Authors: Miner JR et al., Ann Emerg Med 2014 Oct 15; In a randomized trial, three drug regimens for procedural sedation were equivalent, but the analysis was flawed. For procedural sedation, the advantage of propofol is its short duration; its disadvantage is dose-related respiratory suppression. The advantage of ketamine is absence of respiratory suppression; its […]
Read MoreThis is for our anesthesia providers who also perform critical care medicine. Authors: Funk D et al., Crit Care Med 2014 Nov 42:2333 In an observational study, steroid therapy was associated with lower mortality in the sickest patients. The most recent Surviving Sepsis Guidelines (Crit Care Med 2013; 41:580) suggest that steroids (200 mg hydrocortisone […]
Read MoreThe most common factors for unplanned admission following outpatient laparoscopic cholecystectomy are surgical observations, pain, and postoperative and post-discharge nausea and vomiting (PONV), according to results of a retrospective study. Careful selection of patients, increased use of anaesthesia techniques, and more aggressive pain control may help to reduce these admissions, stated lead author Deepak Subramanian, […]
Read MoreUltrasound-guided supraclavicular block for upper extremity surgery has a high degree of analgaesic efficacy postoperatively, according to the results of a retrospective. Supraclavicular block using ultrasound-guided technique successfully controlled 4-hour postoperative pain in 94% of procedures evaluated in this study of the records of 259 patients, noted lead author and anaesthesiologist Warren J. Choi, MD, […]
Read MoreSevoflurane is associated with a higher incidence of complications than propofol in paediatric patients undergoing sedation (13.46% vs 7.03%), according to results of a cohort. While procedure and recovery times were similar for both the sevoflurane and propofol groups, the duration of anaesthesia time was significantly shorter in the propofol group (56.6 ± 41.6 vs […]
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