Anesthesiology
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Due to an increase in implantable device-related anesthesia pain medicine claims, the authors investigated anesthesia liability associated with these devices. ⋯ Half of IDDS maintenance claims were associated with death or permanent severe injury, most commonly from medication errors or failure to recognize progressive neurologic deterioration. Practitioners implanting or managing devices for chronic pain should exercise caution in these areas to minimize patient harm.
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The use of lung-protective ventilation (LPV) strategies may minimize iatrogenic lung injury in surgical patients. However, the identification of an ideal LPV strategy, particularly during one-lung ventilation (OLV), remains elusive. This study examines the role of ventilator management during OLV and its impact on clinical outcomes. ⋯ Low VT per se (i.e., in the absence of sufficient PEEP) has not been unambiguously demonstrated to be beneficial. The authors found that a large proportion of patients continue to receive high VT during OLV and that VT was inversely related to the incidence of respiratory complications and major postoperative morbidity. While low (physiologically appropriate) VT is an important component of an LPV strategy for surgical patients during OLV, current evidence suggests that, without adequate PEEP, low VT does not prevent postoperative respiratory complications. Thus, use of physiologic VT may represent a necessary, but not independently sufficient, component of LPV.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Liposome Bupivacaine Femoral Nerve Block for Postsurgical Analgesia after Total Knee Arthroplasty.
The authors evaluated the efficacy of liposome bupivacaine in a femoral nerve block (FNB) after total knee arthroplasty. ⋯ FNB with liposome bupivacaine (266 mg) resulted in modestly lower pain scores and reduced opioid requirements after surgery, with an adverse event profile similar to placebo.