Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · May 2014
Randomized Controlled TrialRelationship Between Endogenous Opioid Function and Opioid Analgesic Adverse Effects.
Our recent work indicates that endogenous opioid activity influences analgesic responses to opioid medications. This secondary analysis evaluated whether endogenous opioid activity is associated with degree of opioid analgesic adverse effects, and whether chronic pain status and sex affect these adverse effects. ⋯ No consistent relationships were observed between endogenous opioid function and morphine-related adverse effects. This is in stark contrast to our previous observation of strong relationships between elevated endogenous opioid function and smaller morphine analgesic effects.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · May 2014
Comparative StudyA Comparison of the Effects of Epidural Analgesia Versus Traditional Pain Management on Outcomes After Gastric Cancer Resection: A Population-Based Study.
This retrospective audit could find no difference in either cancer recurrence or median survival between patients receiving an epidural versus those who did not for analgesic management of total or partial gastrectomy.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · May 2014
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyContinuous Versus Single-Injection Sciatic Nerve Block Added to Continuous Femoral Nerve Block for Analgesia After Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Prospective, Randomized, Double-Blind Study.
The benefit of adding sciatic nerve block (SNB) to femoral nerve block to improve analgesia after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is uncertain. We hypothesized that the effective duration of single-injection SNB is too short to improve postoperative analgesia and that this contributes to conflicting results on the efficacy of SNB after TKA. We evaluated this hypothesis in a prospective double-blind randomized controlled trial. ⋯ The combination of continuous femoral and SNB provides a superior opioid sparing effect and improves analgesia after TKA.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · May 2014
Review Case ReportsIntravenous Corticosteroid Therapy for Bilateral Parsonage-Turner Syndrome: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.
Parsonage-Turner syndrome (PTS) is a distinct clinical disorder characterized by pain, sensory loss, and impaired mobility of the upper extremities and, less commonly, the lower extremities. Manifestations vary from minor to fairly extensive involvement of the brachial and/or lumbosacral plexus. No evidence-based treatment protocol exists, with only anecdotal support of varied palliative efforts. ⋯ This case supports the use of intravenous corticosteroids in the literature as a treatment option for PTS to ameliorate intractable pain as well as to impede the progression of motor dysfunction.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · May 2014
ReviewLearning and Teaching Motor Skills in Regional Anesthesia: A Different Perspective.
Existing literature on learning in regional anesthesia broadly covers the rate of skill acquisition and the structure of educational programs. A complementary body of literature spanning psychology to medical education can be found describing skill acquisition in other fields. ⋯ This review introduces a selection of these complementary educational concepts, applying them to ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia skills education. Key educational concepts presented in this article can be divided into 3 sections, namely, how residents acquire manual skills, how tutors teach, and type of feedback.