Current opinion in anaesthesiology
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Jun 2015
ReviewPostcaesarean section analgesia: are opioids still required?
The use of opioids for postoperative pain relief after caesarean section is widely spread. Because of unwanted well known side-effects, alternative drugs and methods of pain relief have been introduced, either in addition to or instead of opioids. Can postcaesarean analgesia be achieved these days without opioids? ⋯ The dependency on opioids for postcaesarean analgesia is diminishing, but in order to develop effective, well tolerated alternatives, more research is needed.In the meantime, opioids are here to stay.
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The aim of this review is to discuss recent developments in vascular access technology and to highlight those that are particularly relevant to the practitioner. ⋯ Despite the development of new technical devices, successful venous puncture remains heavily dependent on the skills of the operator.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Jun 2015
ReviewPatient-controlled intravenous analgesia remifentanil for labor analgesia: time to stop, think and reconsider.
Remifentanil is a relatively new but commonly used opioid alternative in the management of labor pain relief. The present article evaluates efficacy and safety of patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) with remifentanil in the management of labor pain relief. ⋯ Remifentanil PCIA is a valuable analgesic strategy whenever regional analgesia is contraindicated. Using it as first line strategy seems to be contraindicated because of significant respiratory side-effects to the mother. Whenever used advanced and continuous monitoring using capnography, saturation monitoring and one-to-one midwifery care are mandatory!