Even as prescription opioid dispensing rates have begun to decrease, the use of illicit opioids such as heroin and fentanyl has increased. Thus, the end of the opioid epidemic is not in sight, and treating patients that are addicted to opioids remains of utmost importance. Currently, the primary pharmacotherapies used to treat opioid addiction over the long term are the opioid antagonist naltrexone, the partial-agonist buprenorphine, and the full agonist methadone.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs tranquilizers, benzodiazepines have a wide range of clinical uses. Recently, there has been a significant rise in the number of novel psychoactive substances, including designer benzodiazepines. Flubromazolam(8-bromo-6-(2-fluorophenyl)-1-methyl-4-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a][1,4]benzodiazeZpine) is a triazolo-analogue of flubromazepam.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe continued rise in the availability of illicit opioids and opioid-related deaths in the United States has left physicians, researchers, and lawmakers desperate for solutions to this ongoing epidemic. The research into therapeutic options for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) began with the introduction of methadone in the 1960s. The approval of oral naltrexone initially showed much promise, as the drug was observed to be highly potent in antagonizing the effects of opioids while producing no opioid agonist effects of its own and having a favorable side effect profile.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBenzodiazepines (BZDs) are among one of the most widely prescribed drug classes in the United States. BZDs are a class of psychoactive drugs known for their depressant effect on the central nervous system (CNS). They quickly diffuse through the blood-brain barrier to affect the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA and exert sedative effects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA 64-year-old man was intubated and ventilated for COVID-19-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome. He had a background history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and ischaemic heart disease. His oxygen saturations dropped rapidly to 80% on day 9 of ICU admission.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objectives: Multimodal analgesia, including continuous femoral block, is often used to manage postoperative pain following total knee arthroplasty. To reduce the risk of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolus formation, anticoagulation is also a part of the care for patients who undergo total knee arthroplasty. However, the concurrent use of continuous peripheral nerve block and anticoagulation can lead to hematoma formation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA scoping review was performed to assess published evidence regarding how best to teach ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia (UGRA). The literature search yielded 205 articles, of which 35 met the inclusion criteria. Current literature on the topic can be divided into 3 main themes: the development of motor skills, learning and teaching sonoanatomy, and understanding of the requirements for establishing a UGRA education program and evaluation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The scope of regional anesthesia fellowship programs has not been analyzed but may provide insights that could improve fellowship training and standards.
Methods: Regional anesthesia fellowship directors across the world were asked to complete a comprehensive survey that detailed the range of educational and practical experience and attitudes as well as assessment procedures offered in their programs.
Results: The survey response rate was 66% (45/68).