Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Nov 2017
ReviewAmerica's Opioid Epidemic: Supply and Demand Considerations.
America is in the midst of an opioid epidemic characterized by aggressive prescribing practices, highly prevalent opioid misuse, and rising rates of prescription and illicit opioid overdose-related deaths. Medical and lay public sentiment have become more cautious with respect to prescription opioid use in the past few years, but a comprehensive strategy to reduce our reliance on prescription opioids is lacking. Addressing this epidemic through reductions in unnecessary access to these drugs while implementing measures to reduce demand will be important components of any comprehensive solution. ⋯ Important demand-side measures center around educating patients and clinicians regarding the pitfalls of opioid overuse and methods to avoid unnecessary exposure to these drugs. Anesthesiologists, by virtue of their expertise in the use of these drugs and their position in guiding opioid use around the time of surgery, have important roles to play in reducing patient exposure to opioids and providing education about appropriate use. Aside from the many immediate steps that can be taken, clinical and basic research directed at understanding the interaction between pain and opioid misuse is critical to identifying the optimal use of these powerful pain relievers in clinical practice.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Nov 2017
ReviewRole of the Perioperative Surgical Home in Optimizing the Perioperative Use of Opioids.
Several federal agencies have recently noted that the United States is in the midst of an unprecedented "opioid epidemic," with an increasing number of opioid-related overdoses and deaths. Providers currently face 3 population-level, public health challenges in providing optimal perioperative pain care: (1) the continued lack of overall improvement in the excessive incidence of inadequately treated postoperative pain, (2) minimizing or preventing postoperative opioid-related side effects, and (3) addressing current opioid prescribing patterns, and the accompanying problematic surge in prescription opioid diversion, misuse, abuse, addiction, and overdose. In the Perioperative Surgical Home model, anesthesiologists and other pain medicine specialists are uniquely qualified and positioned to develop, implement, and coordinate a comprehensive perioperative analgesic plan, which begins with the formal preoperative patient assessment and continues throughout the postdischarge, convalescence period. ⋯ This multidisciplinary, perioperative Transitional Pain Service seeks to modify the pain trajectories of patients who are at increased risk of (a) long-term, increasing, excessive opioid consumption and/or (b) developing chronic postsurgical pain. Like the Perioperative Surgical Home program in which it can be logically integrated, such a Transitional Pain Service can serve as the needed but missing linkage to improve the continuum of care and perioperative pain management for elective, urgent, and emergent surgery. Even if successfully and cost-efficiently embedded within an existing Perioperative Surgical Home, a new perioperative Transitional Pain Service will require additional resources.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Nov 2017
ReviewUse of the Fluid Challenge in Critically Ill Adult Patients: A Systematic Review.
The fluid challenge (FC) aims at identifying patients in whom fluid administration improves hemodynamics. Although the FC has been extensively studied, the implementation and definition of improvement are not standardized. This systematic review of studies published between January 1, 1994 and December 31, 2014 characterizes these key components of the FC for critically ill adult patients, as described in the medical literature in the last 20 years. ⋯ Static or dynamic physiologic indices were utilized in a minority of studies (16.9%) and safety limits for interrupting the FC are adopted in 4 (5.6%) studies only. This systematic review indicates that the FC most commonly consists in infusing 500 mL of crystalloids or colloids in 20-30 minutes, and considered an increase in cardiac index ≥15% as a positive response. However, definite standards for FC administration and evaluation remain undefined.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Nov 2017
Comparative StudyDifferential Roles of the Right and Left Toe Perfusion Index in Predicting the Incidence of Postspinal Hypotension During Cesarean Delivery.
Aortocaval compression by the gravid uterus, low baseline vasomotor tone, and spinal anesthesia-related sympathetic blockade contribute to spinal anesthesia-induced hypotension during cesarean delivery. The finger perfusion index (PI) can predict spinal hypotension by reflecting baseline vasomotor tone, but cannot directly reflect aortocaval compression by the gravid uterus. This study aimed to examine whether baseline toe PIs predict the incidence of maternal hypotension and reflect aortocaval compression by the gravid uterus during cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia. ⋯ Our study demonstrated that baseline toe PIs were inversely associated with the incidence of postspinal hypotension during cesarean delivery. Continuous monitoring of toe PIs during induction of spinal anesthesia might help to predict the development of postspinal hypotension and reflect the aortocaval compression by the gravid uterus.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Nov 2017
Randomized Controlled TrialEffect of High Inspiratory Oxygen Fraction on Endothelial Function in Healthy Volunteers: A Randomized Controlled Crossover Pilot Study.
It has been suggested that high inspiratory oxygen concentrations during anesthesia may be associated with higher postoperative mortality due to endothelial dysfunction. A randomized controlled crossover study was conducted with 25 healthy male volunteers. They inhaled an oxygen concentration of 30% and 80%. ⋯ The difference in endothelial function between the 2 treatments was 0.05 (95% confidence interval, -0.36 to 0.27; P = .77). Endothelial biomarkers were unaffected. Inhalation of a high oxygen fraction in healthy volunteers did not result in a significant reduction of endothelial function.