Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthésie
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Pulmonary aspiration is an adverse event with high morbidity and mortality. Despite fasting for > 8 hr, some patients still have residual gastric volume and are thus at risk of aspiration. We aimed to determine the accuracy of gastric ultrasound in assessing residual gastric content in patients undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. ⋯ Ultrasonography was an effective way to assess residual gastric content, which can help improve patient safety.
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Same-day mobilization and early hospital discharge is increasingly emphasized following hip and knee arthroplasty. One challenge of spinal anesthesia in this setting is achieving adequate block height while avoiding excessively large local anesthetic doses and prolonged motor and sensory blockade. Using a hypobaric local anesthetic solution is one potential strategy, as its intrathecal distribution can be reliably manipulated by patient positioning to achieve adequate block height independent of dose. ⋯ The anesthetic profiles of low-dose hypobaric mepivacaine and bupivacaine were favorable for fast-track hip and knee arthroplasty with short and predictable operating times.