Postanesthesia Care

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October 2024
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Safe postop patient recovery: A day in the PACU leader role

Critical assessment and rapid response are essentials skills for perioperative staff members, and that goes double for perioperative leadership. Patient-centered leadership is a must. Like the OR, the postanesthesia care unit (PACU, formerly referred to as the “recovery room”) is a critical care area plagued by an influx of new…

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By: Tarsilla Moura
March 22, 2024
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Obstructive sleep apnea associated with risk of postoperative delirium

Editor's Note Patients with a history of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have a higher risk of delirium after high-complexity surgeries but not after those of moderate complexity, according to findings published in the March issue of Anesthesia and Analgesia.   The study included 46,352 hospital patients older than 60 years who…

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By: Matt Danford
March 7, 2024
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Negative pressure wound therapy reduces SSI across surgical specialties

Editor's Note Compared with standard wound dressings, single-use negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) devices can reduce the incidence of surgical site infection (SSI) in at-risk patients with closed surgical incisions across a range of surgical specialties, according to a data review highlighted in the February issue of the American Journal…

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By: Matt Danford
March 6, 2024
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Study: Microglia help awaken the brain from anesthesia, protect neurons from aftereffects

Editor's Note A new study finds that the same cells that are involved in preventing damage to the central nervous system – called microglia – help to awaken the brain following anesthesia. The findings appeared January 4 in the journal Nature.  Using electron-microscopy-based synaptic reconstruction, the researchers could see the…

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By: Brita Belli
March 5, 2024
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Analgesic clinical trials failing to assess movement-evoked postoperative pain

Editor's Note Most surgical studies still do not report movement-evoked postoperative pain despite the recommendations of expert consensus groups, according to findings published November 27 in Anesthesiology. Researchers came to essentially the same conclusion upon re-evaluating the assessment of pain at rest and movement-evoked pain in 2011. In this updated…

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By: Matt Danford
March 5, 2024
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Complementing Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) with nursing guide application improves early postoperative outcomes

Editor's Note Following up with a nursing guide in addition to the the modified early warning score (MEWS) helps reduce early postoperative complications, according to the results of a recent clinical trial. Nursing guide application in patients followed up according to MEWS also decreased ISCU admission, decreased MEWS and increased…

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By: Matt Danford
February 28, 2024
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Study: Nurses offer untapped potential to assess patient discharge readiness

Editor's Note Although few strategies for reducing readmission rates leverage nurse input, nurses are well-placed to identify patients most at risk, according to a study published in the March issue of the journal Medical Care. The authors note that older Medicare beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions (MCCs) continue to experience…

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By: Matt Danford
February 28, 2024
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Bedside portable device offers real-time monitoring for pancreatic fistulas, other conditions

Editor's Note Researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and the University Hospital Dresden (UKD) have developed a portable, droplet-based millifluidic device that can monitor patients for postoperative pancreatic fistula in the critical first days after surgery. The same technology might also be expanded to analyze other body fluids and diseases.…

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By: Matt Danford
February 27, 2024
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Study: Intrathecal morphine reduces post-op opioid need in open prostate, kidney surgeries

Editor's Note A recent study suggests a single dose of intrathecal morphine provides long-lasting analgesia and reduces the need for postoperative systemic administration of opioids after painful open urological procedures. The Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing published the data January 31. Intrathecal opioid administration is an attractive technique in these surgeries…

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By: Matt Danford
February 20, 2024
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Soundproof headphones alleviate orthopedic surgery discomfort

Editor's Note: Soundproof headphones may improve physiological indices and decrease length of stay in the PACU for orthopedic surgery patients under spinal anesthesia, according to a study published January 4 in the Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing. Aiming to investigate the effect of wearing soundproof headphones during orthopedic surgery under spinal…

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By: Matt Danford
January 12, 2024
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