Published in Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2015 Jan;62(1):85-90. Authors: Whitlow PG et al BACKGROUND: Lumbar punctures are frequently performed in pediatric leukemia for central nervous system leukemic prophylaxis. The contribution of local anesthetic with deep sedation is unknown. The objective was to evaluate EMLA (eutectic mixture of local anesthetics) cream as a pain reliever in conjunction […]
Read MoreAuthors: 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, […]
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