Intercostal nerve blockade is a multi-level, regional technique that can provide analgesia or act as an anesthetic adjunct in various situations. Indications for an intercostal nerve block include costochondritis, incisional pain from thoracic surgery, breast surgery, rib fractures, and post-herpetic neuralgia (1). Additionally, utilization of this technique can reduce postoperative opioid consumption. Intercostal nerve block
Olanzapine is a medication that is most commonly administered for mental and mood disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The drug is categorized as an atypical antipsychotic (also known as a second-generation antipsychotic) because in contrast to earlier antipsychotic drugs, olanzapine exerts its action by interacting with dopamine and serotonin receptors in the brain
The pre-anesthesia physical exam is one component of a larger preoperative evaluation that takes place to reduce a patient’s level of surgical risk and optimize outcomes. Preoperative evaluations help reduce the amount of time patients spend in the hospital and lower medical costs (2). Furthermore, evaluating a patient’s cardiac, pulmonary, and respiratory health significantly lowers
Intraoperative monitoring of body organs typically focuses on either the diseased organ or overall physical functioning; the brain is not typically monitored separately [1]. However, there has been growing interest in neural monitoring as another way to assess patient status during surgery. The existing literature on neural monitoring during surgery is typically separated by the
To achieve a state of sedation or unconsciousness for surgery, patients receive anesthetic drugs, either alone or in combination, that affect the brain and nervous system. Studies indicate that disrupting the normal functioning of these targets can lead to undesirable side effects. Anesthesia is associated with several cognitive risks, ranging from short-term confusion to longer-term memory
Telehealth, the remote distribution of health services via electronic technologies, has increased significantly in recent years. Although 76% of hospital systems in the United States utilized some form of telehealth by 2018, restrictions enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a 766% increase in telehealth encounters during the first three months of the pandemic (1).
Inhaled volatile anesthetics are the most widely used drugs for the maintenance of general anesthesia thanks to their easy administration and predictable intraoperative and recovery characteristics. Modern inhalation anesthetics that are predominantly used in clinical practice include gaseous (nitrous oxide) and volatile liquid agents, including desflurane and isoflurane. Desflurane is similar to isoflurane in its provision
Awake tracheal intubation involves placing an endotracheal tube in the trachea while the patient continues to spontaneously breathe. In this case the clinician does not take away the patient’s respirations or airway reflexes. This is different from rapid sequence intubation (RSI) or intubation under general anesthesia which involve induction and muscular relaxation (Schrader & Urits,
Postoperative fever is the body’s reaction to infection and other stressors that may cause tissue damage and inflammation after surgery and is mediated by pyrogenic cytokines [5]. It is defined as a temperature greater than 38.3 degrees Celsius (101 degrees Fahrenheit) occurring within the first 72 hours after surgery [1]. Postoperative fever can be caused
Workplace and environmental lead exposure spearhead many modern incidents of lead poisoning. As described by Teerasarntipan et al. (2015), chronic exposure to lead presents with a blood lead level of 70 μg/dL accumulated over a period of 12 months in symptomatic patients.1 Symptoms of lead poisoning are ambiguous and dependent on the mode of exposure,