Pamela M Maxson

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research | MMS · Department of Nursing

Nurse-to-nurse beside handoff allows the oncoming nurse to visualize the patient and ask questions of the previous nurse. It encourages pateints to be involved actively in their care and allows standardized communication between nursing shifts. Patient handoff between nurses at shift change has been an important process in clinical nursing practice...

This review provides an update on the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia and the pharmacologic considerations for perioperative care. By age 85 years, approximately 90% of men have prostate histologic characteristics consistent with benign prostatic hyperplasia. Pharmacologic treatment with an alpha(1) receptor antagonist may reduce symptoms...

Accelerated recovery pathways may reduce length of hospital stay after surgery but there are few data on minimally invasive colorectal operations. An enhanced recovery pathway (ERP) was instituted, including preoperative analgesia, limited intravenous fluids and opiates, and early feeding. Intrathecal analgesia was administered as needed, but epidu...

Background: This study was undertaken to determine whether interdisciplinary high-fidelity simulation training improves group cohesion in nurse-physician teams. In addition, perceptions of collaboration and satisfaction with patient care decisions were measured in nurse-physician participants. Methods: Clinical scenarios relevant to the general sur...

This is the third part of a three-part series describing how an enhanced recovery clinical pathway uses a multidisciplinary team to reduce postoperative stress and complications, improve recovery, and decrease hospital length of stay without affecting patient safety for patients undergoing colorectal surgery. Last month, multimodal analgesia and st...

This is the second part of a three-part series describing how an enhanced recovery clinical pathway uses a multidisciplinary team to reduce postoperative stress and complications, improve recovery, and decrease hospital length of stay without affecting patient safety for patients undergoing colorectal surgery. Last month, patient education and disc...

This is the first part of a three-part series describing how an enhanced recovery clinical pathway uses a multidisciplinary team to reduce postoperative stress and complications, improve recovery, and decrease hospital length of stay without affecting patient safety for patients undergoing colorectal surgery. This part discusses patient education a...

This study was undertaken to determine whether interdisciplinary high-fidelity simulation training improves group cohesion in nurse-physician teams. In addition, perceptions of collaboration and satisfaction with patient care decisions were measured in nurse-physician participants. Clinical scenarios relevant to the general surgical urology inpatie...

To determine whether interdisciplinary simulation team training can positively affect registered nurse and/or physician perceptions of collaboration in clinical decision making. Between March 1 and April 21, 2009, a convenience sample of volunteer nurses and physicians was recruited to undergo simulation training consisting of a team response to 3...

This study compared outcomes of a fast-track postoperative program implemented for patients undergoing laparoscopic colorectal surgery on 2 surgical units to patients receiving traditional postoperative care following laparoscopic colorectal surgery prior to implementation of the fast-track program. The primary aim was to determine if there was a s...

Previous studies suggest that intraoperative anesthetic care may influence postoperative pain and recovery from surgery. The authors tested the hypothesis that the addition of intrathecal analgesia to general anesthesia would improve long-term functional status and decrease pain in patients undergoing radical retropubic prostatectomy. One hundred p...

Patients with metastatic carcinoid tumours often undergo surgical procedures to reduce the tumour burden and associated debilitating symptoms. These procedures and anaesthesia can precipitate a life‐threatening carcinoid crisis. To assess perioperative outcomes, we studied retrospectively the medical records of adult patients from 1983 to 1996 who...

Unlabelled: Pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas are often surgically curable. However, resection of these tumors can be life threatening. We undertook this study to determine the frequency of, and risk factors for, perioperative complications in patients undergoing resection of pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma. We retrospectively reviewed the me...

The goal of this project was to study the frequency and natural history of perioperative lower extremity neuropathies. A prospective evaluation of lower extremity neuropathies in 991 adult patients undergoing general anesthetics and surgical procedures while positioned in lithotomy was performed. Patients were assessed with use of a standard questi...

To determine the percentage of patients hospitalized after an alcohol-related motor vehicle crash (MVC) who underwent a screening evaluation for alcohol abuse/dependence and had a diagnosis of alcohol abuse/dependence. Medical and emergency trauma records were reviewed retrospectively for 1994 through 1996 to identify patients who were hospitalized...

The goal of this study was to determine if the combination of surgery and anesthesia is an independent risk factor for the development of incident (first-time) ischemic stroke. All residents of Rochester, MN, with incident ischemic stroke from 1960 through 1984 (1,455 cases and 1,455 age- and gender-matched controls) were used to identify risk fact...

Dental injury is well-recognized as a potential complication of laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation. However, the frequency, outcomes, and risk factors for this problem have not been documented in a well-defined patient population. The authors analyzed the dental injuries of 598,904 consecutive cases performed on patients who required anesthetic s...

To determine whether alcohol abuse or dependence is a risk factor for perioperative complications, increased duration of hospital stay, and increased utilization of nursing resources in patients undergoing thoracic and vascular surgical procedures. We conducted a prospective study of all adult patients who underwent an elective vascular or thoracic...

Background: Dental injury is well‐recognized as a potential complication of laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation. However, the frequency, outcomes, and risk factors for this problem have not been documented in a well‐defined patient population.

Unlabelled: Neurologic deficits are noted on physical examination in approximately 0.2%-19% of patients after regional anesthetic techniques. Laboratory and clinical studies suggest that a subclinical neuropathy occurs much more often. Performing a regional anesthetic technique during this period may result in additional nerve trauma. We evaluated...

Unlabelled: Subarachnoid or epidural needle placement in an anesthetized patient is controversial because general anesthesia and muscle relaxation may mask neural trauma. However, placement of a needle or catheter in the subarachnoid space for the purpose of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) drainage is frequently performed in anesthetized patients unde...

The goal of this project was to study the frequency and natural history of perioperative ulnar neuropathy. A prospective evaluation of ulnar neuropathy in 1,502 adult patients undergoing noncardiac surgical procedures was performed. Patients were assessed with a standard questionnaire and neurologic examination before surgery, daily during hospital...

Background: The goal of this study was to determine whether airway obstruction determined by preoperative spirometry predicts perioperative complications in smokers undergoing abdominal surgery whose treatment is managed according to current clinical practice.

Subarachnoid or epidural needle placement in an anesthetized patient is controversial because general anesthesia and muscle relaxation may mask neural trauma.However, placement of a needle or catheter in the subarachnoid space for the purpose of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) drainage is frequently performed in anesthetized patients undergoing neurosu...

Subarachnoid or epidural needle placement in an anesthetized patient is controversial because general anesthesia and muscle relaxation may mask neural trauma. However, placement of a needle or catheter in the subarachnoid space for the purpose of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) drainage is frequently performed in anesthetized patients undergoing neuros...

To ensure a continued place in hospital care, clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) must adapt their role to positively impact the bottom line for hospitals and patients. This article reviews the literature on CNSs' cost-effectiveness in acute care settings.

Unlabelled: Limited mobility of the cervical spine or temperomandibular joint may contribute to increased difficulty of laryngoscopy in patients who have severe diabetes mellitus. The frequency of difficult laryngoscopy in diabetics undergoing renal and/or pancreatic transplants has been reported to be as high as 32%. We retrospectively reviewed t...