Patients with centralized pain (fibromyalgia-like phenotype) are less likely to respond to a type of facet joint pain treatment called radiofrequency ablation (RFA), according to the results of a study from researchers at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI.
Physician education and training about LGBTQ medical needs are much needed to improve their attitudes and skills in treating LGBTQ patients and increase patients’ satisfaction with their medical care.
Providing anesthesia and pain medicine to patients taking anticoagulants can be dangerous due to serious drug interactions. This app gives doctors access to warnings and critical information related to the many drug interactions based on the most up-to-date guidelines available.
Anesthesiologists across the world are experiencing severe shortages of anesthetic medications that are key to providing safe and effective patient care. The result is work-arounds – finding other approaches that can result in the best possible outcomes. Physicians and other clinicians will discuss their personal experiences and challenges as well as methods they’ve found to manage this crisis during an informal, open-format discussion on Saturday, April 21st at 11:30 am in the O’Neill Room on the 4th Floor. Dr. Edward Mariano, chief of the Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care Service and associate chief of staff for inpatient surgical services at VA Palo Alto Health Care System, will moderate the discussion. Members of the press are invited to attend to learn more about the challenges and threats these shortages pose and strategies to manage until more supplies are produced and distributed. Read more here.
Researchers are continually working to find treatments that reduce the need for opioids and better manage patient pain. One example is the use of peripheral nerve blocks in patients undergoing the common procedure of a knee replacement. Dr. David Kim of the Hospital for Special Surgery will discuss his findings with the media during a briefing on Saturday April 21st at 9 am in the Press Room (Gilbert) on 4th Floor. Dr. Kim received a Best of Meeting Abstract Award for the 2018 World Congress on Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine. His abstract can be viewed here.
Known for his pioneering work on the development and use of propofol as well as perineural catheters for continuous nerve blocks, Dr. Alain Borgeat of Switzerland has been awarded the prestigious Gaston Labat Award for his many contributions to research and education in regional anesthesia and pain medicine.
ASRA has announced the 2018 recipients of three of its research grants including the inaugural recipients of ASRA's new Young Investigator and Graduate Student Awards. The studies have implications for patients with cancer, reduced opioid use, and potential local anesthetic options.
Pulsed wave Doppler (PWD) shows potential as a marker to verify catheter tip location in patients receiving peripheral nerve and epidural catheters for surgery.
Patient safety is the focus of newly published updates to consensus statements that address the use of antithrombotic drugs by individuals who may require regional anesthesia or interventions targeting acute or chronic pain.
Dr. Kellie Jaremko, MD, PhD, an anesthesiology resident at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, has been named ASRA’s 2018 Resident/Fellow of the Year.
Hip fracture, general vs regional, spine surgery among the topics of Best of Meeting Abstracts selected for special presentation at ASRA's 2018 World Congress on Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
Gregory A. Liguori, MD, of the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) and Weill Cornell Medical College has been selected to receive ASRA’s 2018 Distinguished Service Award at the 2018 World Congress on Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine in New York City.
The MINT Trials are irredeemably flawed by study design, patient selection, procedural technique, and data analysis. That's the conclusion of a statement signed November 21st by the Multisociety Pain Workgroup (MPW), a collection of pain societies comprised of physicians who prescribe and/or perform interventional spine procedures to accurately diagnose and treat patients suffering from spine pathologies.
Researchers at Mayo Clinic have identified which patients benefit from costly diagnostic testing to identify cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks and those who can be treated with less invasive testing. CSF leaks lead to a condition called hypovolemia which can cause disabling headaches and even dementia syndrome.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have identified patient attributes associated with better outcomes from radiofrequency ablation of lumbar facet joints. Lumbar facet problems account for 25% of chronic low back pain.
According to research published in Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, using more than one type of pain medicine to target different pain pathways has been shown to decrease pain while reducing side effects of knee replacement surgery.
According to research published in Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, the type of needle used in certain kinds of anesthesia is not linked to post-dural puncture headache.
According to research published in Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, the use of regional anesthesia is associated with lower levels of inflammation and a better immune response in breast cancer surgery patients.
A study conducted by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center found that IV dexamethasone did not prolong nerve blocks but did decrease the amount of pain medicine needed and extended the time before the first pain medicine was requested.
Resident at Cleveland Clinic responsible for organizing popular ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia workshops has been named ASRA's Resident/Fellow of the Year.
A study by Hannah Xu and colleagues at the New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical College has been selected as an ASRA Best of Meeting Abstract. The research found higher mortality, readmission rates, and postoperative complications in patients with Medicaid and non-private insurance undergoing total hip replacement than those with private insurance.
Dr. Nigel Sharrock will present the prestigious Gaston Labat Award Lectureship on April 8th at the Excellence in ASRA Awards Luncheon, held in conjunction with the 42nd Annual Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Meeting in San Francisco, CA.
ASRA Member Shalini Shah, MD, of the University of California, Irvine, is the principal investigator of the latest study to be awarded ASRA's Chronic Pain Research Grant.
The opioid crisis in America is the result of a number of complicating factors and, therefore, does not have a simple solution. Addressing this important issue requires a comprehensive, multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary approach, according to the authors of ASRA's Statement on the Opioid Crisis, approved by the Board of Directors at its November 2016 meeting.
When developing a plan to care for elderly patients with hip fractures, amassing a multidisciplinary team is the first step. With all stakeholders present charting the patient’s journey from arrival to discharge, a discussion of all areas of care and opportunities to reduce unwanted variability and improve care can take place.
Pain physicians face many challenges in addressing the use of marijuana for chronic pain. Although evidence supports its use, many questions remain. ASRA is asking that marijuana be rescheduled and that clinical research guidelines be developed so that physicians can act in the best interest of their patients.
ASRA has selected five "Best of Meeting" abstracts and three "Resident/Fellow Travel Award" winners for the 15th Annual Pain Medicine Meeting to be held November 17-19 in San Diego. Abstracts can be viewed at https://www.asra.com/page/1330/best-of-meeting-awards
Honorio T. Benzon, MD, has been named the 2016 John J. Bonica Award recipient by the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA). The award is named for John J. Bonica, MD, who championed the collaboration of multidisciplinary specialists in the evaluation and treatment of patients with pain. Awardees embody the ideals of John Bonica and his passion for pain medicine as manifested through their contributions to research, teaching, and clinical practice.
The Carl Koller Memorial Research Grant has been awarded to Harsha Shanthanna, MBBS, MD, MSc, to conduct a study addressing post-surgical pain after thoracoscopic surgery.
Vincent W.S. Chan, MD, FRCPC, received the prestigious Gaston Labat Award on Saturday, April 2nd, at the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine Meeting in New Orleans, LA.
Dr. Santhanam Suresh, chair of the Department of Anesthesiology and director of the Pain Management Team at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, was awarded ASRA’s Distinguished Service Award during a ceremony held April 2nd in conjunction with the Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Meeting in New Orleans, LA.
Patients receiving ACB demonstrated statistically significant increases in quadriceps muscle strength, which is potentially associated with a quicker return to mobility.
The use of peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs) is associated with better medical and economic outcomes in patients receiving hip and knee replacement, according to research being presented at the 41st Annual Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Meeting.
Thousands of patients with low-back pain could be left without access to potentially helpful treatments as a result of a recent study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) that is likely to influence reimbursement decision making.
Pain specialists at the 14th Annual Pain Medicine Meeting in Miami, FL, this past week, explained why the “AHRQ Technology Assessment Report: Pain Management Injection Therapies for Low Back Pain” is flawed and steps that the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA), along with 13 other pain medicine groups, collectively known as the Multisociety Pain Workgroup (MPW) are taking to bring these concerns to regulatory groups.