Does a Nebulized Heparin/N-acetylcysteine Protocol Improve Outcomes in Adult Smoke Inhalation?

Background: Smoke inhalation is a major source of morbidity and mortality. Heparin and N-acetylcysteine treatment has potential efficacy in inhalation injury. We investigated the impact of a heparin/N-acetylcysteine/albuterol nebulization protocol in adult patients with inhalation injury.

Chronic pain treatment: a high moral imperative with offsetting personal risks for the physician--a medical student's perspective.

There is a clear need for physicians who specialize in the treatment of chronic pain, and these specialists must be empowered to use legally available and medically acceptable pain therapies, including opioids. However, prescribing opioids (or not prescribing them) for chronic pain treatment exposes pain physicians to medicolegal risks with serious personal consequences. This article summarizes, from a medical student's perspective, the basis for the specialization in pain medicine, and actions that place pain physicians at risk for serious professional harm.