Anaesthesiology

A randomized, controlled trial provides the first strong evidence that remote ischemic preconditioning can reduce mortality among patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Patients who receive a lung-protective ventilation strategy during abdominal surgery benefit from better respiratory function and fewer signs of infection afterward, a study finds.

A simple scoring system allows anesthesiologists to reliably predict severe postoperative respiratory complications, researchers report in Anesthesiology.

Nitrous oxide administered to adult patients undergoing major elective open colorectal surgery is associated with DNA damage in peripheral leukocytes, a study finds

Use of ultrasound imaging helps to minimize adjustments, failures, and trauma during lumbar puncture or epidural catheterization, conclude the authors of a systematic review and meta-analysis.

There is a low rate of accidental awareness during general anesthesia in the UK, survey results show.

The risk for aspiration and other complications related to colonoscopy may be increased if the procedure is performed under propofol-induced deep sedation, US study findings suggest.

Researchers have identified electroencephalogram signatures of changes in consciousness caused by propofol.

Most fires in the operating room are caused by electrocautery, according to a US review of surgical malpractice claims.

Epidural analgesia provides more pain relief than continuous wound filtration with local anesthetic in patients undergoing fast-track open colorectal surgery, research shows.

Retrograde light-guided laryngoscopy is an effective alternative to conventional direct laryngoscopy for tracheal intubation and may also improve the success rates of novice laryngoscopists, suggest study findings.

Patients report “unexpectedly high” levels of pain after some relatively minor surgical procedures, including some laparoscopic procedures, say researchers.

A secondary analysis of two large clinical trials fails to settle the question of whether use of the bispectral index rather than end-tidal anesthetic concentration to monitor general anesthesia results in faster patient recovery.

Coil embolization of ruptured intracranial aneurysms can be performed using conscious sedation and local anesthesia, report clinicians.

A reduced dose of lidocaine may have advantages over a standard dose for detecting inadvertent intrathecal catheter placement during epidural anesthesia, but neither is wholly reliable, say researchers.

Postoperative complications occur in more than three-quarters of patients who have a cardiac arrest, shows research that suggests an opportunity for intervention.

Prophylactically administered intravenous acetaminophen could reduce postoperative nausea and vomiting, research suggests.

Competing visual demands and high background noise increase the risk for anesthesiologists missing pulse oximeter pitch changes, shows research.

Giving fibrinogen as first-line treatment for intraoperative bleeding could reduce the need for blood transfusion, shows a small randomized controlled trial.

Spinal anesthesia could reduce the risk for postoperative complications in select patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty, US researchers say.