Author: Dr Clemens

Uncategorized Published - 7 March, 2017    By - Dr Clemens
Failed Attempts at Intubation Associated With More Adverse Events

Failure to achieve first-attempt success during intubation using a video laryngoscope is associated with higher odds of adverse events in the ICU, according to a recent study. First-attempt success should be the goal of emergency airway management, regardless of location or device used, the researchers said. “First-attempt success isn’t a patient-centered outcome, but it is […]

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Uncategorized Published - 7 March, 2017    By - Dr Clemens
Invasive Blood Pressure Monitoring During Mediastinoscopy: Which Side Are You On?

Case Report: Adam A. Dalia, MD, MBA Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Fellow Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, Massachusetts Michael K. Essandoh, MD Associate Director of Clinical Research Associate Professor, Clinical Cardiovascular Anesthesiology Department of Anesthesiology The Ohio State University Medical Center Columbus, Ohio Routine mediastinoscopy can be a fairly low-risk […]

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Uncategorized Published - 7 March, 2017    By - Dr Clemens
Achieving Ecological Sustainability In Anesthesiology

Believe it or not, damages from health-sector pollution are on the same order of magnitude as lives lost each year from preventable medical errors. Therefore, striving to keep patients safe should include efforts to protect public health. “Ironically, the health sector is one of the worst polluting industries,” said Jodi Sherman, MD, assistant professor of […]

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Uncategorized Published - 7 March, 2017    By - Dr Clemens
Better Monitoring Reduces Post-op Respiratory Complications

Sending 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, […]

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Uncategorized Published - 7 March, 2017    By - Dr Clemens
Out-of-Network Billing: ‘Surprise Billing’ Or ‘Surprise Gaps in Insurance Coverage’?

Quality Queries and Quandaries: Emil Engels, MD, MBA, CPC This is a familiar story: A patient with health insurance has an accident and seeks care at a hospital. She receives care in the ER and undergoes an operation. The health care team provides the necessary care, regardless of her health insurance policy. After discharge from […]

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Uncategorized Published - 6 March, 2017    By - Dr Clemens
Ultrasound-Guided Regional Anesthesia Superior To IV Opioids for Pediatric Supracondylar Fractures

Ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia appears to be the superior treatment for supracondylar fractures in the pediatric population when compared with IV opioids. According to a recent pediatric study, regional anesthesia for closed reduction and percutaneous pinning demonstrated superior pain scores throughout hospitalization and at home when compared with standard therapy. The authors also reported decreased opioid […]

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Uncategorized Published - 6 March, 2017    By - Dr Clemens
Supraclavicular Approach Lowers Incidence of Phrenic Nerve Involvement

A comparison of interscalene and supraclavicular approaches with brachial plexus block during shoulder surgery suggests that using larger volumes of local anesthetic does not provide a longer duration of effect. According to the study’s authors, when compared with the interscalene approach, the supraclavicular approach provided similar post operative pain control along with a lower incidence […]

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Uncategorized Published - 6 March, 2017    By - Dr Clemens
Inadequate Ventilation Reduced With Respiratory Monitoring Device

A bioimpedance respiratory monitor seems to be carving out a niche for itself in perioperative monitoring. A group of Texas researchers has found that this novel technology (ExSpiron, Respiratory Motion Inc.) allows clinicians to adjust total IV anesthesia (TIVA) to minute ventilation in outpatient GI procedures, thereby preventing potential episodes of inadequate ventilation. “Death or […]

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Uncategorized Published - 6 March, 2017    By - Dr Clemens
Study: Hydrocodone Rescheduling Affects Prescribing

Prescriptions for hydrocodone fixed-dose combination products have plummeted since the opioid was rescheduled from Schedule III to the much more restrictive Schedule II, according to new study results. The total number of hydrocodone combination tablets prescribed fell by more than 1 billion during the first year after the rescheduling. The rescheduling likely resulted in a […]

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Uncategorized Published - 6 March, 2017    By - Dr Clemens
First U.S. Death From Pan-Resistant Superbug Reported

The CDC reported the first death from carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) that was resistant to all antibiotics available in the United States (MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2017;66[1]:3). The Nevada woman, who was in her 70s, died from septic shock last September, but the CDC just reported the case, emphasizing that continued surveillance showed that it […]

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