Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2018
Randomized Controlled TrialLipid Emulsion Pretreatment Decreased the Maximum Total and Free Plasma Concentration of Levobupivacaine for Femoral and Sciatic Nerve Block in Below-Knee Fracture Surgery.
Although intravenous lipid emulsion has been proved a powerful antidote for local anesthetic toxicity, there are few pharmacokinetic data on using lipid infusion as a pretreatment for other clinical applications. We assessed the influence of lipid pretreatment on the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of levobupivacaine. ⋯ This study was registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, identifier ChiCTR-TRC-14005203.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2018
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyComparison of the ED50 and ED95 of Intrathecal Bupivacaine in Parturients Undergoing Cesarean Delivery With or Without Prophylactic Phenylephrine Infusion: A Prospective, Double-Blind Study.
While prophylactic phenylephrine infusions during cesarean delivery are often used to counteract the sympathectomy associated with spinal anesthesia, their use has been associated with decreased rostral spread of local anesthetic. The purpose of this study was to determine the median effective dose (ED50) and 95% effective dose (ED95) of intrathecal hyperbaric bupivacaine for cesarean delivery in the presence and absence of prophylactic phenylephrine infusion. ⋯ This study was registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, identifier ChiCTR-TRC-16008938.
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The burden of chronic headache disorders in the United States is substantial. Some patients are treatment refractory. Ketamine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist, provides potent analgesia in subanesthetic doses in chronic pain, and limited data suggest it may alleviate headache in some patients. ⋯ Ketamine was associated with short-term analgesia in many refractory headache patients with tolerable adverse events. A prospective study is warranted to confirm this and elucidate responder characteristics.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2018
Improving Clinical Proficiency Using a 3-Dimensionally Printed and Patient-Specific Thoracic Spine Model as a Haptic Task Trainer.
Advanced haptic simulators for neuraxial training are expensive, have a finite life, and are not patient specific. We sought to demonstrate the feasibility of developing a custom-made, low-cost, 3-dimensionally printed thoracic spine simulator model from patient computed tomographic scan data. This study assessed the model's practicality, efficiency as a teaching tool, and the transfer of skill set into patient care. ⋯ By using patient-specific, 3-dimensionally printed, thoracic spine models, we demonstrated a significant improvement in clinical proficiency as compared with traditional teaching models.