AANA journal
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The June 1996 article in Anesthesia and Analgesia by Abenstein and Warner entitled "Anesthesia Providers, Patient Outcomes, and Costs" presents important information about anesthesia services, but it contains a number of errors and questionable interpretations that could lead to inappropriate programs and policies. Among the most important points of fact we clarify in our paper are: 1. Three organizations that accredit, certify, and govern nurse anesthetists are organized in similar fashion to three comparable bodies governing anesthesiologists. ⋯ The use of a hypothetical example related to Medicare reimbursement in New York to justify the implication that CRNA-delivered services are more costly than anesthesiologist-delivered services is misleading and not borne out in the literature. We hope that planners and policy makers will read the article by Abenstein and Warner with extreme caution. Taking some of their statements and conclusions seriously could lead to policies and programs that are not focused in science.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
The effect of glycopyrrolate premedication on postoperative sore throat.
Patients given general endotracheal anesthesia commonly experience postoperative sore throat and/or hoarseness. Our study examined whether the occurrence of postoperative sore throat was associated with the use of a glycopyrrolate premedication and found that it was. ⋯ After surgery, an interviewer, unaware of the subject's group assignment, questioned each subject about the presence of a sore throat and, if present, asked the patient to rate its severity. We found that patients who did not receive preoperative glycopyrrolate were significantly less likely to report having a sore throat or reported having a less severe sore throat than patients who did receive glycopyrrolate.
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Review
AANA Journal course: update for nurse anesthetists--genetic testing for malignant hyperthermia.
The "gold standard" for the determination of susceptibility to malignant hyperthermia has long been the caffeine-halothane-contracture test, which is costly and invasive. As the workings of molecular genetics are better understood, research is being applied to finding the causative gene for malignant hyperthermia. Once this gene is identified, genetic testing will involve a much simpler, less invasive test that uses blood samples to detect susceptibility. ⋯ Review of the literature reveals that malignant hyperthermia has been linked to the ryanodine receptor in swine and in some humans. It has also been linked to chromosome 19q12-13.1, which is where the gene encoding the ryanodine receptor lies. The literature further reveals that malignant hyperthermia may be a heterogeneous disorder, which means that more than one gene is responsible for its expression.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Effect of preemptive acetaminophen on postoperative pain scores and oral fluid intake in pediatric tonsillectomy patients.
Postoperative pain is a significant problem that continues to be undertreated in the pediatric population. Preemptive administration of analgesics has recently emerged as a method to enhance pain management associated with surgery. The purpose of this study was to compare postoperative pain scores, rescue analgesic use, and oral fluid intake in children who received acetaminophen preoperatively to children who received postoperative acetaminophen. ⋯ Incidence of nausea and vomiting was high in both groups (64-78%). These results provide evidence that preemptive acetaminophen may enhance analgesia in pediatric tonsillectomy patients. Preoperative acetaminophen is a safe, quick, and inexpensive intervention that can readily be incorporated into anesthesia practice.