The American Society of Anesthesiologists annual meeting
The annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists was held from October 21 to 25 in Boston and attracted approximately 15,000 participants from around the world, including anesthesiologists and other health care professionals. The conference featured presentations focused on the latest advances in the relief of pain and total care of surgical patients before, during, and after surgery.
In one study, Asokumar Buvanendran, M.D., of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, and colleagues found that opioid abuse has leveled off, though it remains high.
"We do not have 2017 numbers yet, but as of 2016, we found that opioid prescriptions had plateaued. It will likely take several more years before we see a decline, but a plateau is an improvement. This is likely due to increased awareness of the crisis, more educational efforts and coverage by mainstream media, including television, social media, and print, as well as increased advocacy from medical societies," said Buvanendran. "The opioid crisis still exists, and the numbers are still staggering. It is very critical before a practicing clinician considers prescribing opioids for a particular patient that they evaluate alternatives for that patient and look at all options."
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In another study, Gunnar Lachmann, M.D., of Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin in Germany, and colleagues found that diabetes might play a role in the pathophysiology of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD).
"Diabetes was associated with an 84 percent increased risk of POCD, and the association was independent of obesity and hypertension," said Lachmann.
The investigators found that obesity and hypertension were not related to POCD risk.
"Consideration of diabetes and POCD should play a role in every anesthesiological and surgical decision to maintain patients' independence and quality of life," said Lachmann.
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Chunyuan Qiu, M.D., of Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center in California, and colleagues found that elderly patients who had emergency repair of a fractured hip had a lower mortality rate if they received care under the Perioperative Surgical Home (PSH) model, which involves simultaneous management from multiple specialties.
"Using this model, when a patient is admitted to the emergency room, a team of specialists including pain management, anesthesiology, orthopedics, internal medicine, and operating-room scheduling are called into action to get the patient into surgery within a 24-hour period," said Qiu. "We not only found a drop in mortality using this model but we also found that the length of hospital stay was shorter and readmission rates were also shorter."
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Takahiro Tadokoro, M.D., of the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa, Japan, and colleagues evaluated whether perioperative administration of acetaminophen can prevent postoperative shivering.
"We found that perioperative administration of acetaminophen could reduce the incidence of postoperative shivering and inhibit an elevation of the core body temperature after gynecologic surgery," said Tadokoro. "Postoperative shivering causes significant pain and discomfort and can also put a strain on the cardiovascular system. We therefore need to prevent it, especially in patients with cardiopulmonary risk."
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ASA: Botox Injections Beneficial for Migraine in Children
TUESDAY, Oct. 24, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- OnabotulinumtoxinA (Botox) injections are beneficial for pediatric patients with chronic migraine, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, being held Oct. 21 to 25 in Boston.
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ASA: Opioid-Free Anesthesia Feasible for Surgical Procedures
TUESDAY, Oct. 24, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Opioid-free anesthesia is feasible and well-tolerated, and only 36 percent of patients requested oral opioids in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, being held Oct. 21 to 25 in Boston.
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ASA: Ketamine Infusions May Relieve Pain in Migraine
MONDAY, Oct. 23, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Sub-anesthetic ketamine infusions are associated with improved short-term pain relief for migraine and other intractable headache, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, being held Oct. 21 to 25 in Boston.
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