Ventilation strategies for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) continue to be debated. However, a systematic review and meta-analysis, published recently in the journal Scientific Reports (2016;6:22855), appears to have identified the optimal technique. The study was overseen by Enyou Li, MD, PhD, professor of anesthesiology in the Department of Anesthesiology at First Affiliated Hospital, Harbin […]
Read MoreIn March, the state of Utah passed into law a requirement that a physician who performs an abortion at 20 weeks’ gestational age or older must administer “an anesthetic or analgesic to eliminate or alleviate organic pain to the unborn child.” The law, the first of its kind in the country, once again thrusts the […]
Read MoreAn investigational agent that blocks a key headache-related receptor significantly reduces the number of mean monthly migraine days, new phase 2 data show. Findings showed that after 52 weeks, 18.5% of patients with migraine were free of these attacks, Uwe Reuter, PD Dr, MBA, Department of Neurology, and headache clinic director, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany, […]
Read MoreThe Current State of the Opioid Abuse Epidemic Two Princeton economists startled Americans recently when they reported that between 1999 and 2013, white middle-aged men and women in the United States, especially those with a high school education, were dying at an increasing rate from prescription and illegal drug overdose, alcohol and liver-related disease, and […]
Read MoreAmid heightened efforts to try to prevent pain and surgical patients from developing long-term opioid use or misuse, one research team has come up with a handy alternative to time-consuming screening tools for identifying patients at risk, while other researchers report on key risk factors linked to long-term use. In the first of the studies […]
Read MoreEarly results from a European trial of colonoscopy has two important lessons for the practice, which has been widely embraced in the United States. The lessons from the NordICC study, preliminary results on practical points of performing colonoscopy, were published online May 23 in JAMA Internal Medicine. (However, data on the primary end points of colorectal cancer mortality and […]
Read MoreNeuraxial anesthesia (NA) appears to be associated with improved overall survival (OS) in patients undergoing surgery for tumor resection, particularly in those with colorectal cancer. According to a recent meta-analysis published in Oncotarget (2016;7:15262-15273), the authors identified a correlation between the use of NA and reduced risk for cancer recurrence. The authors found significantly improved OS […]
Read MoreAuthor: Edie Patterson, BSN, RN, CNOR Category: Outpatient Surgery ONE STEP UP Forced-air warming is often the preferred choice in preventing unintentional hypothermia. In an effort to standardize how we warm patients, we tested 3 warming options on more than 800 patients at our hospital-affiliated surgery center: forced air, heat reflective technology and warmed cotton blankets. […]
Read MoreThe optimal range of fluid administration in patients undergoing lung resection surgery has been a controversial topic in anesthesia. There are hazards at both ends of the spectrum: Liberal overhydration can lead to fluid-induced lung injury, while conservative fluid-management strategies have a risk for organ ischemia. According to a review of the recent literature, however, […]
Read MoreThe value of the services that anesthesiologists provide is being examined more closely than ever. Indeed, determining the true value of regional anesthesia can only be done within the context of its many costs, most of which are not monetary. “‘Value’ is the name of the game in medicine these days,” said Brian E. Harrington, […]
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