Articles: postoperative.
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Postoperative use of anticoagulation after free tissue transfer in head and neck ablative procedures is common practice, but a clear protocol has not been well established. The outcome measures including total flap failure, thrombosis, and hematoma formation for different anticoagulation regimens in free tissue transfer in the head and neck were reviewed. ⋯ There is not adequate evidence to develop a standardized anticoagulation protocol for head and neck free flap procedures. Comparable flap complications were reported between all the employed anticoagulation methods studied, though significant variability in study design among articles existed. Prospective, randomized studies are warranted to determine the optimal postoperative anticoagulation regimen following free tissue transfer of the head and neck. Laryngoscope, 128:412-421, 2018.
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Review Meta Analysis
Epidural steroids at closure post-microdiscectomy/laminectomy for reduction of post-operative analgesia: systematic review and meta-analysis.
This review assessed the efficacy of epidural steroid administration on the reduction of pain, hospital stay time, and use of opioid analgesics postoperatively. ⋯ Intraoperative or perioperative epidural administration of steroids offers significant benefits in terms of pain control, reduction in LOS, and use of postoperative opioid analgesia. Before steroids are routinely used by spinal surgeons, however, significantly more research is required. A particular emphasis should be placed on quality study protocols and data recording, to allow for more thorough analyses in the future.
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Prolonged opioid use following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has not been extensively studied. ⋯ Patients who require opioids beyond 90 days after TKA warrant close follow-up.
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Placement of Stimulating Epidural Catheter for a Patient With Large Scapular Sarcoma: A Case Report.
We report the use of continuous electrical stimulation to assist with the preoperative placement of a thoracic epidural which was used to provide postoperative analgesia in a patient undergoing excision of a large scapular sarcoma. The size of the sarcoma and the surrounding area required to maintain a sterile surgical field necessitated that the epidural catheter be inserted several vertebral interspaces caudal to the level of desired catheter tip termination. The use of electrical stimulation allowed for sequential intercostal muscle stimulation during threading, which enabled the placement of the catheter tip at the appropriate spinal level to optimize analgesia.