Burnout in Certified Anesthesiologist Assistants.

Certified anesthesiologist assistants (CAAs) are Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) within the anesthesia care team. This research evaluated their burnout. CAAs were surveyed nationally about their professional/work characteristics, perceived fairness of salary/benefits compared to certified registered nurse anesthetists/CAAs, the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS), the Conditions for Work Effectiveness Questionnaire II, and questions regarding wellness resources at their place of employment. The survey was completed by 457 respondents (19.7%). Of them, 110 (24.1%) scored high on the Emotional Exhaustion subscale of the MBI-HSS. Factors associated with greater emotional exhaustion included younger age, full-time status, perception that salary/benefits were unfair/inadequate compared to other CAAs, more information about the state of their employer and related values/goals of administration, but fewer resources (i.e., time), lower job-related empowerment, and lower formal power. Forty-seven (10.3%) scored high on the Depersonalization subscale. Factors associated with greater depersonalization include younger age, full-time status, more information about state of employer and related values/goals, but less global empowerment, which predicted greater depersonalization. CAAs may report lower levels of burnout compared to other professionals in the anesthesia team but are, nonetheless, susceptible to effects of burnout. Both leaders of organizations and the APPs themselves hold responsibility in protecting against burnout.

A Preliminary Survey Examining Predictors of Burnout in Pain Medicine Physicians in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Burnout is a prolonged response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors on the job, defined by 3 dimensions: exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment. While there is a growing body of research on burnout in physicians, there is a dearth of literature on burnout in pain medicine physicians. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the incidence of burnout amongst pain medicine physicians and whether there are sociodemographic or psychological demand characteristics of the job setting that predict burnout in pain medicine physicians. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-section survey of pain medicine physicians across the United States. METHODS: Pain medicine physicians were asked questions on sociodemographics and professional characteristics and measures of decisional authority, psychological job demands, job insecurity, perceived coworker support, and job dissatisfaction. RESULTS: Two hundred seven pain medicine physicians' responses were analyzed, 60.4% reported high emotional exhaustion, 35.7% reported high depersonalization, and 19.3% reported low personal accomplishment. Greater psychological job demands and greater job dissatisfaction predicted greater emotional exhaustion. Younger age and greater job dissatisfaction predicted higher depersonalization. Lastly, lower coworker support and greater job dissatisfaction predicted lower personal accomplishment. There were no statistical violations of assumptions or collinearity. LIMITATIONS: Low response rate and potential for response bias limit generalizability of the study. CONCLUSION(S): Pain medicine physicians in the United States reported high levels of emotional exhaustion, often considered the most taxing aspect of burnout. Job dissatisfaction appeared to be the leading agent in the development of all 3 components of burnout in pain medicine physicians in the United States.

Rates of lead migration and stimulation loss in spinal cord stimulation: a retrospective comparison of laminotomy versus percutaneous implantation.

BACKGROUND: Neuromodulation has been used to treat neuropathic pain. Leads have been implanted using laminotomy or percutaneous approaches. Laminotomy implantation has been shown to be superior in terms of lead migration when compared to percutaneous implantation. Lead migration has been reported as high as 68% with the percutaneous approach. Because of this, newer anchors have been developed but not tested in vivo. OBJECTIVES: This study tests the hypothesis that newer anchoring systems have improved lead migration rates for percutaneous leads relative to laminotomy leads to the point of parity. This study also analyzed if factors such as laterality of symptoms, lead type, level of implant and diagnosis affect migration rates. STUDY DESIGN: Neurostimulators implanted in the thoracolumbar spine at Henry Ford Hospital between 2006 and 2008 were reviewed for the following: age, sex, diagnosis, lead type, and implant level. Implants were reviewed for the following: age, sex, diagnosis, lead type, implant level, implant method, symptom laterality, loss of stimulation, radiographic lead migration, and time to loss. Loss of capture and lead migration in the laminotomy and percutaneous groups were compared using Fisher's exact test. Variables within each group included: lead type, level of implantation, location of symptoms, and diagnosis. They were compared using Fisher's exact test. Time to loss of stimulation was compared using the Wilcoxon 2-sample test. SETTING: Pain Clinic, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI. RESULTS: Laminotomies were performed by a single neurosurgeon and percutaneous implants were performed by a single pain medicine specialist. Percutaneous leads were anchored using Titan (Medtronic Corporation, Minneapolis, MN) anchors. Loss of capture was 24% laminotomy and 23% percutaneous with no significant difference between the 2 groups (P = 0.787). Radiographic evidence of migration was 13.63% percutaneous and 12.67% laminotomy with no significant difference (P = 0.999). The average days to loss of stimulation for the laminotomy versus percutaneous were as follows: 124.82 and 323.6 which were not statistically significant. There was no statistical difference in the days to loss of capture between the groups (P = 0.060). There was no significant difference between unilateral or bilateral symptoms in loss of capture within either group (P = 0.263, P = 0.326). There was not enough data to do comparisons by diagnosis. Comparisons of loss of capture based on electrode type was not significant in either group (P = 0.687, P = 0.371). The effect of the spinal level on the lack of recapture rates was not able to be calculated due to the number of levels. LIMITATIONS: Retrospective study. CONCLUSION: Rates of stimulation loss and radiographic lead migration are similar for both laminotomy and percutaneous implantation. Time to loss of stimulation was not statistically different in either group, although there was a trend toward laminotomy leads migrating earlier. Lead type and laterality of symptoms do not affect lead migration rates. The effect of the level of implant and diagnosis was indeterminate.

Treatment of refractory hip pain with sodium hyaluronate (Hyalgan(c)) in a patient with the Marshall-Smith Syndrome: A case report.

The Marshall Smith Syndrome (MSS) is a rare congenital disorder, displaying a constellation of unique symptoms, including orofacial dysmorphisms, accelerated osseous maturation and dysplasias, mental retardation, and respiratory maladies. Few individuals with MSS survive past early childhood. In this case report, we describe a unique treatment for a 30 year-old patient with MSS who presented to our pain medicine clinic for management of pain secondary to uncontrolled bilateral hip dysplasias.

Coronary artery spasm occurring in the setting of the oculocardiac reflex.

The oculocardiac reflex (OCR) occurs in up to 90% of ophthalmological surgeries. Several preventive and treatment strategies have been described. Coronary artery spasm (CAS) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of variant angina and myocardial infarction. We describe an unusual case of a perioperative myocardial infarction due to CAS that occurred in the setting of the treatment of the OCR. We offer insight aimed at minimizing the deleterious effects of the OCR and its management.

A randomized, double-blind, prospective study comparing the efficacy of continuous versus pulsed radiofrequency in the treatment of lumbar facet syndrome.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To compare the efficacy of continuous radiofrequency (CRF) thermocoagulation with pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) in the treatment of lumbar facet syndrome. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, double-blinded study. SETTING: Ambulatory pain clinic at a level-I trauma center and teaching institution. PATIENTS: 50 ASA physical status I, II, and III patients, at least 18 years of age, scheduled to undergo CRF or PRF for lumbar back pain. INTERVENTIONS: Target facet joints were identified with oblique radiographic views. Continuous radiofrequency thermocoagulation was delivered at 80 degrees C for 75 seconds, while PRF was delivered at 42 degrees C with a pulse duration of 20 ms and pulse rate of two Hz for 120 seconds. MEASUREMENTS: Visual analog scale (VAS) pain assessment and Oswestry Low Back Pain and Disability Questionnaire (OSW) were administered at baseline and then at three months. Comparisons between groups and within groups were made of the relative percentage improvement in VAS and OSW scores. MAIN RESULTS: No significant differences in the relative percentage improvement were noted between groups in either VAS (P = 0.46) or OSW scores (P = 0.35). Within the PRF group, comparisons of the relative change over time for both VAS (P = 0.21) and OSW scores (P = 0.61) were not significant. However, within the CRF group, VAS (P = 0.02) and OSW scores (P = 0.03) showed significant improvement. CONCLUSIONS: Although there was no significant difference between CRF and PRF therapy in long-term outcome in the treatment of lumbar facet syndrome, there was a greater improvement over time noted within the CRF group.

Significant hypoglycemia secondary to icodextrin peritoneal dialysate in a diabetic patient.

Icodextrin, a peritoneal dialysate commonly used in the renal failure patient with diabetes, may lead to an overestimation of blood glucose levels as determined by bedside glucometers. This spurious hyperglycemia can lead to significant morbidity if unrecognized. We describe a case of severe hypoglycemia caused by an unappreciated overestimation of blood glucose in a diabetic patient with concomitant chronic renal failure requiring peritoneal dialysis with icodextrin.

Coronary vasospasm leading to an acute myocardial infarction after the administration of dolasetron.

The 5-hydroxytryptamine antagonists are commonly used agents for the treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting. However, these drugs can have significant cardiovascular adverse effects. We report a case of acute myocardial infarction after administration of dolasetron in a 17-year-old adolescent girl during strabismus corrective surgery.