Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthésie
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Following demand, we established a patient-controlled propofol-remifentanil sedation service for endoscopy overseen by an anesthesiologist. To assess the effectiveness of the intervention of this service and any complications, we prospectively audited the service. Our primary outcomes of interest were adequacy of sedation and patient satisfaction. Secondary outcomes included any adverse events associated with the sedation. ⋯ The results from our prospective service audit indicate that propofol-remifentanil patient-controlled sedation is a safe and reliable technique in patients undergoing endoscopic procedures.
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Multidisciplinary chronic pain management includes pharmacologic, psychological, and interventional strategies. In Canada, the use of interventional pain blocks (PBs) has increased in recent years. We sought to determine the distribution and clustering of PBs among physicians in Ontario, and to examine differences in the patient and physician characteristics by volume of PBs administered. ⋯ Pain block administration is highly clustered in Ontario, with many patients receiving PBs in ways that are not supported by best evidence. Further research is required to determine whether the Ontario fee-for-service model of billing has created a suboptimal use of these health care resources.