Month: December 2017

Uncategorized Published - 5 December, 2017    By - Dr Clemens
Using Activity Trackers to Quantify Postpartum Ambulation: A Prospective Observational Study of Ambulation after Regional Anesthesia and Analgesia Interventions

Authors: Julia Ma, B.Sc., M.P.H. et al Anesthesiology published on November 16, 2017. Background: Early postoperative ambulation is associated with enhanced functional recovery, particularly in the postpartum population, but ambulation questionnaires are limited by recall bias. This observational study aims to objectively quantify ambulation after neuraxial anesthesia and analgesia for cesarean delivery and vaginal delivery, respectively, by […]

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Uncategorized Published - 5 December, 2017    By - Dr Clemens
Professional Satisfaction and the Career Plans of US Physicians

Authors: Christine A. Sinsky, MD Mayo Clinic Procedures November 2017 Volume 92, Issue 11, Pages 1625–1635 To evaluate the relationship between burnout, satisfaction with electronic health records and work-life integration, and the career plans of US physicians. Participants and Methods Physicians across all specialties in the United States were surveyed between August 28, 2014, and October […]

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Uncategorized Published - 5 December, 2017    By - Dr Clemens
Brain Scientists Look Beyond Opioids To Conquer Pain

The goal is simple: a drug that can relieve chronic pain without causing addiction. But achieving that goal has proved difficult, says Edward Bilsky, a pharmacologist who serves as the provost and chief academic officer at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences in Yakima, Wash. “We know a lot more about pain and addiction than we […]

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Uncategorized Published - 4 December, 2017    By - Dr Clemens
“It Was the Only Thing I Could Hold Onto, But…”: Receiving a Letter of Condolence After Loss of a Loved One in the ICU A Qualitative Study of Bereaved Relatives’ Experience*

Authors: Kentish-Barnes, Nancy PhD et al Critical Care Medicine: December 2017 – Volume 45 – Issue 12 – p 1965–1971 Objectives: Family members of patients who die in the ICU often remain with unanswered questions and suffer from lack of closure. A letter of condolence may help bereaved relatives, but little is known about their experience of […]

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Uncategorized Published - 4 December, 2017    By - Dr Clemens
Systematic review to determine which validated measurement tools can be used to assess risk of problematic analgesic use in patients with chronic pain

Authors: R Lawrence et al BJA: British Journal of Anaesthesia, Volume 119, Issue 6, 1 December 2017, Pages 1092–1109 Background. Misuse of prescription opioids, and other drugs prescribed for chronic pain, has increased, with major concerns about harm. This review was undertaken to identify validated measurement tools for risk assessment and monitoring of chronic non-cancer pain […]

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Uncategorized Published - 4 December, 2017    By - Dr Clemens
Persistent Pain Tied to Memory Decline And Dementia in Elders

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 […]

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Uncategorized Published - 4 December, 2017    By - Dr Clemens
VA failed to report 90% of potentially dangerous medical providers, GAO confirms

Donovan Slack, USA TODAY Nov. 27, 2017 A months-long USA TODAY Network investigation reveals that for years, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs concealed mistakes and misdeeds by staff members entrusted with caring for veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs failed to report 90% of potentially dangerous medical providers in recent years to a national database […]

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Uncategorized Published - 4 December, 2017    By - Dr Clemens
Effect of Bronchoconstriction-induced Ventilation–Perfusion Mismatch on Uptake and Elimination of Isoflurane and Desflurane

Authors: Moritz Kretzschmar, M.D., Ph.D., D.E.S.A. et al Anesthesiology 11 2017, Vol.127, 800-812. Background: Increasing numbers of patients with obstructive lung diseases need anesthesia for surgery. These conditions are associated with pulmonary ventilation/perfusion (VA/Q) mismatch affecting kinetics of volatile anesthetics. Pure shunt might delay uptake of less soluble anesthetic agents but other forms of VA/Q scatter have […]

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Uncategorized Published - 2 December, 2017    By - Dr Clemens
Vitamin D Supplementation May Improve Chronic Widespread Pain

With Wai Chung Yong, MD, and Michael Atwell, FNP-C  Chronic widespread non-specific pain in patients with fibromyalgia and other conditions is marked by reduced pain thresholds, multiple tender points, and decreased quality of life. Findings presented at the American College of Rheumatology 2017 Annual Meeting in San Diego suggests that paying attention to Vitamin D […]

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Uncategorized Published - 1 December, 2017    By - Dr Clemens
Multimodal Analgesia Effective in Managing Postoperative Pain, Reducing Side Effects

A collaborative, multimodal protocol for the delivery of opioid-sparing analgesics effectively manages postoperative pain in patients undergoing above- and below-the-knee amputation, with minimal adverse events, according to retrospective research presented at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). Presenter Joseph Myers, MD, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC and colleagues demonstrated […]

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