Articles: cations.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Oct 2024
Association Between Cannabis Use and Opioid Consumption, Pain, and Respiratory Complications After Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis.
Cannabis is a widely used illicit drug with effects on different pain pathways. However, interactions between cannabis and postoperative pain are unclear. Cannabis smoking also affects the lungs, but the impact of cannabis use on postoperative pulmonary complications is unknown. We hypothesized that preoperative cannabis use in adults having elective surgery is associated with higher postoperative opioid consumption. Secondarily, we tested the hypothesis that cannabis use is associated with higher pain scores, hypoxemia (oxygen saturation [Sp o2 ]/fraction of inspired oxygen [F io2 ] ratio), and higher postoperative pulmonary complications compared to nonuse of cannabis. ⋯ Adult cannabis users undergoing surgeries were found to have significantly higher postoperative opioid consumption and pain scores than nonusers. Cannabis use did not have a clinically meaningful association with hypoxia or composite pulmonary complications.
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Identification of fibromyalgia has been a challenge for healthcare professionals due to the lack of a clinical biomarker. A well-supported integrative hypothesis holds that this condition is a chronic pain problem partly caused by long-term dysregulation of stress response. Therefore, stress assessment from a biopsychosocial perspective may be a useful approach to recognizing fibromyalgia. ⋯ A biopsychosocial approach to stress with an objective biomarker such as heart rate variability may be a useful tool to identify and manage FM.
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Operating room (OR) handoffs are not universally standardized, although standardized sign outs have been proven to provide effective communication in other aspects of healthcare. We hypothesize that creating a standardized handoff will improve communication between OR staff. ⋯ Little communication standardization exists within the OR, especially regarding intraoperative staff changes. Implementation of a standardized handoff between surgical technicians resulted in substantial improvement in critical communication during staff changes.
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Since introducing new and alternative treatment options may increase decisional conflict, we aimed to describe the use of the decision support tool (DST) and its impact on treatment preference and decisional conflict. ⋯ The publicly available DST appyornot.org reduced the proportion that was undecided about which treatment they favored and had a modest influence on those with strong treatment preferences. Decisional conflict was not common after use. The use of this DST is now a component of a nationwide implementation program aimed at improving the way surgeons share information about appendicitis treatment options. If its use can be successfully implemented, this may be a model for improving communication about treatment for patients experiencing emergency health conditions.
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The 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11) aims at improving the lives of persons with the lived experience of chronic pain by providing clearly defined and clinically useful diagnoses that can reduce stigma, facilitate communication, and improve access to pain management, among others. The aim of this study was to assess the perspective of people with chronic pain on these diagnoses. An international web-based survey was distributed among persons with the lived experience of chronic pain. ⋯ Participants with CPP and CSP did not differ in their ratings; however, those with CSP indicated an improved diagnostic fit of the new diagnoses, whereas participants with CPP rated the diagnostic fit of the new diagnoses similar to the fit of their current diagnoses. These results show that persons with the lived experience of chronic pain accept and endorse the new diagnoses. This endorsement is an important indicator of the diagnoses' clinical utility and can contribute to implementation and advocacy.