Anesthesiology clinics of North America
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Anesthesiol Clin North America · Jun 2005
Comparative StudyClinical outcomes in cardiac surgery: conventional surgery versus bloodless surgery.
Bleeding during and after cardiac operations and the effects of cardiopulmonary bypass hemodilution commonly result in blood transfusions. Excessive microvascular bleeding can result in re-exploration and prolonged hospitalization. ⋯ The large demand for blood products places significant pressure on the national blood supply, resulting in frequent shortages. The variability in transfusion practice of cardiac surgery patients suggests that sound blood management and a conservative approach to this population can result in reduced transfusions without increasing morbidity or mortality and avoiding complications associated with allogeneic blood transfusion.
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Anesthesiol Clin North America · Mar 2005
ReviewPostoperative care of the chronic opioid-consuming patient.
Recently, there has been a significant increase in the use of opioid analgesics for chronic pain in the outpatient setting. As a result, anesthesiologists are commonly presented with the dilemma of treating acute postoperative pain in patients who do not receive adequate analgesia with conventional doses of opioid. This article presents a practical approach to treating postoperative pain in the chronic opioid-consuming patient. Specifically, a technique based on pharmacokinetic modeling is described that predicts safe and therapeutic opioid dosing in these patients.
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Anesthesiol Clin North America · Mar 2005
ReviewMultimodal analgesia techniques and postoperative rehabilitation.
The concept of multimodal analgesia involves the use of different classes of analgesics and different sites of analgesic administration to provide superior dynamic pain relief with reduced analgesic-related side effects. Although multimodal analgesia techniques have assumed increasing importance in the management of perioperative pain, it has become increasingly apparent that postoperative outcome may not be improved. Nevertheless, the integration of multimodal analgesia techniques with a multimodal and multidisciplinary rehabilitation program may enhance recovery, reduce hospital stay, and facilitate early convalescence.
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There is increased awareness of the need for effective postoperative analgesia in infants and young children. A multi-modal approach to preventing and treating pain usually is used. Mild analgesics, local and regional analgesia, and opioids when indicated, frequently are combined to minimize adverse effects of individual drugs or techniques.
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Anesthesiol Clin North America · Mar 2005
ReviewOrganization, function, and implementation of acute pain service.
Undertreatment of postoperative pain continues to be a major problem internationally. The solution does not seem to be the development of new analgesic drugs or technologies but the development of an appropriate organization that utilizes existing expertise. ⋯ Although the number of hospitals with an APS is increasing, the literature is unclear about the optimal structure, staffing, and function. There is a need for the development of well-defined APS criteria with which to assess performance and compare with national standards.