Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthésie
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Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease is an inherited neurologic disorder characterized by progressive peripheral neuropathies. The use of peripheral nerve blocks (PNB) in patients with CMT disease has been controversial because of concerns about exacerbating existing neurologic impairments and the "double hit" hypothesis. We aimed to assess the use of PNB in pediatric patients with CMT disease undergoing orthopedic surgery to address the limited data available in the literature on this topic. ⋯ Despite concerns, PNB showed favourable outcomes in a pediatric cohort with CMT disease, with low opioid consumption and pain scores and minimal complications during follow-up. These findings match previous reports of adult patients with CMT disease and suggest that the benefits of PNB may outweigh the perceived risks in pediatric patients with CMT disease.
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The purpose of this Special Article is to document the evolution of the anesthesia assistant (AA) profession in Canada and summarize AA practice at Canadian institutions as it exists today, five decades after Quebec and 15 years after most other provinces formalized AA practice. ⋯ This compilation of pan-Canadian AA data shows diverse models of practice and highlights the value to patients and the health care system as a whole of incorporating these allied professionals into the anesthesia care team (ACT). The present findings allow us to offer suggestions for consideration during discussions of retention, recruitment, program expansion, and cross-country collection of metrics and other data. We conclude by making six recommendations: 1. recognize that implementation of ACTs is a key element in solving the challenge of an increasing surgical backlog; 2. develop, or facilitate the development of, metrics and increase data-sharing nationally to enable health care authorities to better understand the importance of AAs in patient safety and perioperative efficiency; 3. develop and implement funding strategies to lower the barriers to AA training such as hospital-sponsored positions, ongoing salary support, and return-of-service arrangements; 4. ensure that salaries appropriately reflect the increased level of training and added levels of responsibility of certified AAs; 5. develop long-term strategies to ensure stable funding, recruitment and retention, and a better match between the number of AA training positions and the need for newly certified AAs; and 6. engage all stakeholders to acknowledge that AAs, as knowledgeable and specifically trained assistants, not only fulfill their defined clinical role but also contribute significantly to patient safety and clinical efficiency by assuming nondirect patient care tasks.