Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthésie
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Randomized Controlled Trial
One-year outcome of the sevoflurane in acute myocardial infarction randomized trial.
Sevoflurane is an inhalation anesthetic that has cardioprotective effects. There is limited information regarding its use outside of the operating room and its potential protective effect for patients presenting with myocardial infarction. ⋯ In this study, we did not find an effect of sevoflurane on left ventricular function or myocardial injury at one year post STEMI. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov ; identifier: NCT00971607.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Histological confirmation of needle tip position during ultrasound-guided interscalene block: a randomized comparison between the intraplexus and the periplexus approach.
Ultrasound-guided interscalene block can be performed using either periplexus or intraplexus needle placement. In this novel study, we histologically examined the needle tip position in relation to the neural tissues with the two techniques. Our objective was to investigate the variable risk of subepineurial needle tip placement resulting from the two ultrasound-guided techniques. ⋯ Although our study was somewhat underpowered due to a lower than previously reported rate of subepineurial needle tip positioning, our results suggest that there may be an increased likelihood of subepineurial needle tip position with the intraplexus approach. The periplexus technique resulted in no subepineurial spread of ink, suggesting that this approach may be less likely to result in mechanical trauma to nerves from direct needle injury.
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Photoplethysmography permits continuous measurement of heart rate and peripheral oxygen saturation and has been widely used to inform clinical decisions. Recently, a myriad of noninvasive hemodynamic monitoring devices using this same technology have been increasingly available. This narrative review aims to summarize the principles that form the basis for the function of these devices as well as to comment on trials evaluating their accuracy and clinical application. ⋯ Although respiratory variations of the plethysmographic waveform correlate only modestly with the arterial blood pressure waveform, fluid responsiveness can be relatively consistently assessed using both approaches. Continuous blood pressure measurements obtained using the volume-clamp technique may be as accurate as conventional brachial noninvasive blood pressure measurements. Most importantly, clinical comparative effectiveness studies are still needed in order to determine if these technologies can be translated into improvement of relevant patient outcomes.
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Investigation of adverse events associated with anesthetic procedures is a method of quality control that identifies topics to improve clinical care and patient safety. Most research to date has been based on closed claim registries and anonymous reports which have specific limitations. Therefore, to evaluate a hospital's reporting system, the present study was designed to describe critical incidents that anesthesiologists voluntarily and non-anonymously reported through an anesthesia information management system. ⋯ Accurate measurement and monitoring of critical incidents is crucial for patient safety. Despite the risk of underreporting and probable misclassification of manual reporting systems, our results give a comprehensive overview on the occurrence of voluntarily reported anesthesia-related critical incidents. This overview can direct development of a new reporting system and preventive strategies to decrease the future occurrence of critical incidents.
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This manuscript proposes pharmacological strategies that might decrease persistent postsurgical pain (PPSP). These recommendations are based on a review of current publications available in the literature. ⋯ A winning strategy to reduce the incidence of PPSP may well involve performing minimally invasive surgery, providing adequate perioperative analgesia based on RA, and using a multimodal approach with NMDA antagonists.