Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings最新文献

An erector spinae plane block (ESPB), in which a local anesthetic is injected into the plane anterior to the erector spinae muscles, is a relatively new technique for delivering regional anesthesia and is typically performed in the mid-thoracic region. ESPBs demonstrate great potential to control regional neuropathic pain, and, accordingly, may be particularly effective at the T1 level for controlling pain in patients undergoing first rib resections for thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS). Four patients undergoing first rib resections for TOS were administered an ultrasound-guided ESPB at the T1 level. Two patients received the injection sitting upright without general anesthesia; the other patients received the block in the lateral decubitus position while under general anesthesia. Each patient's postoperative pain was adequately controlled, and no complications were observed. T1 ESPBs offer the potential to mitigate postoperative pain. Better pain management may decrease the need for opioids and shorten recovery times. As such, further investigation to establish the safety and efficacy of T1 ESPBs in this patient population can greatly improve patient outcomes.

Multiple biologic agents are approved for the treatment of severe persistent asthma not controlled by inhaled corticosteroid/beta-agonist therapy. Appropriate phenotyping can aid in picking the right biologic for the right patient. Here is a unique case of a patient with severe asthma and respiratory arrest, with fraction of exhaled nitric oxide >300 ppb whose asthma became completely controlled with dupilumab.

Background: A new intervention called high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) targets fibroids with high-intensity ultrasound pulses using ultrasound probes. This noninvasive method, which can be carried out with either magnetic resonance imaging or ultrasound guidance, results in immediate coagulated necrosis within a clearly defined area a few millimeters in diameter.

Methods: This systematic review evaluated the safety of HIFU in the treatment of uterine fibroids regardless of site or size. We specifically aimed to determine the incidence of side effects that can occur during and after HIFU. We searched the PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Mendeley archive using only the terms HIFU and fibroid. After identifying 1077 studies of different types from 2014 to March 2024, 300 studies were screened and 60 included.

Results: According to Society of Interventional Radiology guidelines, class A adverse events (AEs) showed no significant results, and individuals with these AEs required no treatment and had no long-term consequences. Similarly, there were no class B significant results. However, 3943 of 10,204 patients (38%) complained of lower abdominal pain after the procedure, a class B AE, which resolved by analgesics. Further, 153 of 24,700 patients (0.6%) had skin burns, blisters, or nodules, and these issues resolved with conservative treatment. Additionally, 74 of 23,741 patients (0.3%) had hematuria; 882 of 5970 patients (14.7%) had abnormal vaginal discharge; 414 of 23,449 (1.7%) had vaginal bleeding; and 267 of 7598 (3.5%) had leg paresthesia. Major AEs (class C and D) were almost nonexistent, and the incidence of death in our study was zero.

Conclusion: HIFU ablation of uterine fibroids is generally safe, causing mostly mild side effects and very few severe complications. The relative safety of HIFU compared to other minimally invasive techniques, such as uterine artery embolization, still needs further evaluation.

Measles is a highly contagious viral illness mainly affecting the younger population worldwide despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine. The disease is caused by measles virus, a member of the Paramyxoviridea family, which is transmitted through aerosols and respiratory droplets. Widespread vaccination has led to a significant decline in morbidity and mortality worldwide; however, recent years have witnessed a resurgence of outbreaks in the United States, highlighting barriers in achieving and sustaining elimination goals. The measles and rubella elimination initiative, under Immunization Agenda 2030, required at least 5 World Health Organization regions to achieve measles elimination by 2020, but none of the regions met these goals. Vaccine hesitancy, virus importation via international travel, and waning immunity are considered contributing factors to the recent surge of measles outbreaks. This review highlights the challenges in the pursuit of measles eradication and the importance of a multidimensional approach involving public health interventions.

Background: The primary aim of our study was to determine which patient characteristics were associated with opioid consumption following cesarean delivery.

Methods: The Baylor Scott & White Research Institute institutional review board approved this study (024-178). Patients who underwent cesarean delivery at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Temple with single injection or combined spinal epidural anesthesia in 2023 were eligible for inclusion. We examined the medical records of 300 patients, calculated the 24-hour opioid consumption for each, and compared the top third to the low group in a bivariate analysis and then performed a multivariate logistic regression.

Results: One hundred thirty-one patients had no opioid consumption in the first 24 postoperative hours, and 100 patients had a morphine milligram consumption of 30 to 117.5 mg. A multivariate logistic regression determined that patients in the higher opioid consumption cohort were more likely to have received combined spinal epidural anesthesia (odds ratio 2.079; 95% confidence interval 1.149, 3.762; P = 0.02) and administration of intravenous dexmedetomidine in the intraoperative period (odds ratio 2.542; 95% confidence interval 1.038, 6.224; P = 0.04).

Conclusion: Intraoperative administration of intravenous dexmedetomidine and combined spinal epidural anesthesia was associated with increased postoperative opioid consumption following cesarean delivery.

Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is one of the most common spinal surgeries performed in the US but is associated with various morbidities. Esophageal perforation is one of the rarest complications of ACDF, but it is potentially fatal, therefore requiring timely detection and treatment. We present three cases of esophageal perforation after ACDF.

Background: In previous studies, there was an increase in mortality with secondary coinfections in all COVID-19 variants. However, no prior study has explored the association of coinfection with outcomes of hospitalized patients among the COVID-19 variants (Alpha, Delta, and Omicron).

Methods: This observational cohort study involved 21,186 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in 25 hospitals in Texas. Patients were divided into groups by surges of COVID-19: Alpha (November 1, 2020-February 10, 2021), Delta (July 10, 2021-October 14, 2021), and Omicron (December 21, 2021-March 3, 2022). Data were collected from electronic health records using methodology from the Viral Respiratory Illness Universal Study COVID-19 registry (NCT04323787) of COVID-19 hospitalizations. Multivariable Cox-proportional hazard regression model assessed the adjusted effect of different surge periods on mortality.

Results: Bacterial coinfections varied among hospitalization surges associated with Alpha (8.5%), Delta (11.7%), and Omicron (11.9%) variants. Adjusted analyses showed a higher 30-day and 90-day mortality in all variants when coinfections were present compared with isolated COVID-19 infection. In particular, 30-day and 90-day mortality were significantly worse with Delta compared to Alpha and Omicron.

Conclusions: All variants were associated with a higher mortality when bacterial coinfections were present. Delta was associated with a higher risk-adjusted mortality at 30 days and thereafter.