Population-wide persistent hemostatic changes after vaccination with ChAdOx1-S.

Various vaccines were developed to reduce the spread of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Cov-2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus. Quickly after the start of vaccination, reports emerged that anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, including ChAdOx1-S, could be associated with an increased risk of thrombosis. We investigated the hemostatic changes after ChAdOx1-S vaccination in 631 health care workers.

Does the Use of Epiduroscopic Lysis of Adhesions Reduce the Need for Spinal Cord Stimulation in Failed Back Surgery Syndrome? A Short-Term Pilot Study.

Background And Aims: Persistent low back pain after initially successful surgery that is not attributed to structural deficits is called failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS). When conservative and minimal invasive therapy fail, the recommended treatment is spinal cord stimulation (SCS). Because epidural fibrosis can be a contributing factor in the majority of FBSS patients, lumbosacral epiduroscopic lysis of adhesions may be considered as a less invasive alternative treatment option.

The Effect of Deep Versus Moderate Neuromuscular Block on Surgical Conditions and Postoperative Respiratory Function in Bariatric Laparoscopic Surgery: A Randomized, Double Blind Clinical Trial.

Background: In recent literature, it has been suggested that deep neuromuscular block (NMB) improves surgical conditions during laparoscopy; however, the evidence supporting this statement is limited, and this was not investigated in laparoscopic bariatric surgery. Moreover, residual NMB could impair postoperative respiratory function. We tested the hypotheses that deep NMB could improve the quality of surgical conditions for laparoscopic bariatric surgery compared with moderate NMB and investigated whether deep NMB puts patients at risk for postoperative respiratory impairment compared with moderate NMB.

Cerebral tissue oxygen saturation values in volunteers and patients in the lateral decubitus and beach chair positions: a prospective observational study.

Background: The objective of this study was to describe changes in cerebral tissue oxygen saturation (SctO2) due to changes in body position in healthy volunteers and in patients undergoing surgery under general anesthesia in the beach chair position (BCP) and lateral decubitus position (LDP).

Methods: In this prospective observational study, SctO2 was measured in 85 awake volunteers serially positioned every 15 min, beginning with the supine position (SP) and followed by the beach chair, supine, and lateral decubitus positions. Cerebral tissue oxygen saturation was also measured supine and in either the BCP or the LDP in 195 patients (according to surgical preference) undergoing elective arthroscopic shoulder surgery.

Increase in cerebral oxygenation during advanced life support in out-of-hospital patients is associated with return of spontaneous circulation.

Introduction: By maintaining sufficient cerebral blood flow and oxygenation, the goal of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is to preserve the pre-arrest neurological state. To date, cerebral monitoring abilities during CPR have been limited. Therefore, we investigated the time-course of cerebral oxygen saturation values (rSO₂) during advanced life support in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Effect of minocycline on lumbar radicular neuropathic pain: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial with amitriptyline as a comparator.

Background: Less than 50% of patients experience sufficient pain relief with current drug therapy for neuropathic pain. Minocycline shows promising results in rodent models of neuropathic pain but was not studied in humans with regard to the treatment of neuropathic pain.

Methods: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, patients with subacute lumbar radicular pain received placebo, amitriptyline 25 mg, or minocycline 100 mg once a day (n = 20 per group) for 14 days.

500th birthday of Andreas Vesalius, the founder of modern anatomy: "vivitur ingenio, caetera mortis erunt" ("genius lives on, all else is mortal").

It is often said that regional anesthesia is the practice of applied anatomy. Therefore, it is fitting that on the occasion of his 500th birthday, we celebrate the life and work of the brilliant Flemish anatomist, Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564), the founder of modern anatomy.

Establishing the diagnosis of low back pain: patient selection for interventional pain medicine.

SUMMARY Low back pain is one of the most prominent healthcare problems but there is no gold standard for its diagnosis. Aspecific low back pain can be subdivided into radicular and mechanical pain. The diagnosis mainly relies on a combination of elements, such as medical history, physical examination, medical imaging and other possible additional tests.

Feasibility of absolute cerebral tissue oxygen saturation during cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Introduction: Current monitoring during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is limited to clinical observation of consciousness, breathing pattern and presence of a pulse. At the same time, the adequacy of cerebral oxygenation during CPR is critical for neurological outcome and thus survival. Cerebral oximetry, based on near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), provides a measure of brain oxygen saturation.

Effects of chronic administration of amitriptyline, gabapentin and minocycline on spinal brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression and neuropathic pain behavior in a rat chronic constriction injury model.

Background: In animal models of neuropathic pain (NP), promising results have been reported with the administration of minocycline, possibly through inhibition of spinal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression. No data are available on the effect of amitriptyline and gabapentin on spinal BDNF expression. If the mechanism of action of the latter drugs does not involve brain-derived NP inhibition, further clinical research in BDNF is warranted.

Cerebral tissue oxygen saturation during therapeutic hypothermia in post-cardiac arrest patients.

Aim Of The Study: This observational study was performed to assess the cerebral tissue oxygen saturation during and after therapeutic hypothermia in comatose patients after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Methods: We performed a prospective observational study on the cerebral tissue oxygen saturation (SctO(2)) in post-cardiac arrest patients treated with therapeutic hypothermia (TH) between March 2011 and April 2012. SctO(2) (measured by near-infrared spectroscopy) was non-invasively and continuously measured in 28 post-cardiac arrest patients during hypothermia and active rewarming.

A double-blind, randomized, multicenter study of MP4OX for treatment of perioperative hypotension in patients undergoing primary hip arthroplasty under spinal anesthesia.

Background: MP4OX (oxygenated polyethylene glycol-modified hemoglobin) is a novel oxygen therapeutic agent specifically developed to perfuse and oxygenate tissue at risk for ischemia and hypoxia. In this study, we investigated the ability of MP4OX to treat hypotensive episodes. In addition, the tolerability profile of MP4OX in a large surgical population was established.

Pulsed radiofrequency for the treatment of occipital neuralgia: a prospective study with 6 months of follow-up.

Background And Objectives: Occipital neuralgia is a paroxysmal nonthrobbing, stabbing pain in the area of the greater or lesser occipital nerve caused by irritation of these nerves. Although several therapies have been reported, no criterion standard has emerged. This study reports on the results of a prospective trial with 6 months of follow-up in which pulsed radiofrequency treatment of the greater and/or lesser occipital nerve was used to treat this neuralgia.

The role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in different animal models of neuropathic pain.

Even in present day pain therapy, neuropathic pain remains a challenge for clinicians to treat and a challenge for researchers to investigate. Different animal models have been developed to mimic neuropathic pain. Neurotrophins such as nerve growth factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor and neurotrophin 3 have been studied extensively in these models, yet few review articles concerning brain-derived neurotrophic factor have been published.

Increased cold allodynia following intrathecal N-methyl-D-aspartate in rats with a mononeuropathy.

NMDA receptors are involved in the modulation of neuropathic pain behavior and central sensitization. In vivo, this is mostly demonstrated by the use of specific antagonists such as MK801. Because studies evaluating the direct impact of spinal NMDA in neuropathic pain models are lacking, we performed a series of experiments to study the role of spinal NMDA injection on existing cold allodynia, as a measurement of neuropathic pain behavior in rodents.

Introduction of an operating room information management system improved overall operating room efficiency.

Operating Room (OR) information systems should manage the OR time, assigned to every surgeon, thereby minimizing the sum of costs of unused OR time and minimizing the costs of elective cases performed outside normal allocated OR time (excess OR-time). The aim of this paper is to illustrate how the introduction of an OR information system influenced daily OR activity performance. Since January 2001, we introduced an OR information system with a visual, airport-like, screen as central part, displaying all scheduled OR activity linked in real-time activity with all OR theatres.

The role of interleukin-6 in nociception and pain.

That IL-6 is an interesting target in the study of pain is underscored by its biomolecular properties, its localization after experimental pain, and its modulating effect on pain after administration.