Author: Dr Clemens

Uncategorized Published - 21 September, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
No Significant Association between Anesthesia Group Concentration and Private Insurer Payments in the United States

Anesthesiology 9 2015, Vol.123, 507-514 Authors: Eric C. Sun MD, PhD et al Background: Markets for physician services are becoming increasingly concentrated, with many areas being dominated by a few groups. Antitrust authorities are concerned that increasing concentration will lead to inappropriately high payments for physician services from private insurers. The authors examined the association between market concentration […]

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Uncategorized Published - 21 September, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Small Tidal Volumes, Positive End-expiratory Pressure, and Lung Recruitment Maneuvers during Anesthesia: Good or Bad?

Anesthesiology 9 2015, Vol.123, 501-503 Authors: Goran Hedenstierna MD PhD Mechanical ventilation may cause harm to the lung, at least if the lung is already hurt as is the case in intensive care. Can it be harmful also when ventilating the “lung-healthy” patient during anesthesia? Probably not during anesthesia alone, as suggested by animal experiments on […]

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Uncategorized Published - 18 September, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
New Risk Tool for Opioid-Induced Respiratory Depression

Researchers are developing a tool they hope will quickly identify surgery patients at greatest risk for opioid-induced respiratory depression (OIRD). With this tool, hospital staff will be better equipped to more closely monitor at-risk patients, which should reduce adverse events, increase patient safety, and improve patient satisfaction, said lead author Nicole Humbert, PharmD, Trinity Hospital, […]

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Uncategorized Published - 18 September, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Wearable Nerve Stimulator Improves Chronic Pain

A noninvasive wearable nerve stimulator improves pain to the point of needing less analgesia in patients with neuropathy, arthritis, and other common forms of chronic pain, a new study shows. “Our data suggest, and this is mimicked anecdotally, that this device works for about eight out of 10 people,” said Shai Gozani, MD, PhD, president […]

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Uncategorized Published - 18 September, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Is Migraine a Lipid Disorder?

New research has suggested that migraine may be associated with irregularities in the metabolism of certain lipids, opening up new avenues for research into possible treatments and biomarkers for the condition. The research, published  in the September issue of Neurology, focused on a group of bioactive lipids known as sphingolipids, which are critical components of cell […]

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Uncategorized Published - 18 September, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
FDA Warns About Dirty Bronchoscopes

Federal health regulators are drawing attention to the risk of infections with medical scopes used to examine breathing passages, following similar problems with scopes used in the stomach and intestines. The Food and Drug Administration issued a notice Thursday to doctors and nurses who use bronchoscopes — flexible tubes with lights used to examine the […]

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Uncategorized Published - 18 September, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Stress Increases the Negative Effects of Chronic Pain on Hippocampal Neurogenesis

Anesthesia & Analgesia: July 2015 Authors: Romero-Grimaldi et al BACKGROUND: Patients with chronic pain often suffer from affective disorders and cognitive decline, which significantly impairs their quality of life. In addition, many of these patients also experience stress unrelated to their illness, which can aggravate their symptoms. These nociceptive inputs are received by the hippocampus, […]

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Uncategorized Published - 17 September, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Dexmedetomidine Pharmacology in Neonates and Infants After Open Heart Surgery

Anesthesia & Analgesia: July 2015 Authors: Su, Felice MD et al BACKGROUND: Dexmedetomidine is a highly selective [alpha]2-agonist with hypnotic, analgesic, and anxiolytic properties. Despite off-label administration, dexmedetomidine has found a niche in critically ill neonates and infants with congenital heart disease because of its minimal effects on respiratory function at sedative doses, facilitating early extubation […]

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Uncategorized Published - 17 September, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Major Upper Abdominal Surgery Alters the Calibration of Bioreactance Cardiac Output Readings, the NICOM, When Comparisons Are Made Against Suprasternal and Esophageal Doppler Intraoperatively.

Anesthesia & Analgesia: July 2015 Authors: Huang, Li MB BS, PhD et al BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive continuous cardiac output measurements are recommended for use during anesthesia to guide fluid therapy, but such measurements must trend changes reliably. The NICOM Cheetah, a BioReactance monitor, is being recommended for intraoperative use. To validate its use, Doppler methods, […]

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Uncategorized Published - 17 September, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Extravascular Lung Water and Pulmonary Vascular Permeability Index Measured at the End of Surgery Are Independent Predictors of Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation in Patients Undergoing Liver Transplantation

Anesthesia & Analgesia: September 2015 – Volume 121 – Issue 3 – p 736–745 Authors: Garutti, Ignacio PhD, MD et al BACKGROUND: Pulmonary edema (PE) after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) may compromise the postoperative course and prolong the duration of mechanical ventilation (MV) and intensive care unit length of stay. Hemodynamic monitoring with transpulmonary thermodilution […]

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