European journal of anaesthesiology
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Editorial Comment
Liposomal bupivacaine: Defining efficacy, how effective is effective?
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Comment Meta Analysis
The effect of adjuvants added to local anaesthetics for single-injection upper extremity peripheral regional anaesthesia: A systematic review with network meta-analysis of randomised trials.
Peripheral regional anaesthesia is frequently used for upper extremity surgery. To prolong the duration of analgesia, adjuvants can be added to single-injection local anaesthetics. Despite attempts to compare several adjuvants in pairwise meta-analyses, a comprehensive comparison is still missing. ⋯ The best interventions to prolong the duration of analgesia were dexamethasone, followed by dexmedetomidine, opioids, electrolytes, ketorolac and midazolam. There are general concerns about the quality of underlying studies and the risk of publication bias.
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Lung transplantation (LTx) is the definitive treatment for end-stage pulmonary disease. About 4500 LTxs are performed annually worldwide. It is considered challenging and complex surgery regarding anaesthesia and pain management. ⋯ The advantages of thoracic nerve blocks for general thoracic surgery are well established. However, their utility in LTx remains unclear. Considering paucity of relevant literature, this review aims to raise awareness about the literature gap in the field and highlight the need for further high-quality studies determining the effectiveness of available techniques.
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Comment Randomized Controlled Trial
Less use of rescue morphine when a combined PSP/IPP-block is used for postoperative analgesia in breast cancer surgery: A randomised controlled trial.
Surgery for breast cancer is common, and intravenous opioids are often used to control postoperative pain. Recently, pectoralis-2 (PECS-2) block has emerged as a promising regional anaesthetic alternative. With nomenclature recently proposed, this block is termed combined PSP/IPP-block (pectoserratus plane block/interpectoral plane block). ⋯ The use of a combined PSP/IPP-block block before breast cancer surgery reduces the need for postoperative rescue morphine, even when compared with the use of intra-operative morphine.