Anesthesiology
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Meta Analysis
Labor analgesia and cesarean delivery: an individual patient meta-analysis of nulliparous women.
The authors performed an individual patient meta-analysis of 2,703 nulliparous women who were randomized to either epidural analgesia or intravenous opioids for pain relief during labor from five trials conducted at their hospital. The primary purpose in this meta-analysis was to evaluate the effects of epidural analgesia during labor on the rate of cesarean delivery. ⋯ Epidural analgesia compared to intravenous meperidine analgesia during labor does not increase the number of cesarean deliveries.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Comparative diagnostic performances of auscultation, chest radiography, and lung ultrasonography in acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Lung auscultation and bedside chest radiography are routinely used to assess the respiratory condition of ventilated patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Clinical experience suggests that the diagnostic accuracy of these procedures is poor. ⋯ At the bedside, lung ultrasonography is highly sensitive, specific, and reproducible for diagnosing the main lung pathologic entities in patients with ARDS and can be considered an attractive alternative to bedside chest radiography and thoracic computed tomography.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Gum elastic bougie-guided insertion of the ProSeal laryngeal mask airway is superior to the digital and introducer tool techniques.
The authors compare three techniques for insertion of the ProSeal laryngeal mask airway. ⋯ Insertion was more frequently successful with the GEB-guided technique at the first attempt (GEB, 100%; digital, 88%; IT, 84%; both P < 0.001), but success after three attempts was similar (GEB, 100%; digital, 99%; IT, 98%). The time taken to successful placement was similar among groups at the first attempt but was shorter for the GEB-technique after three attempts (GEB, 25 +/- 14 s; digital, 33 +/- 19 s; IT, 37 +/- 25 s; both: P < 0.003). There were no differences in the frequency of visible blood, but occult blood occurred less frequently with the GEB-guided technique (GEB, 12%; digital, 29%; IT, 31%; both: P < 0.02) but was similar among techniques if insertion was successful at the first attempt. There were no differences in postoperative airway morbidity. CONCLUSION The GEB-guided insertion technique is more frequently successful than the digital or IT techniques. The authors suggest that the GEB-guided technique may be a useful backup technique for when the digital and IT techniques fail.
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Clinical Trial
Prediction of postoperative pain by preoperative nociceptive responses to heat stimulation.
Despite major advances in the understanding of the neurobiologic mechanisms of pain, the wide variation in acute pain experience has not been well explained. Therefore, the authors investigated the potential of a preoperatively induced heat injury to predict subsequent postoperative pain ratings in patients undergoing knee surgery. ⋯ The results of this study suggest that the pain response to a preoperative heat injury may be useful in research in predicting the intensity of postoperative pain. These findings may have important implications to identify patients at risk for development of chronic pain and to stratify individuals for investigations of new analgesics.