Anesthesiology clinics
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Pain after major abdominal, orthopedic, and thoracic surgeries can be significant causing unacceptable morbidity. Poorly controlled pain results in patient dissatisfaction and may also be associated with major morbidities, including perioperative myocardial ischemia, pulmonary complications, altered immune function, and postoperative cognitive dysfunction. ⋯ Recent literature supports the use of regional anesthesia in the form of various peripheral nerve blocks as a better alternative. This article discusses the role and evidence for wound infiltration analgesia in general surgery, orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, and thoracic surgery.
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Anesthesiology clinics · Jun 2011
ReviewLocal anesthetic systemic toxicity: prevention and treatment.
Anesthesia is a sine qua non for most surgeries. Like any medical advance, progress in regional anesthesia has not come without its share of complications, including a spectrum extending from localized nerve injury to systemic cardiovascular toxicity and death. This article discusses the mechanisms and clinical presentation, prevention, treatment, and future trends of local anesthetic systemic toxicity. The adverse effects of lipid emulsion therapy are also included.