Nitrous oxide, also known as dinitrogen monoxide, laughing gas or nitrous, is an inhaled anesthetic that produces insensibility to pain preceded by mild laughing.1 Because inhalation of small amounts of the…

Herbal and dietary factors can affect the metabolism and transport of a wide variety of drugs.1 For example, grapefruit has well-known interactions with more than 85 medications, which result in impaired drug metabolism and higher drug concentrations.2 Fasting before…

The electronic medical record (EMR) has the potential to improve patient care through electronic documentation and viewing, prescription and test ordering, care management reminders and clinician-patient messaging.1 EMRs allow health care…

Nonpharmacologic treatments provide alternatives to medication for issues ranging from chronic insomnia1 to hypertension.2 Among nonpharmacologic treatments are those involving electrical stimulation, which is administered to treat soft-tissue injuries,3 cardiac arrest4 and a variety…

General anesthesia can be crucial to easing a patient’s pain and anxiety during a procedure.1 However, general anesthesia often comes with an extensive recovery time and unpleasant side effects.1 Depending on the…

Breastfeeding can have long-lasting effects on a child and maternal health. Benefits of breastfeeding include prevention of child infections and malocclusion (i.e., imperfect teeth positioning), increases in intelligence and probable reduction in the incidence of diabetes.1 Making breastfeeding universal could…

Regional anesthesia has enjoyed many advancements in its practice worldwide, but the most revolutionary advancement within the field has been the use of ultrasound.  Ultrasound has been shown to lead…

While it is possible to place catheters at various anatomic locations, they are not equivalent in terms of analgesic benefit. Likewise, analgesia during the infusion has been demonstrated in several…

The technique for placement of nerve catheters has evolved over time, initially being done using anatomic landmarks and either subjective paresthesia, fascial “click” or fluoroscopic visualization. By the 1970s, the…