Anesthesiology
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Posterior Quadratus Lumborum Block in Total Hip Arthroplasty.
Pain management is important for ensuring early mobilization after hip arthroplasty; however, the optimal components remain controversial. Recently, the quadratus lumborum block has been proposed as an analgesic option. The current study tested the hypothesis that the posterior quadratus lumborum block combined with multimodal analgesia decreases morphine consumption after hip arthroplasty. ⋯ After elective hip arthroplasty, neither morphine consumption nor pain scores were reduced by the addition of a posterior quadratus lumborum block to a multimodal analgesia regimen.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Perioperative Methadone and Ketamine for Postoperative Pain Control in Spinal Surgical Patients.
Despite application of multimodal pain management strategies, patients undergoing spinal fusion surgery frequently report severe postoperative pain. Methadone and ketamine, which are N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonists, have been documented to facilitate postoperative pain control. This study therefore tested the primary hypothesis that patients recovering from spinal fusion surgery who are given ketamine and methadone use less hydromorphone on the first postoperative day than those give methadone alone. ⋯ Postoperative analgesia was enhanced by the combination of methadone and ketamine, which act on both N-methyl-d-aspartate and μ-opioid receptors. The combination could be considered in patients having spine surgery.
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Acute respiratory distress syndrome is characterized by hypoxemia, altered alveolar-capillary permeability, and neutrophil-dominated inflammatory pulmonary edema. Despite decades of research, an effective drug therapy for acute respiratory distress syndrome remains elusive. The ideal pharmacotherapy for acute respiratory distress syndrome should demonstrate antiprotease activity and target injurious inflammatory pathways while maintaining host defense against infection. ⋯ The main function of α1-antitrypsin is as an antiprotease, targeting neutrophil elastase in particular. However, studies have also highlighted the role of α1-antitrypsin in the modulation of inflammation and bacterial clearance. In light of the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the identification of a treatment for acute respiratory distress syndrome is even more pertinent, and α1-antitrypsin has been implicated in the inflammatory response to SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Observational Study
Changes in Respiratory Muscle Thickness during Mechanical Ventilation.
The lateral abdominal wall muscles are recruited with active expiration, as may occur with high breathing effort, inspiratory muscle weakness, or pulmonary hyperinflation. The effects of critical illness and mechanical ventilation on these muscles are unknown. This study aimed to assess the reproducibility of expiratory muscle (i.e., lateral abdominal wall muscles and rectus abdominis muscle) ultrasound and the impact of tidal volume on expiratory muscle thickness, to evaluate changes in expiratory muscle thickness during mechanical ventilation, and to compare this to changes in diaphragm thickness. ⋯ Thickness measurement of the expiratory muscles by ultrasound has excellent reproducibility. Changes in the thickness of the expiratory muscles occurred in 34% of patients and were unrelated to changes in diaphragm thickness. Increased expiratory muscle thickness resulted from increased thickness of the fasciae.