Published in Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2014 Apr Authors: Lonardo NW et al. Abstract Rationale: Mechanically ventilated ICU patients are frequently managed using a continuous infusion sedative. Though recent guidelines suggest avoiding benzodiazepines for sedation, this class of drugs is still widely employed. There are limited data comparing sedative agents in […]
Read MoreAuthors: Bot AG et al. BACKGROUND: In 2012, Medicare began to tie reimbursements to inpatient complications, unplanned readmissions, and patient satisfaction, including satisfaction with pain management. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: We aimed to identify factors that correlate with (1) pain intensity during a 24-hour period after surgery; (2) less than complete satisfaction with pain control; (3) less […]
Read MoreI thought this would be an interesting article for our readers. Physicians are improperly coding Medicare claims, and it’s costing billions of dollars, USA Today reports. A new report found that in 2010, Medicare paid $6.7 billion in claims that weren’t coded correctly and lacked proper documentation, the report says. That billion-dollar figure accounts for […]
Read MoreThe problem may not be resolved until the end of 2014 or beginning of 2015 Back in January, U.S. hospitals began to experience a serious shortage of intravenous saline solutions, caused mainly by a spike in demand during the beginning of the 2013 flu season. Fast forward to May, and hospitals are still struggling with […]
Read MoreNashville’s Amsurg Corp. has agreed to buy the nation’s largest anesthesia services provider for $2.35 billion. The cash and stock deal for Sheridan Healthcare will see Sheridan investors issued Amsurg shares worth $615 million,Bloomberg reports, but Amsurg could replace with cash a “substantial portion” of the equity consideration. Amsurg operates 242 ambulatory surgery centers in […]
Read MoreAlmost overnight, a powerful new painkiller has become a $100 million business and a hot Wall Street story. But nearly as quickly, questions are emerging about how the drug is being sold, and to whom. The drug, Subsys, is a form of fentanyl, a narcotic that is often used when painkillers like morphine fail to […]
Read MoreAnesthesia Management: Ropivacaine plasma levels following local infiltration analgesia for primary total hip arthroplasty Published in Anaesthesia. 2014 Apr;69(4):368-73 Authors: Gill AM et al. Abstract We measured total and free plasma concentrations of ropivacaine following high-volume, high-dose local infiltration analgesia in 19 patients aged 65 years or over undergoing unilateral total hip arthroplasty. The patients […]
Read MorePublished in Anaesthesia. 2014 Jun;69(6):550-7 Authors: Glen JB et al Abstract We compared the predictive performance of the existing Diprifusor and Schnider models, used for target-controlled infusion of propofol, with a new modification of the Diprifusor model (White) incorporating age and sex covariates. The bias and inaccuracy (precision) of each model were determined using […]
Read MorePublished in Can J Anaesth. 2014 Jun;61(6):551-557 Authors: George RB et al. PURPOSE: Acute pain after open abdominal hysterectomy limits the function of patients in the postoperative period, but data regarding the analgesic efficacy of a low dose of pregabalin (75 or 150 mg) have been conflicting. This study was performed to determine if […]
Read MorePublished in Anaesthesia. 2014 Jun;69(6):583-90 Authors: Wang X et al. Abstract We measured pre-operative hepatic blood flow and postoperative morphine concentration in infants with or without biliary atresia. Thirty-four infants (0-3 months) with biliary atresia undergoing portoenterostomy (Kasai operation) were included and hepatic blood flow was assessed by magnetic resonance imaging before surgery in […]
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