Articles: cations.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Feb 2024
ReviewBeyond the Echo: The Evolution and Revolution of Ultrasound in Anesthesia.
This article explores the evolving role of ultrasound technology in anesthesia. Ultrasound emerged decades ago, offering clinicians noninvasive, economical, radiation-free, and real-time imaging capabilities. It might seem that such an old technology with apparent limitations might have had its day, but this review discusses both the current applications of ultrasound (in nerve blocks, vascular access, and airway management) and then, more speculatively, shows how integration of advanced ultrasound modalities such as contrast-enhanced imaging with virtual reality (VR), or nanotechnology can alter perioperative patient care. This article will also explore the potential of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) in augmenting ultrasound-guided anesthetic procedures and their implications for medical practice and education.
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Abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) is hypothesized to lead to ischemic pain of the lower back. This retrospective study aims to identify the relationship between AAC and lower back pain (LBP) in patients with degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis. Lower back pain was assessed preoperatively and 2 years after surgery using the numeric analogue scale. ⋯ Both moderate and severe AAC were associated with reduced improvement in LBP after surgery (moderate AAC: OR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.22-0.85, P = 0.016; severe AAC: OR = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.2-0.82, P = 0.012). This study demonstrates an independent association between AAC and LBP and reduced improvement after surgery. Evaluation of AAC could play a role in patient education and might be considered part of the differential diagnosis for LBP, although further prospective studies are needed.
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Musculoskeletal (MSK) pain affects over 80% of People with Parkinson's (PD, PwP) and may, in part, be dopaminergic in origin, as dopaminergic medication often leads to its relief. ⋯ In People with Parkinson's, musculoskeletal pain does not arise simply as a direct sequel to motor symptoms-instead, it is linked to the severity of dopaminergic depletion in the caudate nucleus.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Feb 2024
ReviewAdvances in the clinical use of patient-reported outcomes in thoracic surgery.
Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are increasingly recognized as a clinical tool for measuring and improving patient-centric care. This review provides a summary on recent advances in the use of PROs in the field of thoracic surgery. ⋯ Advances have been made in the application of PROs in multiple areas of thoracic surgery, which include lung and esophageal surgery. The growing focus on the use of PROs in clinical pathways has led to a better understanding on how to optimize patient experience.
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Cardiac surgery has traditionally relied upon invasive hemodynamic monitoring, including regular use of pulmonary artery catheters. More recently, there has been advancement in our understanding as well as broader adoption of less invasive alternatives. This review serves as an outline of the key perioperative hemodynamic monitoring options for cardiac surgery. ⋯ More selective use of indwelling catheters for cardiac surgery has coincided with greater application of less invasive alternatives. Understanding the advantages and limitations of each tool allows the bedside clinician to identify which hemodynamic monitoring modality is most suitable for which patient.