Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Pain arising in the lumbar spine can have many etiologies, nearly 80% of which cannot be established with certainty. We present a very rare cause of back pain. ⋯ Hydatid cyst can be included in the differential diagnosis of lumbar back pain, especially in the endemic areas.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jan 2007
Randomized Controlled TrialEffect of addition of various doses of fentanyl intrathecally to 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine on perioperative analgesia and subarachnoid-block characteristics in lower abdominal surgery: a dose-response study.
The purpose of this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial is to study the effect of adding various doses of fentanyl to 2.2 mL of bupivacaine (0.5% hyperbaric), for spinal anesthetic in non-obstetric population undergoing superficial lower abdominal surgery (hernia repair). ⋯ The data suggest that in a non-obstetric population receiving spinal anesthetic for superficial lower abdominal surgery (hernia repair), addition of 10 microg fentanyl to bupivacaine 0.5% (hyperbaric) significantly improves the quality and duration of analgesia. No further advantage occurs if the dose of fentanyl is increased up to 40 mug.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jan 2007
Hospitalization costs of total knee arthroplasty with a continuous femoral nerve block provided only in the hospital versus on an ambulatory basis: a retrospective, case-control, cost-minimization analysis.
After total knee arthroplasty (TKA), hospitalization may be shortened by allowing patients to return home with a continuous femoral nerve block (CFNB). This study quantified the hospitalization costs for 10 TKA patients receiving ambulatory CFNB versus a matched cohort of 10 patients who received CFNB only during hospitalization. ⋯ This study provides evidence that ambulatory CFNB for selected patients undergoing TKA has the potential to reduce hospital length of stay and associated costs and charges. However, the current study has significant inherent limitations based on the study design. Additional research is required to replicate these results in a prospective, randomized, controlled trial and to determine whether any savings exceed additional CFNB costs such as from complications, having caregivers provide care at home, and additional hospital/health care provider visits.