Articles: cations.
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Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a highly efficacious treatment for appropriately selected patients with advanced, medically refractory Parkinson's disease (PD). It is severely underutilized in Black patients-constituting a major treatment gap. The source of this disparity is unknown, but its identification and correction are necessary to provide equitable care. ⋯ The known underuse of DBS in Black patients with PD was replicated in this sample from a center in a racially diverse metropolitan area, but was not attributable to the presurgical workup. Future work should examine the transition from medical management to surgical evaluation where drivers of disparity are potentially situated. Surgical practices should increase outreach to physicians managing PD in underserved areas.
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Successful anesthetics occur when safe, effective perioperative care is coupled with patient satisfaction. We present the case of a 63-year-old woman with advanced Parkinson's disease who presented for a deep brain stimulation (DBS) device battery change under monitored anesthesia care (MAC). While MAC is commonly utilized for a DBS battery change, our patient reported previously experiencing intraoperative pain, anxiety, and the inability to communicate discomfort under MAC, leading to posttraumatic stress disorder. This case report highlights the importance of preoperative informed consent, discussion of patient expectations, and proactive planning for intraoperative communication strategies when MAC is the chosen method.
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The authors aimed to assess the safety of an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) and early discharge pathway in a robotic pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) program and compared outcomes with an open PD control cohort to identify the synergistic effects of robotic surgery and an ERAS pathway on lengths of stay (LOS). ⋯ An ERAS and early discharge pathway could be safely implemented in a robotic PD program. Patients undergoing robotic PD have significantly shorter length of stay without increased complication or readmission rate compared with open PD, with 40% of patients undergoing robotic PD achieving a LOS of 4 days or fewer.
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Critical care medicine · Jun 2023
The Association Between Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection and Central Line Access.
Identifying modifiable risk factors associated with central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) may lead to modifications to central line (CL) management. We hypothesize that the number of CL accesses per day is associated with an increased risk for CLABSI and that a significant fraction of CL access may be substituted with non-CL routes. ⋯ The number of daily CL accesses is independently associated with risk of CLABSI in the next 3 days. In the pediatric population examined, most medications delivered through CLs could be safely administered peripherally. Efforts to reduce CL access may be an important strategy to include in contemporary CLABSI-prevention bundles.
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Observational Study
Early Outcomes following Implementation of a Multispecialty Geriatric Surgery Pathway.
To examine geriatric-specific outcomes following implementation of a multispecialty geriatric surgical pathway (GSP). ⋯ In our diverse patient population, implementation of a GSP led to improved geriatric-specific surgical outcomes. Future studies to examine pathway compliance would promote the identification of further interventions.