British journal of anaesthesia
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Large, randomised trials are the bedrock of evidence-based medicine, but the resources required to complete such trials greatly limit the number of important clinical questions that can be addressed within a reasonable period of time. Adaptive platform trials can identify effective, ineffective, or harmful treatments faster. These trials have been shown to deliver rapid evidence through the COVID-19 pandemic and are now being adopted across surgery and anaesthesia, with many opportunities for surgeons, anaesthetists, and other perioperative physicians to conduct and collaborate in platform trials.
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Structured training in regional anaesthesia includes pretraining on simulation-based educational platforms to establish a safe and controlled learning environment before learners are provided clinical exposure in an apprenticeship model. This scoping review was designed to appraise the educational outcomes of current simulation-based educational modalities in regional anaesthesia. ⋯ There was significant heterogeneity in the types of simulation modalities used, teaching interventions applied, study methodologies, assessment tools, and outcome measures studied. When improvisations were made to regional anaesthesia simulation platforms (hybrid simulation), there were sustained educational improvements beyond 6 months. Newer technology-enhanced innovations such as virtual, augmented, and mixed reality simulations are evolving, with early reports of educational effectiveness.
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Peripheral and truncal nerve blocks provide effective analgesia facilitating perioperative care. However, thresholds for clinically relevant effects remain undetermined and are left for clinicians to choose. These choices are fundamental for sample size calculations and interpretation of study results. This systematic scoping review aimed to create an overview of primary outcomes and anticipated effect sizes in randomised clinical trials assessing peripheral and truncal nerve blocks. ⋯ The presented outcomes and effect sizes from published trials on peripheral and truncal nerve block literature can be used in future trials to increase homogeneity in regional anaesthesia research.
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There is well-established evidence linking adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and chronic pain in adulthood. It is less clear how ACE exposure might influence the response to chronic pain treatment. In this systematic review, we synthesise the literature assessing the impact of ACE exposure on outcomes relating to the use, benefits, and harms of analgesic medications (analgesia-related outcomes). ⋯ CRD42023389870 (PROSPERO).
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The incidence of severe adverse events in children with SARS-CoV-2 undergoing anaesthesia has not been well established. We examined the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe perioperative adverse events in children. ⋯ In the largest cohort to date of paediatric patients undergoing general anaesthesia, SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with severe perioperative adverse events, but no children in the infected cohort died.