Latest Articles
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The use of electronic health records (EHR) for chronic pain phenotyping has gained significant attention in recent years, with various algorithms being developed to enhance accuracy. Structured data fields (e.g., pain intensity, treatment modalities, diagnosis codes, and interventions) offer standardized templates for capturing specific chronic pain phenotypes. This study aims to determine which chronic pain case definitions derived from structured data elements achieve the best accuracy, and how these validation metrics vary by sociodemographic and disease-related factors. ⋯ While our current algorithms provide valuable insights, enhancement is needed to ensure more reliable chronic pain identification across diverse patient populations. PERSPECTIVES: This study evaluates chronic pain phenotyping algorithms using electronic health records, highlighting variability in performance across sociodemographic and disease-related factors. By combining structured data elements, the findings advance chronic pain identification, promoting equitable healthcare practices and highlighting the need for tailored algorithms to address subgroup-specific biases and improve outcomes.
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Limited data is available to evaluate the burden of device associated healthcare infections (HAI) [central line associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI), catheter associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI), and ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP)] in low and-middle-income countries. Our aim is to investigate the population attributable mortality fraction and the absolute mortality difference of HAI in a broad population of critically ill patients from Brazil. ⋯ Device-associated HAI significantly contribute to hospital mortality and impose a high excess risk of death for critically ill patients.
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J Neurosurg Anesthesiol · Jan 2025
Reducing Cerebrospinal Fluid Sampling Frequency and Costs in Patients With Ventriculostomy for Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Quality Improvement Initiative.
We implemented a quality improvement project to transition from routine cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sampling to indication-based sampling in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) patients with an external ventricular drain (EVD). ⋯ Transitioning from routine to indication-based CSF sampling in aSAH patients with an EVD reduced sampling frequency and associated costs without increasing infection rates.
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J Neurosurg Anesthesiol · Jan 2025
Radiographic Predictors of Difficult Fiberscopic Intubation During General Anesthesia in Patients With a Cervical Collar to Simulate a Difficult Airway.
Predictors of difficult fiberscopic intubation have not been fully elucidated. This study focused on identifying radiographic predictors of difficult fiberscopic intubation during general anesthesia in patients with a cervical collar. ⋯ High tongue area/oral cavity area and long skin-glottis distance were predictive of difficult fiberscopic intubation during general anesthesia in patients with a cervical collar.
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This study systematically assesses the learning curve of Unilateral Biportal Endoscopic (UBE) techniques across various spinal surgeries, focusing on its influence on operative efficiency and complication rates to guide optimized training and practice. ⋯ This systematic review confirms a learning curve in UBE surgery, with improvements in operative time and complications. Procedure-specific cutoff points provide guidance for training and future research.