Current opinion in anaesthesiology
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Oct 2016
ReviewSafety and efficiency of dexmedetomidine as adjuvant to local anesthetics.
To review the current knowledge of dexmedetomidine as an additive drug to local anesthetics in peripheral and neuraxial regional anesthesia. ⋯ Dexmedetomidine has a potency to ameliorate pharmacodynamic characteristics of peripheral and neuraxial regional anesthetic techniques and is therefore currently the most promising additive drug in regional anesthesia. Future scientific efforts should focus on dose finding studies for particular regional anesthetic techniques. Approval of dexmedetomidine for regional anesthetic indications should be the final target.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Oct 2016
ReviewAnaesthesia for neuroradiology: thrombectomy: 'one small step for man, one giant leap for anaesthesia'.
Endovascular management of acute thrombotic strokes is a new management technique. Anaesthesia will play a key role in the management of these patients. To date there is no established method of managing these patients from an anaesthetic perspective. ⋯ There is a paucity of robust evidence for the best anaesthetic practice in this cohort of patients. Airway protection seems to be an issue in 2.5% of cases. Timing of the procedure is vital, and any delay may be detrimental to neurological outcome. In a survey of neurointerventionalists, the main concern they expressed was the potential delay to revascularization posed by anaesthesia. Patients complain of pain during mechanical clot retrieval if awake. The overall consensus seems to be favouring conscious sedation over general anaesthesia in the acute setting.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Oct 2016
ReviewNew modalities of neurostimulation: high frequency and dorsal root ganglion.
Neurostimulation is a well tolerated, cost-efficient, and effective method to treat chronic pain. Although spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has been shown to help patients, newer modalities such as burst, kilohertz-frequency, and dorsal root ganglion stimulation may provide greater pain relief, fewer paresthesias, and better outcomes. ⋯ Improvements in pain control and patient satisfaction suggest that these new stimulation patterns will greatly increase the utility of neurostimulation; however, clinical trials with broader patient populations have to be done to support more extensive use of these therapies.
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The aim of the review is to examine the possible benefit of regional anaesthesia in four areas of perioperative care. These are: the relationship between anaesthesia and cancer recurrence; the effects of regional anaesthesia in orthopaedic surgery; its use in people with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome; and its potential for preventing chronic postsurgical pain. ⋯ There is at present little unequivocal, high-quality evidence to confirm clear superiority of regional anaesthesia over general anaesthesia for any of the conditions described in this article. Perhaps as important as the choice of technique is the practitioner's skill and attention to detail; in addition, the major contributor to perioperative risk remains the patient and his/her pre-existing condition.