Articles: pain-management.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · May 2024
Respiratory Depression Following Intraoperative Methadone: A Retrospective Cohort Study.
Methadone is used as a perioperative analgesic in the management of postoperative pain. Despite positive outcomes from randomized trials favoring methadone, concerns about its safety persist, particularly regarding respiratory depression (RD) and excessive sedation. In this study, we compared the incidence of naloxone administration between patients administered intraoperative methadone and those administered intraoperative morphine as a measure of severe RD. Time spent at the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) was used as a proxy variable for excessive sedation. ⋯ The incidence of naloxone administration to treat severe RD was low. No difference was observed in the odds of naloxone administration to treat severe RD between patients administered intraoperative methadone or intraoperative morphine. Intraoperative methadone was associated with longer stays at the PACU; however, this result should be interpreted with care. Our findings suggest that intraoperative methadone has a safety profile comparable to that of morphine with regard to severe RD.
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Observational Study
Development and validation of an assessment tool for adult simulated ultrasound-guided fascia iliaca block: a prospective monocentric study.
Fascia iliaca block (FIB) is an effective technique for analgesia. While FIB using ultrasound is preferred, there is no current standardised training technique or assessment scale. We aimed to create a valid and reliable tool to assess ultrasound-guided FIB. ⋯ This assessment scale was found to be valid, reliable and able to identify different levels of experience with ultrasound-guided FIB.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · May 2024
Practice 'safe scans': why ultrasound transducer covers should be considered best practice.
Single-injection, ultrasound-guided nerve block procedures involve puncturing the skin in close proximity to an ultrasound transducer, creating a potential vector for transmission of microbial organisms when skin flora and blood come into contact with the probe. Practice patterns regarding disinfection of the transducer and the use of barrier protection are inconsistent, ranging from sterile sleeve probe covers to no cover at all. ⋯ This position is shared by multiple societies and authorities on ultrasound and acute care medicine. In this Daring Discourse, we outline the arguments supporting the utilisation of single-use sleeve probe covers to ensure patient safety with respect to vector-borne transmission of microbes during single-injection regional anaesthesia procedures.