Pain physician
-
Review
A case for restraint of explosive growth of health information technology: first, do no harm.
Information technology has brought significant advances to modern life. We, like many others, believe that IT properly utilized in the delivery of health care ultimately bodes well for the care of our patients. ⋯ These regulations have been particularly challenging for independent practitioners. Our efforts at making these points are now supported by a growing body of research including a very important analysis by the ECRI.
-
Observational Study
Percutaneous vertebroplasty combined with percutaneous pediculoplasty for lytic vertebral body and pedicle lesions of metastatic tumors.
Percutaneous pediculoplasty (PP) consists of the injection of Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) into the fractured pedicle or lytic vertebral pedicle lesions, as a technique derived from vertebroplasty. ⋯ PV and PP via the transpedicular approach for infiltrated vertebral bodies and infiltrated pedicles of metastatic tumors may be considered a valid therapeutic option.
-
A 32-year-old man presented to our clinic complaining of numbness of the little finger and the ulnar aspect of the ring finger of his right hand. He complained about the weakness of grip strength and ulnar-sided pain. ⋯ Severe weakness of the abductor digiti minimi (ADM) was noted. No sensory loss was found in the dorsum of the hand, excluding the diagnosis of ulnar neuropathy at the elbow.
-
Many drugs can cause neuromuscular blockade. Clindamycin-related neuromuscular blockade is commonly reported, but fatal clindamycin-induced neuromuscular blockade is rarely reported. We describe a 47-year-old woman who initially presented with endometrial carcinoma. ⋯ She became unconscious near the end of the infusion, then, despite resuscitation attempts, she died. Clindamycin appeared to have triggered delayed respiratory depression during PCA. A combination of clindamycin and fentanyl led to her respiratory depression in the fatal case.
-
The implantation of total artificial hearts (TAH) via midline sternotomy for the treatment of severe biventricular cardiac dysfunction is associated with complex postoperative pain management. Ketamaine increases blood pressure by raising sympathetic outflow and cardiac output; however, ketamine is a direct vasodilator on isolated arterial tissues. In the setting of a TAH with a mechanically fixed cardiac output, a ketamine infusion for postoperative pain control has the potential to decrease blood pressure due to direct arterial vasodilation. We present the initial experience with a ketamine infusion in a patient with a TAH with minimal observed decreases in blood pressure and significantly improved postoperative pain.