On arrival continuous brachial plexus block provides superior analgesia with reduced persistent postsurgical pain in complex hand injuries: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Patients with complex hand injuries experience extreme pain and frequently witness prolonged preoperative waiting period, which intensifies their agony, especially during wound dressing and debridement, further intensifying pain of acute trauma. Hence, there is a need to study utility of continuous peripheral nerve block in settings of acute trauma emergencies. We hypothesized that, as compared with intravenous systemic analgesics, continuous brachial plexus block would provide superior analgesia in these patients.

Robotic-assisted retroperitoneal lymph node dissection: defining selection parameters-a B-SAFE approach.

The objective of the study is to define selection parameters for RRPLND and evaluate the outcomes from cases selected via this method. Patients undergoing RRPLND from 2017 to 2023 (n = 57) were included. Initial criteria for robotic case selection were defined via 'B-SAFE' parameters.

Anti-Phospholipase A2 Receptor Antibody Testing to the Rescue.

Serological testing for M-type anti-phospholipase A2 receptor antibodies (antiPLA2R Ab) has abrogated the need for kidney biopsy to diagnose membranous nephropathy in the appropriate clinical setting. We report a case of a 63-year-old hypertensive male who presented with nephrotic syndrome associated with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease which was effectively diagnosed with the use of antiPLA2R Ab test. He achieved complete remission upon treatment with Rituximab.

Reducing emergency department return visits for ultrasound imaging: a quality improvement initiative.

Background: The shortage of after-hours ultrasound (US) imaging in the ED puts considerable strain on the patient and the already scant resources in the ED. Implementing an alternate clinical pathway that guides ED physicians to utilize the US imaging centers in the community for non-emergent scans may help alleviate some of these stressors. We aimed to reduce the number of patients returning to the ED for US by 50% within 6 months of implementation.

Burden of illness for patients with primary biliary cholangitis: an observational study of clinical characteristics and healthcare resource utilization.

To evaluate the clinical characteristics and healthcare resource utilization for acute care and its costs for patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) with or without cirrhosis. This retrospective observational cohort study was conducted using two datasets (Komodo's Healthcare Map™ [Komodo Health] and Optum Clinformatics Data Mart [CDM] database) between 2015 and 2023. Patients (≥18 years) with PBC were identified based on ≥1 inpatient or ≥2 outpatient claims.