Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2024
Comparative StudyValidation of a novel point-of-care ultrasound method to assess diaphragmatic excursion.
Point-of-care ultrasound can assess diaphragmatic function and rule in or rule out paresis of the diaphragm. While this is a useful bedside tool, established methods have significant limitations. This study explores a new method to assess diaphragmatic motion by measuring the excursion of the uppermost point of the zone of apposition (ZOA) at the mid-axillary line using a high-frequency linear ultrasound probe and compares it with two previously established methods: the assessment of the excursion of the dome of the diaphragm (DOD) and the thickening ratio at the ZOA. ⋯ Our preliminary data from this exploratory study suggest that the evaluation of the excursion of the ZOA on the lateral aspect of the chest using a linear probe is consistently successful on both right and left sides. Future studies are needed to establish the distribution of normal values and suggest diagnostic criteria for diaphragmatic paresis or paralysis.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 2024
Association of thoracic epidural analgesia and hospital length of stay for patients undergoing thoracotomy: a retrospective cohort analysis.
Regional anesthesia has been shown to be efficacious for analgesia in patients who underwent thoracotomies. The objective of this study was to analyze the association of epidurals and peripheral regional anesthesia with time to hospital discharge for these patients. ⋯ Thoracic epidural use when compared with no regional anesthesia was associated with decreased length of stay following thoracotomy in our primary analysis. The difference was no longer apparent with the sensitivity analysis. Peripheral regional anesthesia was associated with decreased length of stay even after sensitivity analysis.