AUTHORS: Krause, Martin MD et al Anesthesia & Analgesia: November 5, 2019 BACKGROUND: Pulmonary complications related to residual neuromuscular blockade lead to morbidity and mortality. Using an interrupted time series design, we tested whether proportions of reintubation for respiratory failure or new noninvasive ventilation were changed after a system-wide transition of the standard reversal agent […]
Read MoreAuthor: Michael Vlessides Anesthesiology News Surgical procedures done in the outpatient setting have long been touted as a cost-effective alternative to their inpatient counterparts. Now, analyses of two databases have found that certain outpatient surgeries may actually be safer, too. In a pair of presentation s at the 2019 annual meeting of the International Anesthesia […]
Read MoreAuthor: SKEPTICAL SCALPEL, MD Ever since the publication of the infamous 2016 BMJ opinion piece claiming medical error should be considered the third leading cause of death in the U.S., the debate on the true incidence of deaths caused by medical error has been raging. Many, including me, felt the estimate of 251,000 deaths per year from medical […]
Read MoreAuthor: Michael Vlessides Anesthesiology News Researchers may have uncovered a simple way to avoid potential unintended awareness during high-risk cardiac surgery. Their study found that EEG signatures similar to those seen during emergence—decreasing theta power with increasing alpha frequency—occur regularly during cardiac surgery. Paying close attention to these signals in the form of a spectrogram, […]
Read MoreAuthor: Michael Vlessides Anesthesiology News A meta-analysis of adjuvants for caudal epidural block has found that dexmedetomidine prolongs the duration of analgesia and also reduces total acetaminophen consumption and number of acetaminophen doses in the first 24 hours after pediatric infraumbilical surgery. The study also found that neostigmine extended the analgesia duration longer than any […]
Read MoreAUTHORS: Masaru Kikuchi et al BMC Trial Feb 2020 BACKGROUND Appropriate pain management is essential to improve the postoperative recovery after total hip arthroplasty (THA). Various case reports have indicated that anterior quadratus lumborum block (QLB) provides effective postoperative analgesia in lower limb surgeries. However, few randomized controlled trials have confirmed the efficacy of anterior […]
Read MoreAuthors: Alma Juels, MD, and Parker Juels Anesthesiology News The Frost Series #355 Case Presentation A 22-year-old woman presented to the OR for a rectal examination and rectal fistula repair. She had a body mass index of 35 kg/m2 and a history of hypothyroidism, depression and migraines. Upon presentation, her hypothyroidism had resolved and levels of […]
Read MoreThis is for our readers that treat chronic pain patients. Corticosteroid injections used to treat osteoarthritis (OA) pain in the hip and knee may be more dangerous than previously thought, according to a study published in Radiology. Researchers suggested that injection-associated risks like rapid progressive OA, which may eventually lead to joint collapse, should be integrated […]
Read MoreAuthors: René Miguel Gonzalez, MD Anesthesiology News The Problem In 2017, Goudra and Singh wrote: “The growing popularity of deep sedation for UGI [upper gastrointestinal] endoscopy has created immense challenges to anesthesiologists. Gastroenterologists have clearly benefited from deep sedation. It allows performing complicated procedures with relative ease. However, research suggests that management of the airway […]
Read MoreAuthor: Chase Doyle Anesthesiology News A study of three analgesic strategies for major lower extremity amputations reveals that regional anesthesia provides superior perioperative pain control within 72 hours of surgery. The retrospective review of lower limb amputations showed that peripheral nerve blockade with combined standard and liposomal bupivacaine (Exparel, Pacira) was associated with lower oral […]
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