Bulletin of the NYU hospital for joint diseases
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Bull NYU Hosp Jt Dis · Jan 2008
ReviewOrthopaedic anesthesia - part 1. Commonly used anesthetic agents in orthopaedics.
Anesthesia is a broad discipline; for orthopaedic applications, the type and location of the planned orthopaedic procedure is important in the selection of the most appropriate anesthetic agent and technique. The purpose of this overview is to: 1. highlight the role of several anesthetic agents commonly used in an orthopaedic setting and 2. to familiarize the orthopaedist with those techniques of regional anesthesia that have implications for emergency rooms and other ambulatory settings. Because the subject matter is expansive in scope, it is necessary to address each of the above objectives separately, in two different articles. Part 1 describes anesthetic agents, whereas Part 2 encompasses techniques of administering regional anesthesia.
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Bull NYU Hosp Jt Dis · Jan 2008
ReviewOrthopaedic anesthesia - part 2. Common techniques of regional anesthesia in orthopaedics.
Anesthesia may be considered in terms of two categories: general and regional. The aim of general anesthesia is to induce analgesia, sedation, amnesia, suppression of autonomic reflexes, and relaxation of muscles. ⋯ Although neuraxial blocks comprise an important part of regional anesthesia, they are typically performed by anesthesiologists in an operative setting for major procedures of the lower extremities. The intent of this article is to familiarize the orthopaedist with techniques that have implications for emergency rooms and other ambulatory settings in which regional techniques are sometimes favored over general alternatives because they entail less risk of systemic side effects and may involve more cost-effective use of resources.