The U.S. government’s healthcare program for the elderly will exhaust its reserves for hospital insurance in 2026, three years earlier than last year’s forecast, the Social Security and Medicare Boards of Trustees said in a report on Tuesday. The report also said the costs of the U.S. Social Security program will exceed incoming revenues this […]
Read MoreAuthors: David O. Warner, M.D. et al Anesthesiology 7 2018, Vol.129, 89-105. Background: Few studies of how exposure of children to anesthesia may affect neurodevelopment employ comprehensive neuropsychological assessments. This study tested the hypothesis that exposure to multiple, but not single, procedures requiring anesthesia before age 3 yr is associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. Methods: Unexposed, singly exposed, […]
Read MoreTwo weeks ago, on Wednesday and Thursday, the ASA, in conjunction with AARP, hosted the first jointly sponsored Brain Health Initiative Summit in Washington. The summit’s goal was to encourage awareness and adoption of perioperative guidelines for care of geriatric patients and to empower patients, their families and caregivers. This summit was designed to promote […]
Read MoreTo physicians the beginning of July, it means a state of transition and time to reflect. To those in teaching programs, it means graduation of residents, the onboarding of new ones and changing roles for those still in training. Often, for those not in training programs, it means new associates who just finished residency or […]
Read MoreAuthors: Satoshi Suzuki, M.D., Ph.D. et al Anesthesiology 7 2018, Vol.129, 67-76. Background: Intraoperative oxygen management is poorly understood. It was hypothesized that potentially preventable hyperoxemia and substantial oxygen exposure would be common during general anesthesia. Methods: A multicenter, cross-sectional study was conducted to describe current ventilator management, particularly oxygen management, during general anesthesia in Japan. All adult […]
Read MoreAuthors: David B. Auyong, M.D. et al Anesthesiology 7 2018, Vol.129, 47-57. Background: The interscalene nerve block provides analgesia for shoulder surgery, but is associated with diaphragm paralysis. One solution may be performing brachial plexus blocks more distally. This noninferiority study evaluated analgesia for blocks at the supraclavicular and anterior suprascapular levels, comparing them individually to the […]
Read MoreAuthors: Annalotta Scheinin, M.D. et al Anesthesiology 7 2018, Vol.129, 22-36. Background: Differentiating drug-related changes and state-related changes on the electroencephalogram during anesthetic-induced unconsciousness has remained a challenge. To distinguish these, we designed a rigorous experimental protocol with two drugs known to have distinct molecular mechanisms of action. We hypothesized that drug- and state-related changes can be […]
Read MoreAuthors: Raquel S. Santos, Ph.D. et al Anesthesiology 6 2018, Vol.128, 1193-1206. Background: The authors hypothesized that low tidal volume (VT) would minimize ventilator-induced lung injury regardless of the degree of mechanical power. The authors investigated the impact of power, obtained by different combinations of VT and respiratory rate (RR), on ventilator-induced lung injury in experimental mild acute […]
Read MoreTranscutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) may not provide relief from lower back pain, but may be associated with short-term improvement (<6 weeks) in functional disability, according to a literature review published in Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine. Investigators evaluated 12 randomized controlled trials examining patients with low back pain undergoing TENS (n=350), control therapy (n=269; eg, placebo, sham, […]
Read MoreOpioid cessation in patients with non-cancer pain may be more successful when depression is treated to remission, according to a study published in the February 2018 issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry. The study found that patients with chronic prescription opioid use and depression who adhered to antidepressant medications were more likely to stop opioids. […]
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