Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Feb 2024
Mepivacaine dosing for spinal anesthesia in pediatric orthopedic surgery: a retrospective chart review.
Mepivacaine is an intermediate-acting local anesthetic used for spinal anesthesia in adults. Currently, there are no published dosing guidelines for spinal mepivacaine in patients under age 18. ⋯ We describe mepivacaine dosage as a function of age and weight in patients younger than 18 years. As age and weight increased, a lower dose of mepivacaine per kg was administered for spinal anesthesia.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Feb 2024
Subcostal TAP block: one or two sequential injections? A cadaveric study.
The subcostal transversus abdominis plane block (scTAPB) provides analgesia to the anterior abdominal wall but analgesic spread following a single injection remains modest and variable. The oblique scTAPB, which is performed with a continuous injection during needle progression into the TAP along the oblique subcostal line, may extend the block to the whole anterior abdominal wall but needle progression by hydrodissection may be difficult, explaining why this block is not widely used. This study investigated if two sequential scTAPB injections (2scTAPI) may reach more nerves than a single scTAPB (1scTAPI). ⋯ In a cadaveric model, a larger spread at the costal margin was obtained after 2scTAPI, suggesting a greater coverage of anterior branches of abdominal wall nerves compared with 1scTAPI. Clinical studies are needed to confirm these results.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Feb 2024
Cooled versus conventional radiofrequency treatment of the genicular nerves for chronic knee pain: 12-month and cost-effectiveness results from the multicenter COCOGEN trial.
Radiofrequency (RF) treatment of the genicular nerves reduces chronic knee pain in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) or persistent postsurgical pain (PPSP) after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The objective of this study is to compare long-term outcomes of cooled and conventional RF and perform an economic evaluation. ⋯ Both RF treatments demonstrated in approximately 22% of patients a ≥50% pain reduction at 12 months. In patients with PPSP, contrary to OA, cooled RF seems to be more effective than conventional RF. Additionally, cooled RF has in patients with PPSP, as opposed to OA, greater effectiveness at lower costs compared with conventional RF.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Feb 2024
Complications and opioid-prescribing patterns following genicular nerve radiofrequency ablation versus intra-articular injection: a matched cohort study.
Genicular nerve radiofrequency ablation (GNRFA) is an emerging procedure used to relieve pain from severe knee osteoarthritis. While there have been rare reports of significant complications, their incidence has not been well established. The objective of this study was to examine complication rates at 30 and 90 days post treatment as well as characterize opioid-prescribing patterns before and after treatment. ⋯ Our study demonstrated that GNRFA possesses a safety profile similar to that of intra-articular injections although significant adverse events such as venous thromboembolism and septic arthritis may occur rarely. Although opioid utilization generally increased in the 30 days after ablation compared with intra-articular injection, similar reduction in opioid consumption at 6 months was seen in patients with prior opioid use in the ablation and control cohorts.
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Hallucinogen exposure in patients in the perioperative period presents challenges for anesthesiologists and other anesthesia providers. Acute and chronic exposure to these substances can cause physiological impacts that can affect the function of anesthetic and analgesic medications used during perioperative care. The objective of this narrative review is to educate readers on the wide array of hallucinogens and psychedelics that may influence the perioperative management of patients exposed to these substances. ⋯ Many of these substances increase serotonin levels or act directly at serotonergic receptors. However, there are other relevant actions that may include varied mechanisms from N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonism to stimulation of muscarinic receptors. With hallucinogen exposure rates on the rise, understanding the effects of hallucinogens is important for optimizing management and reducing risks perioperatively for patients with acute or chronic exposure.