Postoperative pain scores and opioid use after standard bupivacaine vs. liposomal bupivacaine regional blocks for abdominal cancer surgery: A propensity score matched study.

Background: Fascial plane blocks (FPBs) are widely used for abdominal surgery with the assumption that liposomal bupivacaine (LB) is more effective than standard bupivacaine (SB).

Methods: This was a single-institution retrospective cohort study of patients administered FPBs with LB or SB ​+ ​admixtures (dexamethasone/dexmedetomidine) for open abdominal cancer surgery. Propensity score matching generated a 2:1 (LB:SB) matched cohort.

Nasal continuous positive pressure versus simple face mask oxygenation for adult obese and obstructive sleep apnea patients undergoing colonoscopy under propofol-based general anesthesia without tracheal intubation: A randomized controlled trial.

Study Objective: To determine if a nasal positive airway pressure (nasal CPAP) mask would decrease the number of hypoxemic events in obese and obstructive sleep apnea patients undergoing colonoscopy.

Design: Single-center prospective randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Tertiary academic center.

Enhanced recovery after scheduled cesarean delivery: a prospective pre-post intervention study.

Objective: To assess whether an early recovery after surgery (ERAS) pathway after scheduled cesarean delivery was associated with a reduction in postoperative length of stay compared with standard perioperative care.

Methods: This was a prospective pre- and post-intervention study. Women were included if they were between 18 and 45 years of age and delivered a singleton, term, non-anomalous fetus scheduled cesarean delivery by a provider within an academic practice.

Anesthesiology Resident Performance on the US Medical Licensing Examination Predicts Success on the American Board of Anesthesiology BASIC Staged Examination: An Observational Study.

Background: Correlation has been found between the US Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 examination results and anesthesiology resident success on American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) examinations. In 2014, the ABA instituted the BASIC examination at the end of the postgraduate year-2 year. We hypothesized a similar predictive value of USMLE scores on BASIC examination success.

Posterior Quadratus Lumborum Block for Labor Analgesia: A Case Report.

Neuraxial analgesia has been established as the standard of care for labor analgesia. However, patients presenting with coagulopathy require anesthesiologists to explore alternate analgesic techniques. Systemic opioids may result in neonatal respiratory depression, and inhaled nitrous oxide may lead to nausea, vomiting, and over sedation and may not be readily available in all labor and delivery units.

Opioid-Free Cesarean Section with Bilateral Quadratus Lumborum Catheters.

Introduction: Post-operative pain control following cesarean section delivery (CD) is an important topic of discussion given the lack of consensus on a narcotic-sparing analgesic regimen. We describe the case of an elective CD with narcotic-free pain control using continuous bilateral posterior quadratus lumborum (QL) blockade as the primary mode of analgesia.

Case Report: The patient is a 36-year-old female, G3P1, who presented at 37 weeks of gestation in active labor scheduled for elective primary CD.

Perioperative Acute Kidney Injury.

Perioperative organ injury is among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality of surgical patients. Among different types of perioperative organ injury, acute kidney injury occurs particularly frequently and has an exceptionally detrimental effect on surgical outcomes. Currently, acute kidney injury is most commonly diagnosed by assessing increases in serum creatinine concentration or decreased urine output.

Impact of serratus plane block on pain scores and incentive spirometry volumes after chest trauma.

Adequate pain control is difficult to achieve in patients with multiple rib fractures (MRF). Serratus plane block (SPB) is a novel technique for alleviating rib fracture pain. Several published case reports support this hypothesis.

Dramatic change in cerebral oximetry during liver transplantation.

We report dramatic changes in bilateral cerebral tissue oxygenation in a patient undergoing an orthotopic liver transplant coincident with clamping and subsequent restoration of flow through the inferior vena cava. Although hemodynamic stability was maintained with low-dose vasopressor support, cardiac output was decreased, suggesting preload dependence of the measured cerebral oxygenation. Further investigation is warranted in patients with end-stage liver disease and interruption of venous return.

The New Kidney Donor Allocation System and Implications for Anesthesiologists.

Given potential disparity and limited allocation of deceased donor kidneys for transplantation, a new federal kidney allocation system was implemented in 2014. Donor organ function and estimated recipient survival in this system has implications for perioperative management of kidney transplant recipients. Early analysis suggests that many of the anticipated goals are being attained.

Reliability of a faculty evaluated scoring system for anesthesiology resident applicants (Original Investigation).

Study Objective: To assess reliability and reproducibility of a recently instituted anesthesiology resident applicant interview scoring system at our own institution.

Design: Retrospective evaluation of 2 years of interview data with a newly implemented scoring system using randomly assigned interviewing faculty.

Setting: Interview scoring evaluations were completed as standard practice in a large academic anesthesiology department.