Anesthesiology
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Randomized study assessing the accuracy of cervical facet joint nerve (medial branch) blocks using different injectate volumes.
Neck pain is a frequent cause of disability, with facet joint arthropathy accounting for a large percentage of cases. The diagnosis of cervical facet joint pain is usually made with diagnostic blocks of the nerves that innervate them. Yet, medial branch blocks are associated with a high false-positive rate. One hypothesized cause of inaccurate diagnostic blocks is inadvertent extravasation of injectate into adjacent pain-generating structures. The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of medial branch blocks by using different injectate volumes. ⋯ Reducing the volume during cervical medial branch blocks may improve precision and accuracy.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Perioperative intravenous amiodarone does not reduce the burden of atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing cardiac valvular surgery.
Atrial fibrillation is a common complication after cardiac surgery. Postoperative atrial fibrillation is associated with increased risks of morbidity and mortality, and, therefore, preventive strategies using oral amiodarone have been developed but are often unpractical. Intravenous amiodarone administered after the induction of anesthesia and continued postoperatively for 48 h could represent an effective strategy to prevent postoperative atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing cardiac valvular surgery. ⋯ In patients undergoing cardiac valvular surgery, a strategy using intravenous amiodarone for 48 h is not efficacious in reducing the risk of atrial fibrillation during cardiac valvular surgery.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
No association between intraoperative hypothermia or supplemental protective drug and neurologic outcomes in patients undergoing temporary clipping during cerebral aneurysm surgery: findings from the Intraoperative Hypothermia for Aneurysm Surgery Trial.
Although hypothermia and barbiturates improve neurologic outcomes in animal temporary focal ischemia models, the clinical efficacy of these interventions during temporary occlusion of the cerebral vasculature during intracranial aneurysm surgery (temporary clipping) is not established. ⋯ In the Intraoperative Hypothermia for Aneurysm Surgery Trial, neither systemic hypothermia nor supplemental protective drug affected short- or long-term neurologic outcomes of patients undergoing temporary clipping.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of dexmedetomidine and propofol on lower esophageal sphincter and gastroesophageal pressure gradient in healthy volunteers.
Many anesthetics reduce lower esophageal sphincter pressure (LESP). Reduced pressure and consequent reduction in the gastroesophageal pressure gradient (GEPG) thus promotes gastroesophageal reflux and may contribute to aspiration pneumonia and associated morbidity. Therefore, the authors compared LESP and GEPG during dexmedetomidine and propofol sedation. ⋯ Both dexmedetomidine and propofol have similar effects on LESP and GEPG. Although both of the drugs cause some decrease in LESP at high concentrations, it is unlikely that this effect would promote gastroesophageal reflux during sedation.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Acquisition of critical intraoperative event management skills in novice anesthesiology residents by using high-fidelity simulation-based training.
Early acquisition of critical competencies by novice anesthesiology residents is essential for patient safety, but traditional training methods may be insufficient. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of high-fidelity simulation training of novice residents in the initial management of critical intraoperative events. ⋯ Event-specific, simulation-based training resulted in superior performance in scenarios compared with traditional training and simulation-based training in an alternate event.