Current opinion in anaesthesiology
-
The escalating opioid crisis has intensified the need to explore alternative pain management strategies for patients undergoing spine surgery. This review is timely and relevant as it synthesizes recent research on opioid alternatives for perioperative management, assessing their efficacy, side effects, and postoperative outcomes. ⋯ The use of multimodal analgesia aligns with current pain management guidelines and addresses public health concerns related to opioid misuse. While effective, these alternatives are not without side effects, and the ultimate outcome depends on balancing benefits and risks. Future research should focus on the long-term outcomes of opioid alternatives, their effectiveness across diverse populations, and further validation and optimization of these strategies.
-
Neurologic disorders and complications during pregnancy are common, but guidelines and data are sparse. This review aims to give an overview of recent developments in neuroanesthesia and management of neuropathology during pregnancy, with the hope that these may fill the gaps in current guidelines and recommendations, as well as their implications for an anesthetic approach. ⋯ While clinical trials remain sparse, larger population-based studies offer insight into the optimal approach to the parturient with neurologic disease.
-
Consequences of the expanding commercial spaceflight industry include an increase in total number of spaceflight participants and an accompanying surge in the average number of medical comorbidities compared with government-based astronaut corps. A sequela of these developments is an anticipated rise in acute and chronic pain concerns associated with spaceflight. This review will summarize diagnostic and therapeutic areas of interest that can support the comfort of humans in spaceflight. ⋯ As humanity invests in Lunar and Martian exploration, understanding the painful conditions that will impede crew productivity and mission outcomes is critical. Preexisting pain and new-onset acute or chronic pain resulting from spaceflight will require countermeasures and treatments to mitigate long-term health effects.
-
Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Oct 2024
ReviewCurrent concepts and targets for preventing the transition of acute to chronic postsurgical pain.
It is estimated that approximately a third of patients undergoing certain surgeries may report some degree of persistent pain postoperatively. Chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) reduces quality of life, is challenging to treat, and has significant socio-economic impact. ⋯ A comprehensive multidisciplinary approach with prior identification of risk factors, minimizing the surgical insult and a culture of utilizing multimodal analgesia and continued surveillance beyond the period of hospitalization is an important step towards reducing the development of chronic pain. A transitional pain service model may accomplish many of these goals.
-
Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Oct 2024
Meta AnalysisPerioperative care of patients with recent stroke undergoing nonemergent, nonneurological, noncardiac, nonvascular surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
To systematically review and perform a meta-analysis of published literature regarding postoperative stroke and mortality in patients with a history of stroke and to provide a framework for preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative care in an elective setting. ⋯ In patients with a history of a recent stroke, anesthesiology, surgery, and neurology experts should create a shared mental model in which the patient/surrogate decision-maker is informed about the risks and benefits of the proposed surgical procedure; secondary-stroke-prevention medications are reviewed; plans are made for interruptions and resumption; and intraoperative care is individualized to reduce the likelihood of postoperative stroke or death.