By LISA RAPAPORT Reuters When intensive care units have flexible visiting hours that allow families to spend more time at the bedside, patients may be less likely to suffer delirium or severe anxiety, a research review suggests. Most ICUs have restrictive visiting policies, often driven by a concern that families lingering in patient rooms might […]
Read MoreMayo Clinic Proceedings May 2018 Volume 93, Issue 5, Pages 558-559 Author: Michael J. Joyner, MD Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN When blood is ejected from the heart, it first meets the aorta and large conducting blood vessels that branch from it. In young healthy people, these vessels are compliant […]
Read MoreAuthors: Melanie Townsend, MD et al JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. published April 2018. Question Can perioperative pain control be improved with the addition of gabapentin to traditional narcotic medication regimens in patients undergoing mucosal head and neck surgery? Findings In this randomized clinical trial, compared with a placebo group of 46 individuals, 44 patients who received 300 mg […]
Read MorePatients Also Improperly Store and Dispose of Opioids A new study led by Johns Hopkins researchers adds to growing evidence that patients underuse nonopioid pain relievers to supplement opioid pain management after spine and joint surgery. A report on the findings, which also shows that patients improperly store and dispose of unused opioids, was published in the […]
Read MoreAuthors: Richard R. McNeer, M.D., Ph.D. et al Anesthesiology published on April 25, 2018. Background: Current standard audible medical alarms are difficult to learn and distinguish from one another. Auditory icons represent a new type of alarm that has been shown to be easier to learn and identify in laboratory settings by lay subjects. In this study, […]
Read MoreAuthors: Stavros G. Memtsoudis, M.D., Ph.D., F.C.C.P. et al Anesthesiology 5 2018, Vol.128, 891-902. doi:10.1097/ALN.0000000000002132 Background: Multimodal analgesia is increasingly considered routine practice in joint arthroplasties, but supportive large-scale data are scarce. The authors aimed to determine how the number and type of analgesic modes is associated with reduced opioid prescription, complications, and resource utilization. Methods: Total hip/knee […]
Read MoreAuthors: Maala Bhatt, MD, MSc et al JAMA Pediatr May 2018. Question Does the duration of preprocedural fasting alter the risk pulmonary aspiration and associated adverse outcomes in children undergoing emergency department procedural sedation? Findings In this study of 6183 healthy patients undergoing sedation in 1 of 6 geographically separate and nationally representative Canadian emergency departments, 2974 (48.1%) did not […]
Read MoreAuthor: Daniel Allar Modifying the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) screening algorithm to include one repeat pulse oximetry test instead of two could identify more infants with other serious diseases that require attention, according to a study published online April 24 in Pediatrics. Pulse oximetry—which measures oxygen concentrations in the blood—has been […]
Read MoreAuthors: Lijian Pei, M.D. et al Anesthesiology 5 2018, Vol.128, 903-911. Abstract Background: The effect of ambient temperature, with and without active warming, on intraoperative core temperature remains poorly characterized. The authors determined the effect of ambient temperature on core temperature changes with and without forced-air warming. Methods: In this unblinded three-by-two factorial trial, 292 adults were randomized […]
Read MoreAuthors: Atul Gupta, M.D. et al Anesthesiology 5 2018, Vol.128, 880-890. Background: Although opioids remain the standard therapy for the treatment of postoperative pain, the prevalence of opioid misuse is rising. The extent to which opioid abuse or dependence affects readmission rates and healthcare utilization is not fully understood. It was hypothesized that surgical patients with a […]
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