Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Feb 2021
Observational StudyInfluence of inpatient opioid consumption on persistent use following total knee arthroplasty.
Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is associated with a high incidence of continued opioid use beyond the expected period of recovery. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of inpatient opioid consumption on the development of persistent use. ⋯ Larger amounts of opioid consumed in the hospital following uncomplicated, primary TKA may not be associated with an increased risk of persistent use at 6 weeks among opioid-naïve patients. Patients may have unique risk factors for prolonged opioid use that may not necessarily be apparent in the early postoperative period.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Feb 2021
Quality of labor epidural analgesia at a high-volume tertiary care obstetric unit: a before-and-after study.
We wanted to better understand the quality of our labor epidural practice at a large urban academic medical center. Several practice changes were implemented between 2011 and 2017, namely a more uniform epidural loading dose of local anesthetic that includes fentanyl, an increase in both the hourly baseline offer and maximum allowed hourly amount of bupivacaine, and the change from a continuous epidural infusion to a programmed intermittent epidural bolus (PIEB) regimen. We aimed to assess the impact of those changes on the quality of labor analgesia. ⋯ A bundle of practice changes implemented in our clinical practice, including the PIEB regimen, has resulted in a significant improvement in the quality of labor analgesia. However, despite all the implemented changes, 30% of women still experience pain during labor and further optimization of our practice is warranted.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Feb 2021
Editorial CommentNew persistent opioid use: definitions and opportunities.