Published in Nations Health. 2014;44(7) Author: Lindsey Wahowiak A new report documenting pain and its treatment in America shows that only 15 states are doing well in helping Americans in pain. With most states failing to adequately address the issue, pain remains a huge public health issue. “Achieving Balance in State Pain Policy: A Progress Report […]
Read MorePublished in BMC Surg. 2014;14(41) Authors: Takanobu Yamada, et al Background Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) programs have been reported to be feasible and useful for maintaining physiological function and facilitating recovery after colorectal surgery. The feasibility of such programs in gastric surgery remains unclear. This study assessed whether an ERAS program is feasible in patients who […]
Read MorePublished in Br J Anaesth. 2014;113(6):905-906. Authors: J. Moloney Accidents in complex systems occur through the concatenation of multiple factors; each may be necessary, but only when all are present are conditions sufficient to produce an accident. In 1990, James Reason, then a professor of Psychology at the University of Manchester, provided a crucial contribution to […]
Read MorePublished in BMC Anesthesiol. 2014;14(70) Authors: Rafael Jaimes, Angelo G Rocco Background: Epidural lipomatosis (EL) is an increase of adipose tissue, normally occurring in the epidural space, sufficient to distort the thecal sac and compress neural elements. There is a lack of knowledge of risk factors, impact on patient’s symptoms, and its possible association with epidural […]
Read MoreThere is insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of long-term opioid therapy for improving chronic pain, but emerging data support a dose-dependent risk for serious harms, such as overdose, mortality, and possibly fractures and cardiovascular events, according to a new review. Most opioid-related studies lasted less than 12 weeks (and many less than 6 weeks), […]
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