Free Anaesthesia Papers

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Obesity-related respiratory failure is increasingly common but remains under-diagnosed and under-treated. There are several clinical phenotypes reported, including severe obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), isolated nocturnal hypoventilation with or without severe OSA and OSA complicating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The presence of hypercapnic respiratory failure is associated with poor clinical outcomes in each of these groups. While weight loss is a core aim of management, this is often unachievable, and treatment of sleep-disordered breathing with positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy is the mainstay of clinical practice...

Endotracheal intubation (ETI) is a high-risk procedure commonly performed in emergency medicine, critical care, and the prehospital setting. Traditional rapid sequence intubation (RSI), the simultaneous administration of an induction agent and muscle relaxant, is more likely to harm patients who do not allow appropriate preparation and preoxygenation, have concerning airway anatomy, or severe hypoxia, acidemia, or hypotension. Ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic, can be used to facilitate two alternatives to RSI to augment airway safety in these scenarios: delayed sequence intubation - the use of ketamine to allow airway preparation and preoxygenation in the agitated patient; and ketamine-only breathing intubation, in which ketamine is used without a paralytic to facilitate ETI as the patient continues to breathe spontaneously...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the analgesic efficacy of dexamethasone added to local anesthetics in ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block for the patients after abdominal surgery. METHODS: PubMed, CENTRAL, EMBASE, Web of science were searched to identify eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared dexamethasone added to local anesthetics in ultrasound-guided TAP block with control for postoperative analgesia in adult patients undergoing abdominal surgery...

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the analgesic effects of dexmedetomidine (DEX) in transversus abdominis plane (TAP) blocks for abdominal surgery. METHODS: Electronic databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wan Fang, and the Cochrane Library, were conducted to collect the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from inception to March 2018. RCTs investigating the impact of adding DEX to local anesthetics for TAP blocks were included in this analysis...

The use of remifentanil in clinical practice offers several advantages and it is used for a wide range of procedures, ranging from day-surgery anesthesia to more complex procedures. Nonetheless, remifentanil has been consistently linked with development of opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH), which is described as a paradoxical increase in sensitivity to painful stimuli that develops after exposure to opioid treatment. The development of OIH may cause several issues, delaying recovery after surgery and preventing timely patient's discharge...

Spinal anesthesia (SA) has been used relatively sparingly in the pediatric population, as it is typically reserved for patients in whom the perceived risk of general anesthesia is high due to comorbid conditions. Recently, concern has been expressed regarding the potential long-term neurocognitive effects of general anesthesia during the early stages of life. In view of this, our center has developed a program in which SA may be used as the sole agent for applicable surgical procedures. While this approach in children is commonly used for urologic or abdominal surgical procedures, there have been a limited number of reports of its use for orthopedic procedures in this population...

Introduction: Epidural anesthesia is frequently used to provide postoperative analgesia following major surgical procedures. Secure fixation of the epidural catheter is necessary to prevent premature dislodgment and loss of epidural analgesia. Using an in vitro model, the current prospective study evaluates different types of dressings for securement of an epidural catheter by quantifying the force in Newtons (N) required for dislodgment using a digital force gage. Methods: Four methods of epidural catheter securement were used on a simulator mannequin: 1) Suresite® Window Clear Dressing, 2) Op-Site Post-Op® Visible Dressing, 3) Steri-Strips® and Suresite Window Clear Dressing, and 4) Steri-Strips and Op-Site Post-Op Visible Dressing...

Vasoplegia is the syndrome of pathological low systemic vascular resistance, the dominant clinical feature of which is reduced blood pressure in the presence of a normal or raised cardiac output. The vasoplegic syndrome is encountered in many clinical scenarios, including septic shock, post-cardiac bypass and after surgery, burns and trauma, but despite this, uniform clinical definitions are lacking, which renders translational research in this area challenging. We discuss the role of vasoplegia in these contexts and the criteria that are used to describe it are discussed...

We have reviewed here the neuroanatomical and neuropsychological literature of the human brain and have proposed the various pain mechanisms that we currently know of. Essentially when tissue is damaged, peripheral nociceptors are activated continuously and prostanoids are hence produced. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and medications aim to target these prostanoids to treat the inflammatory component of pain. Normal pain tends to have a protective response. It is important for the nervous system to learn and recognize this painful stimulus earlier and quicker with repeated exposure to avoid tissue damage...

The central venous pressure (CVP) is the most frequently used variable to guide fluid resuscitation in critically ill patients, although its use has been challenged. In this viewpoint, we use a question and answer format to highlight the potential advantages and limitations of using CVP measurements to guide fluid resuscitation.

BACKGROUND: Cardiogenic shock (CS) and low cardiac output syndrome (LCOS) as complications of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), heart failure (HF) or cardiac surgery are life-threatening conditions. While there is a broad body of evidence for the treatment of people with acute coronary syndrome under stable haemodynamic conditions, the treatment strategies for people who become haemodynamically unstable or develop CS remain less clear. We have therefore summarised here the evidence on the treatment of people with CS or LCOS with different inotropic agents and vasodilative drugs...

'Obstetric anaesthesia is a litigious area of medical practice - patient expectations are high, and many of the interventions undertaken by anaesthetists are performed urgently or emergently, frequently out of hours. The complications that occur during obstetric practice are not unique to this area of anaesthesia, but some of the physiological and anatomical changes that take place during pregnancy can affect the frequency with which these happen. In this narrative review, we hope to cover a few of the more common complications in obstetric anaesthesia, as well as some of the more severe, yet less frequently occurring problems...

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was first introduced for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in the 1970s. However, enthusiasm was tempered due to the high mortality seen at that time. The use of ECMO has grown considerably in recent years due to technological advances and the evidence suggesting potential benefit. While the efficacy of ECMO has yet to be rigorously demonstrated with high-quality evidence, it has the potential not only to have a substantial impact on outcomes, including mortality, but also to change the paradigm of ARDS management...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Perineural dexamethasone has gained popularity in regional anaesthesia to prolong the duration of analgesia, but its advantage over systemic administration is disputed. The objective of this meta-analysis was to compare the analgesic efficacy of both routes of administration during peripheral nerve block. The methodology followed the PRISMA statement guidelines. The primary outcome was the duration of analgesia analysed according to the type of local anaesthetic administered (bupivacaine or ropivacaine). Secondary outcomes included cumulative opioid consumption in morphine i...

PURPOSE: Local infiltration analgesia (LIA) is commonly used for postoperative pain management following total hip arthroplasty (THA). However, the long-term effects of the component drugs are unclear. The aim of our study was to investigate functional outcome, quality of life, chronic post-surgical pain, and adverse events in patients within 2 years of undergoing THA. METHODS: The study was a secondary analysis of data from a previous larger study. Eighty patients were randomized to receive either intrathecal morphine (Group ITM) or local infiltration analgesia (Group LIA) for pain management in a double-blind study...

Shoulder arthroscopy has been shown to be the procedure of choice for many diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. Neuropraxia of the great auricular nerve (GAN) is an uncommon complication of shoulder surgery, with the patient in the beach chair position. We report a case of great auricular neuropraxia associated with direct compression by a horseshoe headrest, used in routine positioning for uncomplicated shoulder surgery. In this case, an arthroscopic approach was taken, under regional anesthesia with sedation in the beach chair position...