Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Mar 2013
Increasing the NaCl concentration of the preinjected solution enhances monopolar radiofrequency lesion size.
The effect of altering the sodium chloride (NaCl) concentration of the preinjected solution on monopolar radiofrequency (RF) lesion characteristics has not been investigated with conventional pain medicine equipment. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of increasing NaCl concentration on lesion dimensions. ⋯ Increasing NaCl concentrations significantly increases lesion size. NaCl may produce a larger lesion as a result of reduced impedance surrounding the RF cannula and increased power output.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Mar 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialA prospective, randomized, blinded study of continuous ropivacaine infusion in the median sternotomy incision following cardiac surgery.
The aim of this prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of continuous ropivacaine infusion of into the sternal wound. ⋯ The phase III trial did not show improvement in time to extubation of the trachea or pain control in the 0.3% ropivacaine group, but it was stopped early by the data safety monitoring board.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Mar 2013
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyPharmacokinetics of sublingual sufentanil tablets and efficacy and safety in the management of postoperative pain.
A sublingual sufentanil tablet is being developed as a potential alternative to intravenous (IV) opioids for the management of postoperative pain. The objective of these studies was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and safety of sublingual sufentanil tablets for postoperative pain management. ⋯ Sufentanil formulated as a sublingual solid dosage form provides a duration of action that allows effective analgesia for postoperative patients in a medically supervised setting.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Mar 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialThe effect of bench model fidelity on fluoroscopy-guided transforaminal epidural injection training: a randomized control study.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether high-fidelity simulators provide greater benefit than low-fidelity models in training fluoroscopy-guided transforaminal epidural injection. ⋯ Training an epidural procedure using a low-fidelity model may be equally effective as training on a high-fidelity model. These results are consistent with previous research on a variety of interventional procedures and further demonstrate the potential impact of simple, low-fidelity training models.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Mar 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialContinuous saphenous nerve block as supplement to single-dose local infiltration analgesia for postoperative pain management after total knee arthroplasty.
Local infiltration analgesia (LIA) reduces pain after total knee arthroplasty without the motor blockade associated with epidural analgesia or femoral nerve block. However, the duration and efficacy of LIA are not sufficient. A saphenous nerve block, in addition to single-dose LIA, may improve analgesia without interfering with early mobilization. ⋯ The combination of a saphenous nerve block with single-dose LIA offered better pain relief on the day of surgery than LIA alone.