Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jun 2018
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyAdductor Canal Block With Continuous Infusion Versus Intermittent Boluses and Morphine Consumption: A Randomized, Blinded, Controlled Clinical Trial.
Based on the assumption that relatively large volumes of local anesthetic optimize an adductor canal block (ACB), we theorized that an ACB administered as repeated boluses would improve analgesia without compromising mobility, compared with a continuous infusion. ⋯ Changing the mode of administration for an ACB from continuous infusion to repeated intermittent boluses did not decrease opioid consumption, pain, nor mobility.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jun 2018
Use of Regional Anesthesia for Outpatient Surgery Within the United States: A Prevalence Study Using a Nationwide Database.
Regional anesthesia is of benefit for outpatient surgery given its demonstrated improvement in analgesia and decrease in complications, resulting in shorter average recovery room times and lower hospital readmission rates. Unfortunately, there are few epidemiological studies outlining the overall utilization of peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs) in this setting. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to report the overall utilization of several types of PNBs among all candidate cases in the outpatient setting within the United States. ⋯ While the overall frequency of PNB is relatively low, there was a significant increase in its prevalence during the study period. Regional anesthesia offers significant positive impact for perioperative outcomes and hospital efficiency metrics; however, it is not clear what is limiting its widespread use. Future studies are necessary to identify barriers and disparities in care to implement methods to increase regional anesthesia volume nationwide where beneficial and appropriate.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jun 2018
Summative Objective Structured Clinical Examination Assessment at the End of Anesthesia Residency for Perioperative Ultrasound.
While standardized examinations and data from simulators and phantom models can assess knowledge and manual skills for ultrasound, an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) could assess workflow understanding. We recruited 8 experts to develop an OSCE to assess workflow understanding in perioperative ultrasound. ⋯ Overall average performance was 86.2%, and 3 stations had an acceptable internal reliability (Kuder-Richardson formula 20 coefficient >0.5). After refinement, this OSCE can be combined with standardized examinations and data from simulators and phantom models to assess proficiency in ultrasound.
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Correlation and agreement are 2 concepts that are widely applied in the medical literature and clinical practice to assess for the presence and strength of an association. However, because correlation and agreement are conceptually distinct, they require the use of different statistics. Agreement is a concept that is closely related to but fundamentally different from and often confused with correlation. ⋯ Questionnaires, psychometric scales, and diagnostic tests are widespread and increasingly used by not only researchers but also clinicians in their daily practice. It is essential that these questionnaires, scales, and diagnostic tests have a high degree of agreement between observers. It is therefore vital that biomedical researchers and clinicians apply the appropriate statistical measures of agreement to assess the reproducibility and quality of these measurement instruments and decision-making processes.