Journal of clinical anesthesia
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Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) presents a significant perioperative challenge. Anesthetic drugs, patient positioning, and surgical technique can provoke worsening left ventricular outflow tract obstruction and hemodynamic deterioration. In this case report, we present the perioperative management of a 70-year-old male with a history of HCM who underwent a robotic laparoscopic prostatectomy. Discussion focuses on the utilization of echocardiographic guidance in the care of patients with HCM undergoing noncardiac surgery, as well as the pathophysiology of laparoscopic insufflation and its effects on left ventricular outflow tract obstruction in HCM.
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Acute postoperative pain may transition to persistent/chronic pain in up to 50% or more of patients after certain surgeries. Despite this concern, it is unclear that patients' preprocedure understanding and expectations are aligned with these potential outcomes. This study was designed to evaluate the extent of this alignment and the potential impact on the quality of risk/benefit discussions before procedures. ⋯ There is great need for health care providers to discuss the significant risk of persistent postsurgical pain with patients in the preoperative setting. Patients need to be armed with realistic data to ensure high-quality discussions of risk/benefit, align expectations with outcomes, and potentially identify high-risk groups in which preoperative intervention can reduce the likelihood or severity of persistent postoperative pain syndromes.
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The purpose of this study was to assess the workflow interruptions on an anesthesiology clinical director (CD). By assessing the interruptions on the CD, we hypothesize that these frequent interruptions would prohibit the CD from medical direction of residents or certified nurse anesthetists in operating rooms. ⋯ This study revealed that distracting events are frequent for an anesthesiology CD. The quantity of cellular phone interruptions, both calls and texts, by the anesthesiology CD was considered high. These calls occurred mainly during prime operating room time and utilization. As the CD is an integral part of the perioperative management team, they are expected to answer and return calls and texts promptly. Operating room efficiency and staff satisfaction decline if responses to these calls and texts are delayed. Although the nature of these distractions and interruptions can be viewed as having a positive or negative effect, many of these events are necessary to efficiently run the operating rooms.
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Comparative Study Observational Study
Effect of thoracic epidural analgesia on recovery of bowel function after major upper abdominal surgery.
We investigated whether thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) shortens the first gas-out time compared to intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (iv-PCA) and promotes earlier discharge after major upper abdominal surgery. ⋯ TEA with a regimen of hydromorphone (8 μg/mL) added to 0.15% ropivacaine did not provide earlier gas-out compared to that of iv-PCA in patients who underwent major upper abdominal surgery.