A World Health Organization (WHO) survey used to measure general disability can accurately gauge the specific challenges that many patients face postoperatively, a multinational team of researchers has reported. The finding is important because there has been no universal way to assess the level of disability that patients may experience postoperatively. Fully 20% of elderly […]
Read MoreAlthough other indices of adiposity have gained momentum in terms of their ability to diagnose children who may develop perioperative respiratory complications, a study from the University of Michigan has found that body mass index (BMI) actually outperforms its competitors. This finding is buoyed by the fact that BMI is easier to calculate than the […]
Read MoreGeneral anesthesia may cause unintended side effects in some infants, studies have found. Regional anesthesia may therefore be the better option. In a study published in Pediatrics (2015;136:e1-e12, doi:10.1542/peds.2014-3526), researchers found that children who received general anesthesia before 4 years of age had a lower IQ, decreased brain matter density and slower language comprehension than a comparator […]
Read MoreAuthors: Mira D Franken; Jan Meulenbelt; Wilton A van Klei; Dylan W de Lange BMC Anesthesiol. 2015;15(65) Background: Non-traumatic coma (NTC) is a serious condition requiring swift medical or surgical decision making upon arrival at the emergency department. Knowledge of the most frequent etiologies of NTC and associated mortality might improve the management of these patients. Here, […]
Read MoreAuthors: Singh S et al., Gastroenterology 2015 Jun 5; Postoperative mortality is higher for emergent versus elective surgery in both ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease. In the current meta-analysis, researchers evaluated postoperative mortality following intestinal resection in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Twenty-one studies (18 articles and 3 abstracts) met the search criteria and involved 67,057 […]
Read MoreAnesthesia & Analgesia: 9/2015 Authors: Schonberger, Robert B. MD et al BACKGROUND: Modifications in physician billing patterns have been shown to occur in response to payer incentives, but the phenomenon remains largely unexplored in billing for anesthesia services. Within the field of anesthesiology, Medicare’s policy not to provide additional reimbursement for higher ASA physical status […]
Read MoreAcad Emerg Med, 2015 Sep;22(9):1003-13. doi: 10.1111/acem.12737. Authors: Yan JW et al OBJECTIVES: Propofol is an agent commonly used for procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) in the emergency department (ED), but it can cause respiratory depression and hypotension. The combination of ketamine-propofol (K-P) is an alternative that theoretically provides a reduction in adverse events compared to propofol. […]
Read MoreCan J Anaesth. 2015 Oct;62(10):1055-1062 Authors: Aguirre J et al BACKGROUND: Short-duration spinal anesthesia is a good option for ambulatory knee surgery. Hyperbaric 2% prilocaine has short onset and rapid recovery times and, therefore, may be well suited in this setting. The aim of this study was to compare the times to reach motor block, motor block […]
Read MoreIn a new study on how often medication errors occur during surgery researchers report that mistakes were made during almost half of the operations they analyzed. The mistakes included drug labeling errors, incorrect dosing, drug documentation mistakes, and/or failing to properly treat changes in a patient’s vital signs during surgery. Overall, a medication error or adverse drug […]
Read MoreIn 2010, an estimated 693,400 total knee replacements were performed in adults aged 45 years and older, according to a new data brief from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). In 2010 (and 2009 and 2008 as well), total knee arthroplasty was the most frequently performed inpatient procedure in […]
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