Impact of a pharmacy technician on an interprofessional antithrombotic stewardship program at an academic medical center.

Purpose: The need for monitoring and standardization of anticoagulation management has garnered the attention of national organizations, driving the implementation of antithrombotic stewardship programs (ASPs). Established ASPs have highlighted interdisciplinary collaboration between physicians, nurses, and pharmacists and demonstrated financial benefits and positive patient care outcomes. While pharmacy technicians are key members of the pharmacy profession, they are rarely utilized to expand clinical programs.

Safety and Efficacy of Urea for Hyponatremia.

Urea is an alternative for treatment of hyponatremia however, its use has not been widely studied. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of urea for the treatment of hyponatremia. A retrospective cohort of patients with hyponatremia (serum sodium <135 mEq/L) of any cause who received at least 1 dose of urea during hospitalization and no prior use of urea.

Evaluation of clinical efficacy and safety of tobramycin/dexamethasone ophthalmic suspension 0.3%/0.05% compared to azithromycin ophthalmic solution 1% in the treatment of moderate to severe acute blepharitis/blepharoconjunctivitis.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of tobramycin/dexamethasone (TobraDex ST ; 'ST') ophthalmic suspension 0.3%/0.05% compared to azithromycin (Azasite) ophthalmic solution (1%) in the treatment of moderate to severe blepharitis/blepharoconjunctivitis.

Lumbar epidural blockade for management of pain in interstitial cystitis.

Thirteen patients with interstitial cystitis (IC), whose predominant symptom was pelvic or urethral pain, were treated with a series of lumbar epidural local anaesthetic blocks over an 18-month period. Response was evaluated by interview and with voiding diaries and visual analogue scales (VAS) for pain. Of the 55 injections given, immediate pain relief (lasting longer than 24 h) was obtained from 41 (75%).

Crawford W. Long: pioneer physician in anesthesia.

Crawford W. Long first used ether as an anesthetic on March 30, 1842. This article examines factors in his education and practice that prompted his discovery.

Analgesic effect of picenadol, codeine, and placebo in patients with postoperative pain.

A double-blind, parallel study was conducted to evaluate the analgesic effect and safety of a single 25 mg oral dose of picenadol, a centrally acting analgesic, and to compare it with a 60 mg dose of codeine and a placebo in patients with postoperative pain. Two sites using similar protocols enrolled a total of 178 inpatients with postoperative pain. Pain intensity, relief, and adverse experiences were then measured for up to 6 hours after administration of the test medications.

Influence of age on vascular absorption of lidocaine from the epidural space.

The purposes of this study were to evaluate the effect of age on the vascular absorption of local anesthetics during epidural anesthesia and to corroborate the clinical observations of other investigators with respect to age. Using the arbitrary definition of significance (P less than 0.05), the maximum serum levels of lidocaine (Csmax) did not differ significantly with age, however, P values were equal to 0.

Page kidney resulting from massive subcapsular hematoma. Complication of lumbar sympathetic nerve block.

The Page kidney is a recognized cause of hypertension. A massive subcapsular hematoma caused by a lumbar sympathetic nerve block resulted in a Page kidney. To our knowledge, this sequence has not been reported.

Chronic back pain: electromyographic, motion and behavioral assessments following sympathetic nerve blocks and placebos.

Twenty patients with chronic low back pain received 12 lumbar sympathetic injections, in a series of 6 with bupivacaine and a series of 6 with saline. Changes in subjective pain intensity, EMG from paravertebral muscles, joint ranges of mobility, and daily activity levels were measured at multiple intervals throughout treatment and at 3 monthly follow-up intervals. The MMPI was administered before treatment, after treatment and at 3-month follow-up.

Compensation for work-related injuries and rehabilitation of patients with chronic pain.

A group of 61 patients with problems of chronic pain were managed though a rehabilitation program based on the principles of operant conditioning. Of these patients, 35 were receiving compensation for work-related accidents, and 26 were receiving no financial compensation for their chronic pain. Of the patients not receiving compensation, 69% (18) made significant increases in their functional performances, while only 43% (15) of the compensation group made similar increases.