Current opinion in anaesthesiology
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Oct 2019
ReviewCannabis-based medicines for chronic pain management: current and future prospects.
The medicinal use of cannabis has recently become the focus of much medical, as well as political, attention. This reality of growing use but limited evidence creates unique dilemmas for the prescribing clinician. The purpose of this review is to explore current evidence and gaps in knowledge and offer some practical considerations. ⋯ The endocannabinoid system is undoubtedly a new and exciting pharmaceutical target for chronic pain management, but transition from preclinical to clinical studies has so far proved difficult. Although it is reasonable to consider cannabinoids for otherwise unresponsive pain, care should be taken in frail clinical populations. As this has become a socioeconomic and political issue in which agendas often take precedence over due diligence, there is a pressing need for unbiased empirical data and high quality evidence to better inform prescribers and patients.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Oct 2019
ReviewRegional anesthesia for vascular surgery: does the anesthetic choice influence outcome?
Outcomes following surgery are of major importance to clinicians, institutions and most importantly patients. This review examines whether regional anesthesia and analgesia influence outcome after vascular surgery. ⋯ Patients undergoing vascular surgery often have multiple comorbidities and it is important to be able to outline both benefits and risks of regional anesthesia techniques. Regional anesthesia in vascular surgery allows avoidance of general anesthesia and does provide short-term benefits beyond superior analgesia. Evidence of long-term benefits is lacking in most procedures. Further work is required on newer patient centered outcomes.
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The clinical practice of anesthesia continues to evolve and grow toward increasing quality and safety while improving the patient and family perioperative experience. Within the realm of pediatric anesthesia, advances in regional anesthesia techniques are important part in this aim. ⋯ Large data sets have given clinical providers information into the practice of regional anesthesia. It has confirmed the safety of common regional anesthetic techniques in addition to providing guidance to improving outcomes for children.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Oct 2019
ReviewTransfusion in adults and children undergoing neurosurgery: the outcome evidence.
Transfusion is a common practice during neurosurgery. However, there is no evidence-based consensus on transfusion practice in neurosurgery. This review summarizes the evidence pertinent to the commonly used transfusion triggers in neurosurgical patients. ⋯ There is a scarcity of high-quality outcome-based evidence for transfusion practice in neurosurgery. In the absence of quality evidence, the transfusion practice in neurosurgical patients should be based on the understanding of the complex pathophysiology related to anemia and coagulopathy and the balance between the risks and benefits associated with blood product transfusion. The practice guided by tissue oximeter and viscoelastic tests appears promising, but needs to be validated by future studies.
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Anesthesia for cardiac surgery has traditionally utilized high-dose opioids to blunt the sympathetic response to surgery. However, recent data suggest that opioids prolong postoperative intubation, leading to increased morbidity. Given the increased risk of opioid dependency after in-hospital exposure to opioids, coupled with an increase in morbidity, regional techniques offer an adjunct for perioperative analgesia. The aim of this review is to describe conventional and emerging regional techniques for cardiac surgery. ⋯ New regional techniques for cardiac surgery may be potent perioperative analgesic adjuncts, but well-designed studies are needed to quantify the effectiveness and safety of these blocks.