British journal of anaesthesia
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Whilst general anaesthesia is commonly used to undertake spine surgery, the use of neuraxial and peripheral regional anaesthesia techniques for intraoperative and postoperative analgesia is an evolving practice. Variations in practice have meant that it is difficult to know which modalities achieve optimal outcomes for patients undergoing spinal surgery. Our objective was to identify available evidence on the use of regional and neuraxial anaesthesia techniques for adult patients undergoing spinal surgery. ⋯ Regional and neuraxial anaesthesia techniques have been used both to provide analgesia and anaesthesia for patients undergoing spinal surgery. Outcome metrics for the success of these techniques vary widely and more frequently use physiological outcome metrics more than patient-centred ones.
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Editorial
End the confusion: general anaesthesia improves patient outcomes in endovascular thrombectomy.
Expert physiological and pharmacological care by anaesthetists is required in all stroke endovascular thrombectomy cases. RCTs show clinical benefits in recanalisation rates and functional recovery after endovascular thrombectomy with general anaesthesia compared with sedation. Many stroke centres will require wholesale reorganisation of stroke pathways to ensure anaesthesia services are available for all cases. Anaesthetists have an integral role in improving clinical outcomes in large vessel occlusion stroke.
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Frailty is an established risk factor for morbidity and mortality in older patients undergoing surgery. In people with critical illness before surgery, few data describe patient-centred outcomes. Our objective was to estimate the association of frailty with postoperative days alive at home in older critically ill patients requiring emergency general surgery. ⋯ In patients with critical illness requiring emergency general surgery, frailty is associated with fewer days alive at home. This information should be discussed with critically ill patients before emergent surgical intervention to better inform decision-making.
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Complications after surgery affect survival and quality of life. We aimed to confirm the relationship between postoperative complications and death within 1 yr after surgery. ⋯ Postoperative complications are associated with increased mortality at 1 yr. Further research is needed to identify patients at risk of complications and to reduce mortality.