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Uncategorized Published - 6 May, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Anesthesiologists Pushing Back on Maintenance of Board Certification

Who controls certification? Author: Robert E. Johnstone, MD Four decades ago, board certification was a mark of excellence, a goal for achievers and not a practice requirement. Certification designated an anesthesiologist with consultant-level knowledge and extraordinary capabilities. But times have changed. Many institutions and groups now require certification for clinician credentialing. No certification increasingly means […]

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Uncategorized Published - 6 May, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Efficacy and tolerability of low-dose oral prolonged-release oxycodone/naloxone for chronic nononcological pain in older patients

Published in Interventions in Aging 10 1-11 (2015) Authors:  Guerriero F et al PURPOSE Chronic pain is highly prevalent in older adults. Increasing evidence indicates strong opioids as a valid option for chronic pain management in geriatrics. The aim of this study was to evaluate efficacy and safety of low-dose oral prolonged-release oxycodone-naloxone (OXN-PR) in […]

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Uncategorized Published - 6 May, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Airway Assessment of Patients Undergoing Endoscopic Procedures

Authors: Kristi T. Lopez, MD et al Published in South Med J. 2014;107(12):764-767. Abstract Objectives In advance of endoscopic procedures, an evaluation to assess the risk of sedation is performed by the gastroenterologist. Based on regulations, gastroenterologists are required to perform an airway assessment. At this time, data supporting this regulation are limited; therefore, we evaluated airway […]

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Uncategorized Published - 5 May, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Volume guarantee ventilation during surgical closure of patent ductus arteriosus

Published in Am J Perinatol. 2015 Jan;32(1):23-6. Authors: Keszler M et al BACKGROUND: Surgical closure of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is associated with adverse outcomes. Surgical exposure requires retraction of the lung, resulting in decreased aeration and compliance. Optimal respiratory support for PDA surgery is unknown. Experience with volume guarantee (VG) ventilation at our institution led […]

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Uncategorized Published - 5 May, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Is the serum level of reactive oxygen metabolites appropriate for evaluating short-term surgical stress of patients undergoing colectomy?

Publsihed in Int Surg. 2015 Apr;100(4):770-2. Authors: Fujita F et al To demonstrate whether reactive oxygen and free radical measuring are appropriate to evaluate short-term surgical stress after laparoscopic colectomy. The subjects consisted of 22 cases (laparoscopic surgery, 16; and laparotomy, 6) that underwent surgery for colon cancer. The reactive oxygen metabolites (ROM) value in the […]

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Uncategorized Published - 5 May, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Transfusion Threshold for Abdominal Cancer Surgery Patients

Authors: Pinheiro de Almeida J et al., Anesthesiology 2015 Jan 122:29 A hemoglobin level of 9 g/dL was superior to 7 g/dL as a trigger for transfusion. Randomized trials have shown favorable outcomes with a restrictive red-cell transfusion strategy — that is, not transfusing until hemoglobin levels are <7 g/dL in general critical-care patients (NEJM JW Gen […]

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Uncategorized Published - 5 May, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Population pharmacokinetic model of free and total ropivacaine after TAP nerve block in patients undergoing liver resection.

Published in Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2014 Dec 31 Authors: Ollier E et al AIM: The aim of this study was to develop a pharmacokinetic model in order to characterise the free and total ropivacaine concentrations after TAP block in a population of patients undergoing liver resection surgery. In particular, we evaluated the impact of the […]

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Uncategorized Published - 5 May, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Methadone dose in heroin-dependent patients: role of clinical factors, comedications, genetic polymorphisms and enzyme activity.

Published in Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2014 Dec 30. Authors: Mouly S et AIMS: Methadone is characterized by wide intersubject variability regarding the dose needed to obtain full therapeutic response. We assessed the influence of sociodemographic, ethnic, clinical, metabolic & genotype variables on methadone maintenance dose requirement in opioid-dependent responder patients. METHODS: Eighty-one stable patients (60 […]

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Uncategorized Published - 4 May, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Trends in opioid analgesic abuse and mortality in the United States.

Published in N Engl J Med. 2015 Jan 15;372(3):241-8 Authors: Dart RC et al BACKGROUND: The use of prescription opioid medications has increased greatly in the United States during the past two decades; in 2010, there were 16,651 opioid-related deaths. In response, hundreds of federal, state, and local interventions have been implemented. We describe trends in […]

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Uncategorized Published - 4 May, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Poor Pain Management Leaves Millions of Americans Suffering: Few States Excel

Published in Nations Health. 2014;44(7) Author: Lindsey Wahowiak A new report documenting pain and its treatment in America shows that only 15 states are doing well in helping Americans in pain. With most states failing to adequately address the issue, pain remains a huge public health issue. “Achieving Balance in State Pain Policy: A Progress Report […]

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