Current opinion in anaesthesiology
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Trauma, surgery, and burns are three common clinical scenarios that are associated with significant acute pain. This review describes the pathophysiology of acute pain utilizing three preclinical models: surgery, burn, and fracture. ⋯ Peripheral mediators of acute pain can vary depending upon the type of injury. Treatment aimed toward those mediators specific to the injury may improve acute pain management in the future. It will be important to translate these findings into clinical trials in the future.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Oct 2011
ReviewFunctional and structural imaging of pain-induced neuroplasticity.
The understanding of the mechanisms underlying chronic pain is of major scientific and clinical interest. This review focuses on neuroimaging studies of pain-induced neuroplastic changes in the human brain and discusses five major categories of pain-induced neuroplastic changes. ⋯ Recent work has substantially broadened our insights into neuroplastic changes that are involved in pain chronification. Future research will focus on the question of whether neuroimaging techniques can be used in the individual chronic pain patient as a biomarker that would allow for an objective diagnosis of different pain conditions and for the prediction of individual responses to specific therapies.
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Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a well accepted treatment modality for many movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease and an increasing number of other functional neurological disorders like dystonias and epilepsy. This review will highlight the recent developments in our knowledge regarding the effects of anesthetic agents on neurophysiologic recording and anesthetic management of patients undergoing the insertion of a DBS. ⋯ There will continue to be an increase in the use of DBS for many neurological and functional disorders, especially in the aging baby boomer population. Anesthetic technique will vary depending on the prevalent practice in individual institutions and requirements of the specific surgical procedure.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Oct 2011
ReviewAnesthetic concerns for pediatric patients in an intraoperative MRI suite.
Intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) is an evolving technology used to provide precise intraoperative navigation during a variety of neurosurgical and other types of surgical procedures. Anesthesiologists need to be aware of the unique challenges created by this environment. Failure to recognize the differences between the diagnostic MRI environment and the iMRI environment can compromise the safety of the patient and operating room staff and present logistical problems. ⋯ We describe the design of different iMRI suites as well as provide a breakdown of both patient and equipment issues encountered by anesthesiologists practicing in this environment. Finally, we offer our ongoing experience in this environment and provide suggestions to optimize patient outcomes.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Oct 2011
ReviewAneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: an update on the medical complications and treatments strategies seen in these patients.
Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) remains a devastating condition with high mortality and poor outcome among survivors. Early surgical or endovascular securing of the aneurysm is the norm, and management of these patients is precarious due to their unstable intracranial physiology and the severe systemic medical complications common in SAH. ⋯ Growing knowledge of the physiologic derangements associated with poor outcomes in SAH can improve our understanding of the widespread physiologic changes occurring with SAH and with further research, may provide clinicians with a direction for increasingly meaningful intervention. Ongoing investigation of our current therapeutics enable clinicians to apply them more judiciously to suitable patients, thereby enhancing the benefit and minimizing the complications of such treatments. Furthermore, by re-evaluating previously disproved treatments through the use of novel regimens or administration routes, promising treatment options are emerging.