Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Sep 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialAromatherapy as treatment for postoperative nausea: a randomized trial.
Postoperative nausea (PON) is a common complication of anesthesia and surgery. Antiemetic medication for higher-risk patients may reduce but does not reliably prevent PON. We examined aromatherapy as a treatment for patients experiencing PON after ambulatory surgery. Our primary hypothesis was that in comparison with inhaling a placebo, PON will be reduced significantly by aromatherapy with (1) essential oil of ginger, (2) a blend of essential oils of ginger, spearmint, peppermint, and cardamom, or (3) isopropyl alcohol. Our secondary hypothesis was that the effectiveness of aromatherapy will depend upon the agent used. ⋯ The hypothesis that aromatherapy would be effective as a treatment for PON was supported. On the basis of our results, future research further evaluating aromatherapy is warranted. Aromatherapy is promising as an inexpensive, noninvasive treatment for PON that can be administered and controlled by patients as needed.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Sep 2013
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyBrief report: pulmonary auscultation in the operating room: a prospective randomized blinded trial comparing electronic and conventional stethoscopes.
We compared the subjective quality of pulmonary auscultation between 2 acoustic stethoscopes (Holtex Ideal® and Littmann Cardiology III®) and an electronic stethoscope (Littmann 3200®) in the operating room. ⋯ An electronic stethoscope can provide a better quality of pulmonary auscultation than acoustic stethoscopes in the operating room, yet with a magnitude of improvement marginally higher than that provided with a high performance acoustic stethoscope. Whether this can translate into a clinically relevant benefit requires further studies.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Sep 2013
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyA randomized, double-blind comparison of licorice versus sugar-water gargle for prevention of postoperative sore throat and postextubation coughing.
One small study suggests that gargling with licorice before induction of anesthesia reduces the risk of postoperative sore throat. Double-lumen tubes are large and thus especially likely to provoke sore throats. We therefore tested the hypothesis that preoperative gargling with licorice solution prevents postoperative sore throat and postextubation coughing in patients intubated with double-lumen tubes. ⋯ Licorice gargling halved the incidence of sore throat. Preinduction gargling with licorice appears to be a simple way to prevent a common and bothersome complication.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Sep 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialThe effectiveness of a perioperative smoking cessation program: a randomized clinical trial.
Cigarette smoking by surgical patients is associated with increased complications, particularly perioperative respiratory problems and poor wound healing. In this study, we sought to determine whether a pragmatic perioperative smoking cessation intervention designed for a busy preadmission clinic would be successful in reducing smoking rates and intraoperative and immediate postoperative complications. ⋯ One of the objections to widespread use of smoking cessation interventions in the preadmission clinic is that it is too labor-intensive. The results of this study show that a smoking cessation intervention, designed to minimize additional use of physician or nursing time, results in decreased smoking rates on the day of surgery and promotes abstinence 30 days postoperatively.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Sep 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialThe efficacy of 2 doses of epidural morphine for postcesarean delivery analgesia: a randomized noninferiority trial.
A single dose of epidural morphine is effective in reducing pain after cesarean delivery but is associated with adverse effects. In this study, we sought to establish whether half the traditional dose of epidural morphine, when administered as part of a multimodal analgesia regimen after cesarean delivery, was associated with noninferior analgesia and fewer adverse effects. ⋯ When used as part of a multimodal analgesia regimen, 1.5 mg epidural morphine provided noninferior postcesarean analgesia and caused fewer adverse effects compared with 3 mg epidural morphine.