Anesthesia & Analgesia: August 2015 Authors: Flood, Pamela MD et al BACKGROUND: Variability in the mean durations of labor analgesia for vaginal delivery among hospitals is unknown. Such differences in means among hospitals would influence appropriate equitable fee-for-service payment to US anesthesia groups. Equitable payment is the foundational principle of relative value unit payment, which, […]
Read MoreA series of papers published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia detail the differences in the way common anaesthetics affect the brains of older patients and children, findings that could lead to ways of improving monitoring technology and the safety of general anaesthesia for such patients. Recent investigations into the neurobiology underlying the effects of […]
Read MoreSurgical patients who listened to music were significantly less anxious and more satisfied postoperatively compared with those who did not, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis of data from 72 trials. They also needed less pain medication and reported significantly less pain, Jenny Hole, MBBS, from Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom, and […]
Read MoreAnesthesia & Analgesia: October 2015 – Volume 121 – Issue 4 – p 1089–1096 Authors: Kallidaikurichi Srinivasan et al BACKGROUND: Multiple passes and attempts while administering spinal anesthesia are associated with a greater incidence of postdural puncture headache, paraesthesia, and spinal hematoma. We hypothesized that the routine use of a preprocedural ultrasound-guided paramedian technique for […]
Read MoreMost patients younger than age 50 with a torn or severely damaged meniscus experienced reduced pain and improved knee function following transplant surgery, according to a study published in the August 5 issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. However, many patients required additional surgery within 10 years. Frank R. Noyes, MD, Noyes […]
Read MoreEur J Anaesthesiol 2015 Aug 1 Authors: Krylborn J et al BACKGROUND: Epidurals may be challenging in neonatal patients due to technical difficulties relating to insertion and the risk of local anaesthesia toxicity. The use of wound catheters with an infusion of local anaesthetic has been shown to be well tolerated in adults and older children. There […]
Read MoreAnesthesia & Analgesia:September 2015 – Volume 121 – Issue 3 – p 678–692 Authors: Epstein, Richard H. MD In this review article, we address issues related to using data from anesthesia information management systems (AIMS) to deliver near real-time alerts via AIMS workstation popups and/or alphanumeric pagers and post hoc reports via e-mail. We focus […]
Read MoreActa Anaesthesiol Scand. 2015 Aug Authors: Mellbye A et al BACKGROUND: Prescription databases provide the opportunity for investigating opioid treatment and co-medication within large populations. So far, few studies have investigated the duration of opioid therapy, and large differences in discontinuation rates have been reported. METHODS: Data from the Norwegian Prescription Database were used to follow the […]
Read MoreA high proportion of reproductive-age women may be experiencing pelvic pain that goes untreated, according to a study by researchers from the National Institutes of Health and the University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah, and published in Human Reproduction. The researchers surveyed more than 400 women who were scheduled to undergo […]
Read MoreEur J Anaesthesiol 2015 Jul 29 Authors: Mihara T et al BACKGROUND: Emergence agitation is a common phenomenon in children recovering from general anaesthesia. An emergence agitation reaction increases the risk of injuring the surgical repair, the patient and the caregivers. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to examine the efficacy of melatonin premedication in emergence […]
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