Breathlessness, cough, and other respiratory problems
Breathlessness Breathlessness has non-physical as well as physical aspects and, like pain, can be defined by what a patient says it is. It is the unpleasant sensation of being unable…
The principles of control of cancer pain
The WHO analgesic ladder The analgesic ladder remains the mainstay of our approach to analgesia, though this was never designed for use in isolation. Surgery, radiotherapy, and appropriate tumoricidal treatments…
Depression, anxiety, and confusion
Causes Depression and anxiety are usually reactions to the losses and threats of the medical illness. Other risk factors often contribute. Confusion usually reflects an organic mental disorder from one…
The principles of palliative care
Components of palliative care Palliative care is recognised by individualised, holistic models of care, delivered carefully, sensitively, ethically, and therapeutically by using skilled communication with attention to detail, meticulous assessment,…
Brachial Plexus Blocks
Figure 12.1. Brachial plexus overview: The ventral roots of the fifth cervical through the first thoracic spinal nerves form the brachial plexus. The upper and lower pairs of roots merge,…
Spinal Anesthesia
Figure 6.1. Vertebral column, lateral (A) and posterior (B) views, illustrating the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, and coccygeal segments. Note the curvatures, intervertebral foramina, and interlaminar spaces. (Adapted from Cousins…
Sacral Plexus-Sciatic Nerve Blocks
Figure 16.1. Deep anatomy of the sciatic nerve. The nerve exits the pelvis through the sciatic notch and travels behind the femur to bifurcate just above the knee into the…
Lumbar Plexus Blocks
Figure 15.1. Overview of the lumbosacral plexus. The origin of the lumbosacral plexus is broader than the brachial plexus in the cervical region. The roots of the lumbar plexus emerge…
Epidural Anesthesia
Figure 7.1. Anatomy of the bony and ligamentous components of the lumbar spine. The same structures are present at all vertebral levels although the shapes of the structures differ with…
Postoperative Pain Management
7. Overall, this delivery system has been highly effective in providing appropriate analgesia for postoperative patients. a. PCA, when compared to nurse-administered opioids, whether IV or IM, provides better analgesia…
