Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Aug 2021
ReviewEfficacy of perineural versus intravenous dexmedetomidine as a peripheral nerve block adjunct: a systematic review.
Dexmedetomidine is an effective local anesthetic adjunct for peripheral nerve blocks. The intravenous route for administering dexmedetomidine has been suggested to be equally effective to the perineural route; but comparative evidence is conflicting. ⋯ Moderate quality evidence appears to suggest that intravenous dexmedetomidine is an inferior peripheral nerve block adjunct compared with perineural dexmedetomidine. Perineural dexmedetomidine is associated with longer durations and faster onset of sensory and motor blockade.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Aug 2021
Hospital safety-net burden is associated with increased inpatient mortality after elective total knee arthroplasty: a retrospective multistate review, 2007-2018.
Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is among the most common surgical procedures performed in the USA and comprises an outsized proportion of Medicare expenditures. Previous work-associated higher safety-net burden hospitals with increased morbidity and in-hospital mortality following total hip arthroplasty. Here, we examine the association of safety-net burden on postoperative outcomes after TKA. ⋯ Patients undergoing TKA at higher safety-net burden hospitals are associated with higher odds of in-patient mortality than those at low safety-net burden hospitals. The source of this mortality differential is unknown but could be related to the increased risk of intraoperative complications at higher burden centers.