Scholars@Duke
Alexander Francisco Bautista

Alexander Francisco Bautista

Professor of Anesthesiology
Anesthesiology, Pain Management

Scholarly Works - Journal articles

Shrinking Pipelines and Shifting Priorities: An Analysis of the 2019-2025 Pain Medicine Fellowship Match.

Journal article Pain Med · June 5, 2026 BACKGROUND: Pain medicine fellowship training has evolved significantly since the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accreditation in 1993. Recent years have seen substantial changes in applicant demographics and match outcomes, particula ... Full text Link to item Cite

Updated 2026 Comprehensive Evidence-Based Guidelines for Facet Joint Interventions in the Management of Chronic Spinal Pain: American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP) Guidelines.

Journal article Pain Physician · June 2026 BACKGROUND: Chronic axial spinal pain is a major contributor to disability and healthcare expenditures, with facet joints recognized as one of the established sources of pain. OBJECTIVE: To provide evidence-based guidance in performing diagnostic and thera ... Link to item Cite

An Updated (2026) Best-Evidence Synthesis Appraisal of the Diagnostic Accuracy and Utility of Facet (Zygapophysial) Joint Injections in Chronic Spinal Pain.

Journal article Pain Physician · June 2026 BACKGROUND: Chronic axial spinal pain is one of the leading causes of disability. The literature demonstrates that expenditures for low back and neck pain continue to rise, not only in parallel with increasing disability, but also with escalating healthcar ... Link to item Cite

Match Program Signaling in Pain Medicine Fellowship Applications: Association with Interview Outcomes and Implications for a Shrinking Applicant Pipeline.

Journal article Pain Physician · May 2026 BACKGROUND: Pain Medicine fellowship programs have reported increasing numbers of unfilled positions in recent match cycles, accompanied by a growing perception that the applicant pipeline is shrinking. In response to concerns regarding application volume ... Link to item Cite

The Current Scope of Pain Medicine Fellowships: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study of Trainees, Directors, and Employers on Shaping Future Leaders.

Journal article J Pain Res · 2026 INTRODUCTION: Since the establishment of Pain Medicine (PM) as an ACGME-recognized subspecialty in 1992, the field has undergone significant transformation. These changes brought increasing diversity in applicants` primary specialties, and the introduction ... Full text Link to item Cite

Comprehensive Evidence-Based Guidelines for Regenerative Therapies in the Management of Chronic Low Back Pain: 2025 Update from the American Society Of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP).

Journal article Pain Physician · December 2025 BACKGROUND: Regenerative medicine is an evolving medical subspecialty dedicated to enhancing the body's natural healing mechanisms to repair or replace damaged tissues. By using autologous or allogeneic biologics, it offers the potential to restore functio ... Link to item Cite

Sphenopalatine Ganglion Blocks in Headache Management: A Review.

Journal article Brain Sci · June 22, 2025 Headache disorders are among the most prevalent and disabling neurological conditions worldwide, affecting more than three billion individuals and contributing to a substantial socioeconomic burden. Despite the availability of pharmacologic treatments such ... Full text Link to item Cite

Comprehensive Evidence-Based Guidelines for Implantable Peripheral Nerve Stimulation (PNS) in the Management of Chronic Pain: From the American Society Of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP).

Journal article Pain Physician · November 2024 BACKGROUND: Peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) has been used for over 50 years to treat chronic pain by delivering electrical pulses through small electrodes placed near targeted peripheral nerves those outside the brain and spinal cord. Early PNS systems ... Link to item Cite

The Impact of Nutrition on Pain: A Narrative Review of Recent Literature.

Journal article Curr Pain Headache Rep · October 2024 PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Pain is a complex phenomenon that affects millions of individuals worldwide and poses a significant burden on public health. While pain management typically focuses on pharmacological and physical interventions, emerging research suggest ... Full text Link to item Cite

The current state of training in pain medicine fellowships: An Association of Pain Program Directors (APPD) survey of program directors.

Journal article Pain Pract · September 2024 INTRODUCTION: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) approved the first pain medicine fellowship programs over three decades ago, designed around a pharmacological philosophy. Following that, there has been a rise in the transitio ... Full text Link to item Cite

Innovative Management of Opioid-Induced Hyperalgesia Using Lidocaine Infusion: A Case Report.

Journal article Cureus · August 2024 Prolonged opioid use carries risks, including addiction and dependence. A significant consequence of chronic opioid use is opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH), where patients experience heightened pain sensitivity. Managing OIH typically involves reducing op ... Full text Link to item Cite

Initiation of Low-Dose Intravenous Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder: A Case Series and Literature Review.

Journal article Cureus · August 2024 Opioid use disorder (OUD) remains a significant public health challenge with patients often facing barriers to initiating medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). Traditional initiation methods for buprenorphine-naloxone (buprenorphine/naloxone) can be ... Full text Link to item Cite

External Oblique Intercostal Plane Block: A Case Report and Review of Literature.

Journal article Cureus · June 2024 Chronic low back pain (CLBP) and post-laminectomy syndrome (PLS) can pose significant therapeutic challenges, often refractory to conservative management. We present a case of a 52-year-old male with refractory CLBP and PLS who underwent spinal cord stimul ... Full text Link to item Cite

Pulsed Radiofrequency Ablation for Refractory Cancer-Related Leg Pain: A Case Report.

Journal article Cureus · April 2024 Metastatic cancers often lead to distant metastasis, accompanied by debilitating symptoms such as chronic pain, which can be refractory to conventional analgesic modalities. Pulsed radiofrequency ablation (Pulsed RFA) has emerged as a promising interventio ... Full text Link to item Cite

Primary 3-Month Outcomes of a Double-Blind Randomized Prospective Study (The QUEST Study) Assessing Effectiveness and Safety of Novel High-Frequency Electric Nerve Block System for Treatment of Post-Amputation Pain.

Journal article J Pain Res · 2024 PURPOSE: This multicenter, randomized, double-blinded, active sham-controlled pivotal study was designed to assess the efficacy and safety of high-frequency nerve block treatment for chronic post-amputation and phantom limb pain. PATIENTS AND METHODS: QUES ... Full text Link to item Cite

Perioperative Management Of Antiplatelet And Anticoagulant Therapy In Patients Undergoing Interventional Techniques: 2024 Updated Guidelines From The American Society Of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP)

Journal article Pain Physician · January 1, 2024 Background: The frequency of performance of interventional techniques in chronic pain patients receiving anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy continues to increase. Understanding the importance of continuing chronic anticoagulant therapy, the need for in ... Full text Cite

Comprehensive, Evidence-Based, Consensus Guidelines for Prescription of Opioids for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain from the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP).

Journal article Pain Physician · December 2023 BACKGROUND: Opioid prescribing in the United States is decreasing, however, the opioid epidemic is continuing at an uncontrollable rate. Available data show a significant number of opioid deaths, primarily associated with illicit fentanyl use. It is intere ... Link to item Cite

Perioperative Management of Patients on Buprenorphine and Methadone: A Narrative Review.

Journal article Balkan Med J · August 11, 2020 The opioid epidemic has emerged as a major health and social problem over the last few decades. An increasing number of patients with opioid use disorder are presenting for perioperative management. These patients are either on buprenorphine or methadone f ... Full text Link to item Cite

Unilateral Bilevel Erector Spinae Plane Catheters for Flail Chest: A Case Report.

Journal article A A Pract · May 2020 Providing effective analgesia for acute rib fractures is crucial in avoiding pulmonary complications. Erector spinae plane (ESP) block is an alternative treatment option to neuraxial techniques. ESP blocks have demonstrated pain relief in patients with rib ... Full text Link to item Cite

Sacroiliac Joint Pain in Pregnancy: A Case Report.

Journal article A A Pract · July 15, 2019 Sacroiliac joint pain is one of the most common causes of low back pain in pregnant women. We present a case of a 30-year-old G2P1 at 20 weeks gestation presenting with intractable low back pain refractory to conservative management. History and physical e ... Full text Link to item Cite

Early Prediction of Prognosis in Elderly Acute Stroke Patients.

Journal article Crit Care Explor · April 2019 UNLABELLED: Acute stroke has a high morbidity and mortality in elderly population. Baseline confounding illnesses, initial clinical examination, and basic laboratory tests may impact prognostics. In this study, we aimed to establish a model for predicting ... Full text Link to item Cite

Red Cell Storage Duration Does Not Affect Outcome after Massive Blood Transfusion in Trauma and Nontrauma Patients: A Retrospective Analysis of 305 Patients.

Journal article Biomed Res Int · 2017 BACKGROUND: Prolonged storage of packed red blood cells (PRBCs) may increase morbidity and mortality, and patients having massive transfusion might be especially susceptible. We therefore tested the hypothesis that prolonged storage increases mortality in ... Full text Link to item Cite

Sevoflurane and renal function: a meta-analysis of randomized trials.

Journal article Med Gas Res · 2017 OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe the overall cumulative effect of sevoflurane on kidney function in healthy patients in terms of mean plasma creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine clearance, urinary protein, and glucose excretion at 24 and ... Full text Link to item Cite

A comparison of renal responses to sevoflurane and isoflurane in patients undergoing donor nephrectomy: a randomized controlled trial.

Journal article Med Gas Res · 2017 Sevoflurane and isoflurane are volatile halogenated ether widely used in anesthesia. Both have comparable potency and easy titratability but sevoflurane has lower pungency and results in faster patient recovery. Isoflurane, however, is more affordable. The ... Full text Link to item Cite

Bipolar Radiofrequency Neurotomy to Treat Neck and Back Pain in Patients with Automatic Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator.

Journal article Pain Physician · March 2016 We report 2 cases of successful treatment of neck and back pain with bipolar radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of the cervical and lumbar facet joints in patients with an automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator (AICD).Two patients with complex cardiac ... Link to item Cite

Teaching basic fiberoptic intubation skills in a simulator: initial learning and skills decay.

Journal article J Anesth · February 2016 PURPOSE: Generally, novices are taught fiberoptic intubation on patients by attending anesthesiologists; however, this approach raises patient safety concerns. Patient safety should improve if novice learners are trained for basic skills on simulators. In ... Full text Link to item Cite

Teaching basic lung isolation skills on human anatomy simulator: attainment and retention of lung isolation skills.

Journal article BMC Anesthesiol · January 20, 2016 BACKGROUND: Lung isolation skills, such as correct insertion of double lumen endobronchial tube and bronchial blocker, are essential in anesthesia training; however, how to teach novices these skills is underexplored. Our aims were to determine (1) if novi ... Full text Link to item Cite

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Journal article Critical Care Medicine · December 2015 Full text Cite

Right-Sided Pleural Effusion in a Critically Ill Stroke Patient.

Journal article J Investig Med High Impact Case Rep · 2014 Pleural fluid collections are common in those critically ill. We report the case of a left middle cerebral artery stroke patient who developed respiratory distress and required intubation and mechanical ventilation. Although the patient's clinical status a ... Full text Link to item Cite

Board 366 - Research Abstract Teaching Basic Lung Isolation Skills on Human Anatomy Simulator (Submission #263)

Journal article Simulation in Healthcare: The Journal of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare · December 2013 Full text Cite

Malignant hyperthermia or not malignant hyperthermia: A diagnostic conundrum

Journal article Icu Director · May 1, 2013 In an acute event, the diagnosis of malignant hyperthermia (MH) in patients in the ICU can be challenging. Initial presentation may be attributed to a gamut of causes, making the diagnosis complicated. This example is the case of a 46-year-old African Amer ... Full text Cite

Hypercapnia and ventilator-induced diaphragmatic dysfunction.

Journal article Crit Care · April 8, 2013 In the previous issue of Critical Care, Jung and colleagues report on the preventive effects of hypercapnia on ventilator-induced diaphragmatic dysfunction (VIDD) under controlled ventilation. Possibly, a combination of controlled hypercapnia and allowed s ... Full text Link to item Cite

Hypercapnia: is it protective in lung injury?

Journal article Medical Gas Research · 2013 Full text Cite

Teaching aseptic technique for central venous access under ultrasound guidance: a randomized trial comparing didactic training alone to didactic plus simulation-based training.

Journal article Anesth Analg · March 2012 BACKGROUND: Our goal was to determine whether simulation combined with didactic training improves sterile technique during ultrasound (US)-guided central venous catheter (CVC) insertion compared with didactic training alone among novices. We hypothesized t ... Full text Link to item Cite