Anaesthesia
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Review Meta Analysis
The analgesic efficacy of sciatic nerve block in addition to femoral nerve block in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess the postoperative analgesic efficacy of sciatic nerve block when combined with femoral nerve block after total knee arthroplasty. Outcomes included resting pain scores (analogue scale, 0-100), intravenous morphine consumption at 12 h, 24 h and 48 h postoperatively, and functional outcomes comprising knee flexion, distance walked, and length of stay. ⋯ Resting pain scores at 24 h, and intravenous morphine consumption at 12 h, 24 h and 48 h postoperatively were also significantly reduced, but without clinical significance beyond 12 h and without affecting functional outcomes. In conclusion, sciatic nerve block confers additional postoperative analgesia within the first 12 postoperative hours compared with femoral nerve block alone for patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty.
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Transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography are increasingly used as tools to improve clinical assessment following cardiac surgery. However, most physicians are not trained in echocardiography, and there is no widespread agreement on the feasibility, indications or effect on outcome of transthoracic or transoesophageal echocardiography for patients after cardiac surgery. ⋯ However, most were observational studies and there were no well-designed trials investigating the impact of echocardiography on outcome. We conclude that both transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography are useful following cardiac surgery.
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Paracetamol is a commonly used drug in the intensive care unit. There have been reports in the literature of an association with significant hypotension, a potentially important interaction for labile critically ill patients. Route of administration may influence the incidence of hypotension. ⋯ Sixteen hypotensive events occurred in 12 patients: parenteral n = 12; enteral n = 4. The incident rate ratio for parenteral vs. enteral paracetamol was 2.94 (95% CI 0.97-8.92; p = 0.06). The incidence of hypotension associated with paracetamol administration is higher than previously reported and tends to be more frequent with parenteral paracetamol.