Pain Management in the Older Adults: A Narrative Review.

With the increase in life expectancy in the United States, octogenarians and nonagenarians are more frequently seen in clinical practice. The older adults patients have multiple preexisting comorbidities and are on multiple medications, which can make pain management complex. Moreover, the older adults population often suffers from chronic pain related to degenerative processes, making medical management challenging.

The Landscape of Pain Medicine for Women Physicians: A Perspective.

Background: The gender bias in academic anesthesiology is well known. Women are not only a minority in the field but also underrepresented in leadership positions. Reported reasons for this underrepresentation include barriers to career advancement, lack of mentorship, and differences in compensation, among others.

Peripheral Nerve Stimulation for Pain Management: A Review.

Purpose Of Review: Peripheral nerve stimulation has seen a recent upsurge in utilization for various chronic pain conditions, specifically from a neuropathic etiology, where a single peripheral nerve can be pinpointed as a culprit for pain.

Recent Findings: There is conflicting evidence about the efficacy and long-term outcomes of peripheral nerve stimulation for chronic pain, with most studies being small sized. The focus of this article is to review available evidence for the utilization of peripheral nerve stimulation for chronic pain syndromes as well as upcoming evidence in the immediate postoperative realm.

Pain Management in the Elderly: A Narrative Review.

With the increase in life expectancy in the United States, octogenarians and nonagenarians are more frequently seen in clinical practice. The elderly patients have multiple preexisting comorbidities and are on multiple medications, which can make pain management complex. Moreover, the elderly population often suffers from chronic pain related to degenerative processes, making medical management challenging.

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery: Opioid Sparing Strategies After Discharge: A Review.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Many surgical subspecialties have developed enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols that focus on multimodal analgesia to limit opioid use during a hospital stay and improve patient recovery. Unfortunately, ERAS protocols do not extend to post-discharge patient care, and opioids continue to be over prescribed. The primary reason seems to be a lack of good quality research evaluating extended use of a multimodal analgesic approach.

The COVID-19 vaccine and interventional procedures: Exploring the relationship between steroid administration and subsequent vaccine efficacy.

Objective: Collate available evidence and provide guidance on whether to delay steroid injections after receiving a vaccine, and whether to delay vaccination if a recent steroid injection has been administered, leaving formal recommendations to various national societies.

Methods: A literature search was performed to identify information pertinent to steroid administration and the subsequent downstream effects on vaccine efficacy. The search was initiated on December 20, 2020, and the terms used were (steroid OR cortisone OR dexamethasone) AND (vaccine).

Driving Under the Influence of Cannabis: A Framework for Future Policy.

Marijuana is the most widely consumed illicit substance in the United States, and an increasing number of states have legalized it for both medicinal and recreational purposes. As it becomes more readily available, there will be a concurrent rise in the number of users and, consequently, the number of motor vehicle operators driving under the influence. This article examines the cognitive and psychomotor effects of cannabis, as well as current policy concerning driving under the influence of drugs.

Mechanisms and functional significance of inhibition of neuronal T-type calcium channels by isoflurane.

Previous data have indicated that T-type calcium channels (low-voltage activated T-channels) are potently inhibited by volatile anesthetics. Although the interactions of T-channels with a number of anesthetics have been described, the mechanisms by which these agents modulate channel activity, and the functional consequences of such interactions, are not well studied. Here, we used patch-clamp recordings to explore the actions of a prototypical volatile anesthetic, isoflurane (Iso), on recombinant human Ca(V)3.