PURPOSE To review the pattern of malpractice litigation related to regional anesthesia in Canada. SOURCE The Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) provided with information about all anesthesia claims that closed in the years 1990-1997. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS In the period 1990-97 there were 7,909 closed legal actions involving all CMPA members (56,000). Of these, there were 310 cases ...

BACKGROUND Many orthopaedic surgical procedures can be performed with either regional or general anesthesia. We hypothesized that total hip arthroplasty with regional anesthesia is associated with less postoperative morbidity and mortality than total hip arthroplasty with general anesthesia. METHODS This retrospective propensity-matched cohort study utilizing the American College of Surgeons ...

Microvascular surgery plays an important reconstructive role in the pediatric population. Successful outcomes rely on surgical technique as well as anesthesia. Regional anesthesia contributes to successful free tissue transfer through sympathetic blockade, postoperative pain control, and elimination of risks and costs associated with general anesthesia. While regional anesthesia in microsurgery...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Ultrasound guidance for regional anesthesia has gained enormous popularity during the past several years. This review article highlights the importance of acquiring an understanding and knowledge of human anatomy for well tolerated and effective performance of regional anesthesia; includes description of some of the major principles of ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia tec...

Most regional anesthesia in breast surgeries is performed as postoperative pain management under general anesthesia, and not as the primary anesthesia. Regional anesthesia has very few cardiovascular or pulmonary side-effects, as compared with general anesthesia. Pectoral nerve block is a relatively new technique, with fewer complications than other regional anesthesia. We performed Pecs I and ...

Objective: The data of the patients undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotomy under either regional or general anesthesia at our hospital were compared retrospectively in this study. Material and Methods: Demographic characteristics, mean hemoglobin decline, transfusion and ephedrine requirements, duration of surgery and anesthesia, length of hospital stay, and postoperative analgesic requirement...

The relative merits of general vs regional anesthesia for patients undergoing major vascular surgery has been the subject of debate over the past decade. Previous studies of regional vs general anesthesia often were deficient in experimental design and, therefore, did not produce definitive answers. Some of these deficiencies related to non-standardized, poorly conducted, and/or described gener...

1. Describe the indications for regional anesthesia in the pediatric patient, as well as appropriate patient selection criteria. 2. Enumerate the benefits of regional anesthesia for pain management, specific to the pediatric outpatient population. 3. Review the recent advances that have propelled regional anesthesia into everyday use including novel techniques, improved equipment, and refined a...