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Uncategorized Published - 16 April, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Anaesthetic Drugs and Survival: A Bayesian Network Meta-analysis of Randomized Trials in Cardiac Surgery

Authors: G. Landoni, et al Published in Br J Anaesth. 2013;111(6):886-896. Background. Many studies have compared desflurane, isoflurane, sevoflurane, total i.v. anaesthesia (TIVA), or all in cardiac surgery to assess their effects on patient survival. Methods. We performed standard pairwise and Bayesian network meta-analyses; the latter allows indirect assessments if any of the anaesthetic agents were not compared […]

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Uncategorized Published - 16 April, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Effects of Dexamethasone as a Local Anaesthetic Adjuvant for Brachial Plexus Block A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Trials

Published in Br J Anaesth. 2014;112(3):427-439. Authors: S. Choi, et al Background. Brachial plexus nerve blocks (BPBs) have analgesic and opioid sparing benefits for upper extremity surgery. Single-injection techniques are limited by the pharmacological duration and therapeutic index of local anaesthetics (LAs). Continuous catheter techniques, while effective can present management challenges. Off-label use of perineural dexamethasone as […]

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Uncategorized Published - 15 April, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Gabapentin on Top of Regional Anaesthesia Helps Patients Undergoing Mastectomy Postoperatively

Multimodal perioperative analgesia with paravertebral nerve block (PVB) and gabapentin decreases the length of hospitalisation and narcotic usage in patients undergoing mastectomy compared to conventional postoperative management with on-demand postoperative medications (CPM), according to a study presented here at the 37th Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS). The researchers say that the multimodality approach […]

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Uncategorized Published - 15 April, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Comparison of analgesic efficacy of paracetamol and tramadol for pain relief in active labor

Published in J Clin Anesth. 2015 Mar;27(2):159-63 Authors: Kaur Makkar J et al STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety profile of paracetamol in comparison with tramadol for pain relief during active labor. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, double-blind study. SETTING: Maternity Wing of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh. PATIENT: Sixty laboring, […]

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Uncategorized Published - 15 April, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Oral administration of morphine versus ibuprofen to manage postfracture pain in children: a randomized trial

Published in CMAJ. 2014 Dec 9;186(18):1358-63 Authors: Poonai N et al BACKGROUND: Recent warnings from Health Canada regarding codeine for children have led to increased use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and morphine for common injuries such as fractures. Our objective was to determine whether morphine administered orally has superior efficacy to ibuprofen in fracture-related pain. […]

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Uncategorized Published - 15 April, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Persistent paralysis after spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery

Published in Journal of Clinical Anesthesia (JCA) (Nov 2014) Authors: Zaphiratos V et al Anterior spinal artery syndrome has rarely been reported as a cause of permanent neurologic complications after neuraxial anesthesia in obstetric patients. A parturient developed anterior spinal artery syndrome after spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery. A healthy 32-year-old parturient presented at 41(2/7) […]

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Uncategorized Published - 15 April, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
The effects of Patent Blue dye on peripheral and cerebral oxyhaemoglobin saturations

Published in Anaesthesia. 2015 Apr;70(4):429-33 Authors: Ishiyama T et al Abstract We measured the effect of Patent Blue dye on oxyhaemoglobin saturations after injection into breast tissue: 40 women had anaesthesia for breast surgery maintained with sevoflurane or propofol (20 randomly allocated to each). Saturations were recorded with a digital pulse oximeter, in arterial blood […]

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Uncategorized Published - 14 April, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Study: Pain Is Prevalent, Persists in Ambulatory Cancer Patients

Pain in ambulatory cancer patients with solid tumors is complex and dynamic, and adequate pain management requires constant monitoring and therapeutic intervention when needed. The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) conducted a multicenter study to assess pain symptoms. Outpatient oncology patients from 38 (six academic and 32 community) centers completed the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory […]

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Uncategorized Published - 14 April, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
Thoracic Ultrasound Alternative to Bronchoscopy For Checking Double-Lumen Endotracheal Tube Positioning

Thoracic ultrasound is a viable alternative to fiber-optic bronchoscopy for verifying the correct position of a double-lumen endotracheal tube (DLET) before one-lung ventilation, a study has found. Andrea Saporito, MD, a consultant anesthetist at Bellinzona Regional Hospital, in Bellinzona, Switzerland, and the study’s principal investigator, noted that thoracic ultrasound is noninvasive and cheaper than fiber-optic […]

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Uncategorized Published - 14 April, 2015    By - Dr Clemens
New Technology Offers Lower NSAID Dosing for OA Pain

A low-dose (5 or 10 mg) formulation of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) meloxicam achieved significantly greater pain relief than placebo in patients with osteoarthritis (OA), according to results of a Phase III study presented at the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) Annual European Congress of Rheumatology. Osteoarthritis of the knee and hip are common […]

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