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 […]
Read MoreUltrasound-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 […]
Read MoreA 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 […]
Read MoreA 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 […]
Read MorePrescriptions 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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