Current opinion in anaesthesiology
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Since the introduction of oral immediate release and controlled-release oxycodone preparations to the market in the 1990s, the clinical use and scientific interest in oxycodone has increased greatly. ⋯ The availability of oxycodone preparations has increased its clinical use exponentially during the last decade. Further clinical studies are still needed to fully understand its clinical pharmacology. Oxycodone is still a new 'old' drug whose pharmacology and clinical potential is not yet fully understood.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Aug 2009
ReviewRisk and safety of pediatric sedation/anesthesia for procedures outside the operating room.
Sedation and anesthesia outside the operating room represents a rapidly growing field of practice that involves a number of different specialty providers including anesthesiology. The literature surrounding this work is found in a variety of journals - many outside anesthesiology. This review is intended to inform readers about the current status of risk and safety involving sedation/anesthesia for tests and minor procedures utilizing a wide range of sources. ⋯ The latest publications continue to document a relatively low risk to pediatric sedation yet also warn us about the potential adverse events in this field. The results help to define competencies required to deliver pediatric sedation and make this practice even safer. Particularly interesting are new jargon and methodologies for defining adverse events and the use of new methods for training sedation providers.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Aug 2009
ReviewPharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling in anesthesia, intensive care and pain medicine.
Studies from the anesthesiology literature published in the last 2 years were selected to illustrate the most important developments in the field of pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling. ⋯ Progress was made by improving population pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic models, developing new indexes to measure drug effect and using them in an adaptive delivery system to the individual patient.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Aug 2009
ReviewOrganizational prerequisites for anesthesia outside the operating room.
The purpose of this review is to define the responsibility and designation of anesthesia personnel to nonoperating room location anesthesia and their education in this regard. The review will also define the safety standards, guidelines, physical environment, equipment, accreditation, the quality of care and patient and procedural selection. ⋯ Complications of anesthesia outside the operating room still persist even in American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) status I patients and in accredited facilities with board-certified physicians. The department of anesthesiology taking care of the in-hospital office-based facility has the responsibility to define safe practice standards according to the ASA guidelines regarding education, documentation, guidelines preparation, equipment, standards monitoring, collaboration with other facilities, backup for the personnel in case of emergencies and prolongation of observation of a complicated patient in the postanesthesia care unit. Office-based facilities outside the hospital should comply with all federal, state, local laws and regulations. Such precautions will enhance safety, efficiency and reliability of office-based anesthesia inside and outside the hospital.
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Inhalational anaesthetic agents are a cornerstone in modern anaesthetic practice. The currently used compounds are very effective and have a good safety profile. In addition, it has been demonstrated that they possess organ-protective properties that might provide an additional tool in the treatment or prevention of the consequences of organ ischaemia-reperfusion injury or both. The present review summarizes some of the most recent findings on this subject. ⋯ In the experimental setting, inhalational anaesthetics have protective effects against ischaemia-reperfusion injury. Initial perioperative data suggest that these effects may also result into clinically relevant improved organ function. However, further research will be needed to reveal whether these organ-protective properties will ultimately translate into an improved short-term and long-term postoperative outcome.