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Uncategorized Published - 28 September, 2016    By - Dr Clemens
Does Hospital’s ‘Safety Culture’ Keep Patients Safe?

If you work in a hospital these days, you’ve probably gotten the invitation: Take a survey about how well you, your team and your hospital do at protecting patients from harm, and how empowered you feel to do the right thing. It’s all in the name of gauging “patient safety culture.” But a new study […]

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Uncategorized Published - 28 September, 2016    By - Dr Clemens
Common Surgeries Associated with Chronic Opioid Use

People who undergo certain common surgeries are more likely to use opioids chronically, even if they do not receive the analgesics for postoperative pain, according to a new study. Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine, in California, looked for an association between common surgical procedures and the risk for chronic use of opioids. They […]

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Uncategorized Published - 28 September, 2016    By - Dr Clemens
Post-op Surgical Infection Risk Not Associated With Number of OR Personnel

Having additional OR personnel during the intraoperative period is not associated with an increased risk for surgical site infections (SSIs), according to a recent retrospective case control trial. Surgical site infections are a significant source of patient morbidity and medical costs; prior studies have suggested that intraoperative traffic and the number of OR personnel might […]

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Uncategorized Published - 28 September, 2016    By - Dr Clemens
The Effect of Local Anesthetic Volume Within the Adductor Canal on Quadriceps Femoris Function Evaluated by Electromyography: A Randomized, Observer- and Subject-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Study in Volunteers

Anesthesia & Analgesia: August 2016 – Volume 123 – Issue 2 – p 493–500 AUTHORS: Grevstad, Ulrik MD, PhD et al BACKGROUND: Single-injection adductor canal block (ACB) provides analgesia after knee surgery. Which nerves that are blocked by an ACB and what influence—if any—local anesthetic volume has on the effects remain undetermined. We hypothesized that […]

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Uncategorized Published - 27 September, 2016    By - Dr Clemens
Effect of Individual Surgeons and Anesthesiologists on Operating Room Time

Anesthesia & Analgesia: August 2016 – Volume 123 – Issue 2 – p 445–451 AUTHORS: van Eijk, Ruben P. A. MD et al BACKGROUND: Variability in operating room (OR) time causes overutilization and underutilization of the available ORs. There is evidence that for a given type of procedure, the surgeon is the major source of […]

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Uncategorized Published - 27 September, 2016    By - Dr Clemens
Neural Correlates of Sevoflurane-induced Unconsciousness Identified by Simultaneous Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Electroencephalography

Authors: Andreas Ranft, M.D. et al       Anesthesiology published on September 15, 2016. Background: The neural correlates of anesthetic-induced unconsciousness have yet to be fully elucidated. Sedative and anesthetic states induced by propofol have been studied extensively, consistently revealing a decrease of frontoparietal and thalamocortical connectivity. There is, however, less understanding of the effects of halogenated ethers […]

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Uncategorized Published - 27 September, 2016    By - Dr Clemens
Transcranial Doppler to Predict Neurologic Outcome after Mild to Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury

Authors: Pierre Bouzat, M.D., Ph.D. et al       Anesthesiology 8 2016, Vol.125, 346-354. Background: To assess the performance of transcranial Doppler (TCD) in predicting neurologic worsening after mild to moderate traumatic brain injury. Methods: The authors conducted a prospective observational study across 17 sites. TCD was performed upon admission in 356 patients (Glasgow Coma Score [GCS], 9 to […]

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Uncategorized Published - 27 September, 2016    By - Dr Clemens
CMS Announces MACRA Flexibility

Andy Slavitt, CMS Acting Administrator, published a blogpost detailing different options that eligible clinicians may follow for participation in MACRA in 2017. Earlier this year, ASA submitted comments on the MACRA proposed rule arguing that CMS not sacrifice the care necessary in developing a smart and defensible payment program under MACRA for an aggressive implementation timeline. It […]

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Uncategorized Published - 27 September, 2016    By - Dr Clemens
Number of Hospital-Employed Physicians Up 50% Since 2012

One-in-four medical practices is now owned by a hospital or health system, and hospitals employed 38% of all U.S. physicians in 2015. Hospitals have gone on a physician feeding frenzy, with the number of practices owned by hospitals and health systems rising 86% from 2012-15, a study from the Physicians Advocacy Institute shows. The acquisitions are occurring […]

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Uncategorized Published - 26 September, 2016    By - Dr Clemens
Opioid Addiction Drug Underutilized in Medicare Patients

Only a fraction of Medicare patients who have opioid use disorder receive opioid agonist therapy (OAT) with buprenorphine-naloxone (multiple brands), say US researchers, who found that nonspecialist physicians are the least likely to prescribe the drug. The Medicare population of 55 million patients has one of the largest and fastest growing rates of opioid use […]

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