Sustained Implementation of an Evidence-Based Extubation Checklist Reduced Extubation Failure in Trauma Patients.

Extubation failure remains a challenge in the perioperative setting. The aim of this intervention was to decrease the rate of perioperative extubation failure through the utilization of an extubation checklist. A five-item evidence-based extubation readiness checklist was implemented at a level I trauma center on all patients who were electively extubated in the operating room (OR).

Anesthesia-Related Malpractice Claims in Maryland 1994-2017.

This article presents data on anesthesia cases filed with the Maryland Health Claims Alternative Dispute Office between 1994 and 2017, a publicly available resource that includes all anesthesia-related claims filed in Maryland, regardless of whether they were reported to any national claims repository. Analysis of anesthesia malpractice claims offers critical information that can both decrease legal liability and improve patient outcomes for those receiving anesthesia. A total of 276 claims were filed.

Regional anesthesia and analgesia in sickle cell pain episodes: A scoping review.

Review Purpose: Sickle cell disease (SCD) vaso-occlusive crises are the most common reason patients with SCD present for medical care in the US. The goal of this scoping review is to outline existing literature on regional anesthesia for sickle cell vaso-occlusive crises (VOC) and identify areas for future research.

Methods: We searched the Cochrane Central Register, Ovid-Medline and EMBASE, PubMed, and additional review sources to identify studies evaluating the benefit of regional anesthetic blocks for medication refractory vaso-occlusive crises in pediatric and adult patients.

Glucocorticoid minimizes local anesthetic infusion requirement through adductor canal block and improves perioperative prosthetic joint range of motion in total knee arthroplasty.

Introduction: The use of glucocorticoid as local anesthetic adjuvant in single-injection adductor canal block (ACB) is well-documented but its effects in the presence of an indwelling catheter is unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine the impacts of one-time perineural glucocorticoid injection on continuous adductor canal block in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty.

Methods: A single center retrospective study of 95 patients undergoing unilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA) was performed.

The COVID-19 vaccine and interventional procedures: Exploring the relationship between steroid administration and subsequent vaccine efficacy.

Objective: Collate available evidence and provide guidance on whether to delay steroid injections after receiving a vaccine, and whether to delay vaccination if a recent steroid injection has been administered, leaving formal recommendations to various national societies.

Methods: A literature search was performed to identify information pertinent to steroid administration and the subsequent downstream effects on vaccine efficacy. The search was initiated on December 20, 2020, and the terms used were (steroid OR cortisone OR dexamethasone) AND (vaccine).

Trends in Demographics and Markers of Injury Severity in Traumatic Cervical Spinal Cord Injury.

Over the past four decades, there have been progressive changes in the epidemiology of traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI). We assessed trends in demographic and injury-related variables in traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (tCSCI) patients over an 18-year period at a single Level I trauma center. We included all magnetic resonance imaging-confirmed tCSCI patients ≥15 years of age for years 2001-2018.

Open Reduction and Decompression of Atlantoaxial Subluxation with Basilar Impression Due to Grisel Syndrome Using the Cervical Management Base Unit.

Background: Intraoperative manipulation of the craniocervical junction with the Cervical Management Base Unit (CMBU) has been used as an adjunct for achieving optimal anatomic alignment during instrumented fusion procedures in a variety of disease settings. Here, we present our experience using the CMBU as a supplement to achieving a successful reduction and fixation of a reducible craniocervical subluxation with associated basilar impression/medullary compression in the setting of Grisel syndrome.

Case Description: Under fluoroscopy and neuromonitoring guidance, the elevator and axial translation mechanisms of the CMBU safely allowed for presurgical assessment of reducibility and facilitated complete reduction of the deformity with restitution of a normal atlantodental interval, spinolaminar line, and clivoaxial angle.

Carotid Endarterectomy and Carotid Artery Stenting in a Predominantly Symptomatic Real-World Patient Population.

Background: Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and carotid artery stenting (CAS) are well-established treatments that have been shown to decrease stroke recurrence in patients with underlying carotid artery disease. We assessed clinical outcome, safety, and restenosis rates for patients who underwent standardized CEA or CAS at our tertiary care center using patient selection criteria based on available scientific evidence.

Methods: Retrospective chart review of patients who underwent CEA or CAS between 2009 and 2016.

Thoracic Epidural Abscesses: A Systematic Review.

Study Design: Systematic review.

Objectives: Past research has demonstrated increased speed and severity of progression for spinal epidural abscesses (SEAs) of the thoracic level, specifically, when compared with SEAs of other spinal cord levels. Untreated, this infection can result in permanent neurological sequelae with eventual progression to death if inadequately managed.

An operant-based detection method for inferring tinnitus in mice.

Background: Subjective tinnitus is a hearing disorder in which a person perceives sound when no external sound is present. It can be acute or chronic. Because our current understanding of its pathology is incomplete, no effective cures have yet been established.

Diagnostic approach, treatment, and outcomes of cervical sympathetic chain schwannomas: a global narrative review.

Objective: This review examined the diagnostic approach, surgical treatment, and outcomes of cervical sympathetic chain schwannomas (CSCS) to guide clinical decision making.

Data Sources: Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases.

Review Methods: A literature review from 1998 to 2013 identified 156 articles of which 51 representing 89 CSCS cases were evaluated in detail.