Authors: Unni Dokkedal, M.P.H. et al Anesthesiology 2 2016, Vol.124, 312-321. Background: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction is common, but it remains unclear whether there are long-term adverse cognitive effects of surgery combined with anesthesia. The authors examined the association between exposure to surgery and level of cognitive functioning in a sample of 8,503 middle-aged and elderly twins. Methods: Results […]
Read MoreAnesthesia & Analgesia: December 2015 – Volume 121 – Issue 6 – p 1500–1507 Authors: Panjasawatwong, Krit MD et al BACKGROUND: Intraoperative hypotension is associated with complications that might be ameliorated by earlier intervention. We therefore tested the primary hypothesis that a supplemental decision support alert for critically low systolic blood pressure (SBP) decreases the […]
Read MoreAuthors: Nan Lin, M.D. et al Anesthesiology Published on 1 2016. Background: Sedation is commonly used in neurosurgical patients but has been reported to produce transient focal neurologic dysfunction. The authors hypothesized that in patients with frontal–parietal–temporal brain tumors, focal neurologic deficits are unmasked or exacerbated by nonspecific sedation independent of the drug used. Methods: This was a […]
Read MoreExercise, especially when combined with education, was shown to help reduce lower-back pain, but shoe insoles, back belts, ergonomic interventions, or education alone had little effect, researchers reported. Exercise reduced the risk of lower-back pain episodes by 35% and the risk of sick leave over lower-back pain by 78%, and when combined with education, the […]
Read MoreAuthors: Kamboj M et al., Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2015 Dec 36:1401 Using antiseptic barrier caps for intravenous catheter ports reduced rates of central-line–associated bloodstream infections and blood culture contamination in a high-risk cancer unit. “Reducing to zero” the rate of central-line–associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) requires optimizing not only the approach to catheter insertion, but also the […]
Read MorePrescriptions for combination drugs containing hydrocodone (e.g., Vicodin) dropped after the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration enacted tighter controls by moving them from Schedule III to Schedule II in 2014. Researchers published their findings in JAMA Internal Medicine. Using data on dispensed retail prescriptions, the researchers examined the number of prescriptions filled for hydrocodone-containing products for the […]
Read MoreAdding dexmedetomidine to fentanyl-based intravenous patient-controlled analgesia reduces the frequency and severity of postoperative nausea in highly susceptible patients, according to a study presented here at ANESTHESIOLOGY 2015, the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). In the prospective, randomised, double-blind study, Young ran Kang, MD, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South […]
Read MoreA low concentration of desflurane is as useful as propofol for oxygenation during one-lung ventilation in patients undergoing lung cancer surgery, according to a study presented here at ANESTHESIOLOGY 2015, the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). The concurrent use of inhalational anaesthetics with opioids significantly lowers the concentration required to achieve […]
Read MorePreliminary data shows no significant difference in postoperative opioid consumption with a single intraoperative dose of methadone or magnesium bolus versus remifentanil alone following posterior spinal fusion, according to a study presented here at ANESTHESIOLOGY 2015, the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). Furthermore, bolus dosing of magnesium may interfere with monitoring […]
Read MoreA novel, patient-controlled sublingual analgesic is as effective for postop pain as intravenous morphine, independent of body mass index (BMI), according to a study presented here at Obesity Week 2015. With more and more patients undergoing surgery for obesity-related conditions, such as knee and hip arthroplasty, the physiological differences between obese and normal-weight patients may […]
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