic pre- and postconditioning with sevoflurane compared with total IV anesthesia in patients undergoing liver surgery reduced complication rates as shown in 2 recent randomized controlled trials. However, the potential health economic consequences of […]
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