Research

The Ambulatory Anesthesiology Division maintains a robust history of medical investigation, especially within the field of regional anesthesiology and acute pain medicine. Led by pioneers in the field, Drs. Susan Steele and Roy Greengrass, the Duke Ambulatory Surgical Center was one of the first sites in the country to investigate and deploy the use of peripheral nerve catheters for postoperative analgesia.

The Ambulatory Anesthesiology Division currently focuses on a broad array of research topics focused on delivery patient centered care. These topics include:

  1. The use of patient reported outcomes to predict both acute and chronic postsurgical outcomes
  2. The development of digital health tools to facilitate remote patient evaluation and support
  3. The measurement of postoperative pulmonary function following outpatient shoulder surgery
  4. Investigating national trends in outpatient surgery with a focus on stratifying patients groups that may be considered in new ambulatory markets
  5. The development of outpatient total joint and spine surgery pathways to facilitate same day discharge in an ambulatory surgery center setting
  6. Participate as a supporting site in regards to the application of intravenous methadone for postoperative analgesia
  7. Comparing varying regional anesthesiology techniques in forefoot surgery

Key Publications

  1. Evans H, Steele SM, Nielsen KC, Tucker MS, Klein SM. Peripheral nerve blocks and continuous catheter techniques. Anesthesiol Clin North Am. 2005 Mar;23(1):141-62. doi: 10.1016/j.atc.2004.11.003. PMID: 15763416.
  2. Klein SM, Melton MS, Grill WM, Nielsen KC. Peripheral nerve stimulation in regional anesthesia. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2012 Jul-Aug;37(4):383-92. doi: 10.1097/AAP.0b013e3182576647. PMID: 22683706.
  3. Klein SM, Evans H, Nielsen KC, Tucker MS, Warner DS, Steele SM. Peripheral nerve block techniques for ambulatory surgery. Anesth Analg. 2005 Dec;101(6):1663-1676. doi: 10.1213/01.ANE.0000184187.02887.24. PMID: 16301239.
  4. Melton MS, Nielsen KC, Tucker M, Klein SM, Gan TJ. New medications and techniques in ambulatory anesthesia. Anesthesiol Clin. 2014 Jun;32(2):463-85. doi: 10.1016/j.anclin.2014.02.003. Epub 2014 Apr 18. PMID: 24882131.
  5. Nielsen KC, Melton MS, Gebhard RE, Greengrass RA. Recurrence of breast cancer after anaesthesia. Lancet. 2020 Aug 8;396(10248):376. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30487-6. PMID: 32771098.
  6. Melton MS, Li YJ, Pollard R, Chen Z, Hunting J, Hopkins T, Buhrman W, Taicher B, Aronson S, Stafford-Smith M, Raghunathan K. Unplanned hospital admission after ambulatory surgery: a retrospective, single cohort study. Can J Anaesth. 2021 Jan;68(1):30-41. English. doi: 10.1007/s12630-020-01822-1. Epub 2020 Oct 14. PMID: 33058058.
  7. Kent ML, Hurley RW, Oderda GM, Gordon DB, Sun E, Mythen M, Miller TE, Shaw AD, Gan TJ, Thacker JKM, McEvoy MD; POQI-4 Working Group. American Society for Enhanced Recovery and Perioperative Quality Initiative-4 Joint Consensus Statement on Persistent Postoperative Opioid Use: Definition, Incidence, Risk Factors, and Health Care System Initiatives. Anesth Analg. 2019 Aug;129(2):543-552. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000003941. PMID: 30897590; PMCID: PMC6640123.
  8. Kent ML, Tighe PJ, Belfer I, Brennan TJ, Bruehl S, Brummett CM, Buckenmaier CC 3rd, Buvanendran A, Cohen RI, Desjardins P, Edwards D, Fillingim R, Gewandter J, Gordon DB, Hurley RW, Kehlet H, Loeser JD, Mackey S, McLean SA, Polomano R, Rahman S, Raja S, Rowbotham M, Suresh S, Schachtel B, Schreiber K, Schumacher M, Stacey B, Stanos S, Todd K, Turk DC, Weisman SJ, Wu C, Carr DB, Dworkin RH, Terman G. The ACTTION-APS-AAPM Pain Taxonomy (AAAPT) Multidimensional Approach to Classifying Acute Pain Conditions. Pain Med. 2017 May 1;18(5):947-958. doi: 10.1093/pm/pnx019. PMID: 28482098; PMCID: PMC5431381.