Researchers are creating a set of national benchmarks to estimate times in which anesthesia takes effect for different procedures. Knowing average intraoperative anesthesia ready times could help hospital administrators and anesthesiology departments improve intraoperative efficiency with better scheduling and optimized use of anesthesiologists. Sudheer K. Jain, MD, assistant clinical director of the Department of Anesthesiology, […]
Read MoreAlthough thromboelastography (TEG) and rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) both are accepted means for measuring coagulation parameters, the two have rarely been compared in liver transplantation surgery. A recent study has concluded that although the two modalities provide comparable results, ROTEM corresponded better with partial thromboplastin time (PTT) and was more sensitive in identifying fibrinolysis. “The complex […]
Read MoreEarlier this week the federal government clarified that insurers can’t charge people for anesthesia administered during a free colonoscopy to screen for colorectal cancer. That’s good news for consumers, some of whom have been charged hundreds of dollars for anesthesia after undergoing what they thought would be a free test. But the government guidance leaves […]
Read MorePublished in BMJ 2015 Apr 1; 350:h1603 Authors: Nerland US et al. Physical therapy and minimally invasive surgery both fared well in randomized trials against open surgery. Two recent studies shed light on options for treating patients with lumbar spinal stenosis. In a randomized trial, investigators compared surgical decompression versus a formal physical therapy (PT) program in […]
Read MoreOral prednisone confers modest improvements in function — but no improvement in pain — among patients with sciatica due to a herniated disk, a JAMA study finds. Some 270 adults with radicular pain of no more than 3 months’ duration, disability scores of 30 or higher (on a 100-point scale), and a confirmed herniated disk were randomized […]
Read MoreWhat’s in a name? Everything to proponents of the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ (ASA) concept of the Perioperative Surgical Home (PSH), which sees the anesthesiologists’ role in the surgical suite morphing into that of a “perioperativist.” Alan E. Curle, MD, associate professor of clinical anesthesiology and director, Center for Perioperative Medicine, University of Rochester Medical […]
Read MoreTo the well-documented analgesic benefits of IV ibuprofen add this: Preoperative administration of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) improves the overall quality of recovery. A recent study also revealed that IV ibuprofen might improve postoperative cognitive recovery. According to Vanny Le, MD, and a team of researchers from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark, […]
Read MoreThis is for our providers who practice pain management. The time has come to seriously explore the use of nonopioid analgesia for managing pain in the emergency department, said experts speaking at the American Academy of Emergency Medicine 21st Annual Scientific Assembly in Austin, Texas. “Relying on opioids as the primary analgesics for moderate to […]
Read MoreParacetamol, known as acetaminophen in the United States, may have more risks than originally thought, particularly when it is taken at the higher end of standard therapeutic doses, according to a new systematic review. The authors and an outside expert recommend caution when interpreting the data, as they are observational in nature and are subject […]
Read MoreChronic pain and inappropriate use of pain medications are common in people with early-stage chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to a study published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. “We demonstrated that there is a link between pain and patient safety in CKD and that the CKD population warrants closer attention to […]
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