1 Why would you perform a peripheral nerve block? Nerve blocks are generally performed for two major indications: anesthesia or analgesia. An anesthetic peripheral nerve block may allow a patient to avoid general anesthesia and periprocedural pain medication. This can…
1 What are the indications and contraindications for regional anesthesia? Peripheral nerve blocks can provide surgical anesthesia and/or intra- and postoperative analgesia for upper and lower limb, thoracic, abdominal, breast, and head and neck surgeries. Common surgeries performed with nerve…
1 What are the major indications for electroconvulsive therapy treatment? In the United States, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is used mainly to help treat patients with severe major depressive disorder, largely as a secondary treatment, after one or more trials of…
1 What types of orthopedic surgical operations are performed on the shoulder? The types of shoulder operations that are commonly performed include: arthroscopy for shoulder debridement, impingement syndrome, SLAP repair (superior labrum anterior and posterior), shoulder dislocation, and frozen shoulder,…
1 How do anesthetic requirements differ during various time points in a craniotomy? A craniotomy is unique in that the level of nociceptive stimulus varies greatly and the portions of the procedure that require deep anesthesia are mostly at the…
1 What are the common indications for spine surgery? By-and-large, spinal deformity is the most common reason a patient requires surgery. Causes of the deformity are usually developmental, such as scoliosis, or degenerative processes. Other reasons for spine surgery include…
1 What are the indications for lung isolation? The absolute indications for lung isolation include: 1. Protection of a healthy lung from contamination by a diseased lung (i.e., hemorrhage, pulmonary infection, or bronchopulmonary lavage) 2. Provision of differential lung ventilation…
1 What are the main functions of the cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) circuit? The CPB circuit functions as the temporary equivalent of the native cardiopulmonary system. The CPB circuit allows for perfusion of the patient's vital organs, while oxygenating the blood…
1 What are some examples of major vascular surgery? Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR): stents passed through an artery (usually femoral) and guided to the aorta via fluoroscopy without operating directly on the aorta. Open aortic surgery: direct repair of the…
1 What are the benefits of minimally invasive procedures? Improvements in scope technology have allowed many procedures to be performed without large surgical incisions, affording the patient rapid recovery of function, less postoperative pain and analgesic requirements, improved postoperative pulmonary…