Liposomal Bupivacaine Use During Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Surgery Decreases Postoperative Narcotic Usage.

Postoperative pain control in adolescent patients following posterior spinal fusion (PSF) for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) requires a multimodal pain regimen involving a combination of opioids and adjuvant analgesic medications. The purpose of this study was to identify whether the use of the local anesthetic liposomal bupivacaine (LB) at time of closure following PSF reduced postoperative narcotic use in patients when compared with an alternative local anesthetic. Twenty-five patients who received LB at time of wound closure were matched with 25 AIS patients from the year prior to minimize changes in protocol and instrumentation.

The role of preterm birth in stress-induced sodium excretion in young adults.

Background: Early-life programming due to prematurity and very low birth weight (VLBW, <1500 g) is believed to contribute to development of hypertension, but the mechanisms remain unclear. Experimental data suggest that altered pressure natriuresis (increased renal perfusion pressure promoting sodium excretion) may be a contributing mechanism. We hypothesize that young adults born preterm will have a blunted pressure natriuresis response to mental stress compared with those born term.

Staff and patient experience of the implementation and delivery of a virtual health care home monitoring service for COVID-19 in Melbourne, Australia.

Background: Provision of virtual health care (VHC) home monitoring for patients who are experiencing mild to moderate COVID-19 illness is emerging as a central strategy for reducing pressure on acute health systems. Understanding the enablers and challenges in implementation and delivery of these programs is important for future implementation and re-design. The aim of this study was to explore the perspectives of staff involved with the implementation and delivery, and the experience of patients managed by, a VHC monitoring service in Melbourne, Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dynamic Cushioning: Obesity and Trauma Patients Undergoing Exploratory Laparotomy.

Background: Traumatic injuries account for 10% of all mortalities in the United States. Annually the global estimated population of overweight and obese individuals rises in number. It is well established in the literature that obesity is associated with worse outcomes in trauma patients.

Descriptive Analysis of a Telephone Based Community Monitoring Service for COVID-19.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has required health services to rapidly respond to the needs of people diagnosed with the virus. Over 80% of people diagnosed with COVID-19 experience a mild illness and there is a need for community management to support these people in their home. In this paper we present, a telephone based COVID-19 community monitoring service developed in an Australian public health network, and we describe the rapid implementation of the service and the demographic and clinical characteristics of those enrolled.