Recently added articles from Anaesthesia and Intensive Care:
The first controversy over monitoring in anaesthesia
Mar 01, 2008; ... 'As soon as the instrument was introduced the pulse increased to 144, and immediately afterwards it became uneven, irregular and intermittent ... I applied my ear to the chest and on one occasion, whilst the large catheter for injecting the bladder was being introduced and the patient was holding ...
The Surviving Sepsis Campaign: International guidelines for management of severe sepsis and septic shock: 2008. An assessment by the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society
Mar 01, 2008; ... The Surviving Sepsis Campaign: International guidelines for management of severe sepsis and septic shock: 20081,2 is a comprehensive and ambitious attempt to define and implement best practice internationally for the management of critically ill patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. Many ...
The role of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for treatment of the adult respiratory distress syndrome: review and quantitative analysis
Mar 01, 2008; ... SUMMARY The role of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has not been formally validated for patients with adult respiratory distress syndrome. In anticipation of publication of the conventional ventilation versus ECMO in severe adult respiratory failure (CESAR) trial, the role of ...
Effects of arginine vasopressin on oxygenation and haemodynamics during one-lung ventilation in an animal model
Mar 01, 2008; ... SUMMARY In a case of arterial hypotension during one-lung ventilation, haemodynamic support may be required to maintain adequate mean arterial pressure. Arginine vasopressin, a potent systemic vasoconstrictor with limited effects on the pulmonary artery pressure, has not been studied in ...
The use of Lee and co-workers' index to assist a risk adjusted audit of perioperative cardiac outcome
Mar 01, 2008; ... SUMMARY Lee and co-workers' revised cardiac risk index was used to study the perioperative cardiac outcome of 296 patients. The index uses a history of ischaemic heart disease, congestive cardiac failure, diabetes treated with insulin, a creatinine greater than 180 µmol/l, ...
Comparison of caudal epidural bupivacaine with bupivacaine plus tramadol and bupivacaine plus ketamine for postoperative analgesia in children
Mar 01, 2008; ... SUMMARY This study compared the effect of single-dose caudal epidural bupivacaine, bupivacaine plus ketamine and bupivacaine plus tramadol for postoperative pain management in children having surgery for inguinal hernia. Following ethics committee approval and informed parental ...
Communication during induction of paediatric anaesthesia: an observational study
Mar 01, 2008; ... SUMMARY We aimed to identify and categorise advanced communication skills used by experienced consultant paediatric anaesthetists to facilitate the induction of paediatric anaesthesia. The communication techniques were both verbal and non-verbal. Communications with potentially negative ...
Generalisability of behavioural skills in simulated anaesthetic emergencies
Mar 01, 2008; ... SUMMARY A reliable assessment of clinical performance requires multiple cases, as performance varies between cases depending on previous experiences and knowledge of the case. However, behavioural attributes, including communication and teamwork, may be expected to be less dependent on ...
Assessment of an unplanned admission to the intensive care unit as a global safety indicator in surgical patients
Mar 01, 2008; ... SUMMARY An unplanned intensive care unit admission within 24 hours of a procedure with an anaesthetist in attendance (UIA) is a recommended clinical indicator. It is designed to identify preventable iatrogenic complications. Often understood as a specific anaesthetic outcome, its value ...
Review of procedures for investigation of anaesthesia-associated anaphylaxis in Newcastle, Australia
Mar 01, 2008; ... SUMMARY The procedures, results and outcomes of investigation of 50 patients with clinical episodes of anaesthesiaassociated anaphylaxis were retrospectively reviewed. Assessment was performed by measurement of serum tryptase and specific IgE and a combination of skin prick and ...
Fully developed burnout and burnout risk in intensive care personnel at a university hospital
Mar 01, 2008; ... SUMMARY We assessed the prevalence of fully developed burnout, burnout risk and the influence of work and employment related factors in five intensive care units at a university hospital. A cross-sectional study was conducted using self-reporting questionnaires for the evaluation of the ...
Job satisfaction, stress and burnout in anaesthetic technicians in New Zealand
Mar 01, 2008; ... SUMMARY Anaesthetic technicians play a key role in the operating room, yet little is known about their levels of job satisfaction or workplace stress. A blinded, confidential single mail-out survey was posted to anaesthetic technicians in New Zealand. The survey consisted of demographic ...
Adverse physiological events under anaesthesia and sedation: a pilot audit of electronic patient records
Mar 01, 2008; ... SUMMARY Review of perioperative activity, including adverse events, throughput and compliance with 'best practice', can theoretically be used to optimise healthcare delivery. Computer-based analysis of electronic patient records could provide a practical means to manage quality ...
A series of five adult cases of respiratory syncytial virus-related acute respiratory distress syndrome
Mar 01, 2008; ... SUMMARY Respiratory syncytial virus is a common cause of respiratory tract disease in children, predominantly presenting with mild symptoms. We present five cases of respiratory syncytial virus infection of the lower respiratory tract in immunocompromised adults suffering from severe ...
Central diabetes insipidus: a rare perioperative cause of severe hypernatraemia
Mar 01, 2008; ... SUMMARY In this case report we describe the management of severe hypematraemia following inadvertent water restriction. A 21-year-old woman with no reported medical history presented on transfer from an outside hospital with a complex volar upper extremity injury. Management both ...
Treatment of recurrent chest pain in a heart transplant recipient using spinal cord stimulation
Mar 01, 2008; ... SUMMARY A patient presented with chest pain refractory to conventional medical therapy eight years after heart and renal transplantation. High-dose opioids provided limited relief and repeated hospitalisation was required. Angiography demonstrated severe cardiac allograft vasculopathy, ...
Fracture of an epidural catheter inserted for labour analgesia
Mar 01, 2008; ... SUMMARY A primiparous 28-year-old woman undergoing augmentation of labour requested epidural analgesia. During the apparently uneventful insertion, the catheter snapped and a fragment was retained in her back. The management options for labour analgesia, the optimal methods of locating ...
Anaesthetic management of a child with Freeman-Sheldon syndrome undergoing spinal surgery
Mar 01, 2008; ... SUMMARY Freeman-Sheldon syndrome, or distal arthrogryposis type 2A, is a rare congenital myopathy and dysplasia characterised by multiple contractures, abnormalities of the head and face, defective development of the hands and feet and skeletal malformations. The facial muscle ...
Anaesthetic implications of hyperekplexia-'startle disease'
Mar 01, 2008; ... SUMMARY This report describes anaesthesia for consanguineous siblings with the rare genetic condition hyperekplexia. This condition is also known as 'stiff baby syndrome' or 'startle disease'. Hyperekplexia can present in major and minor forms and is caused by a mutation in chromosome 5 ...
An unusual case of intra-abdominal apoplexy
Mar 01, 2008; ... SUMMARY Abdominal apoplexy is an uncommon disorder, typically due to atheromatous vascular disease, inflammatory processes such as pancreatitis eroding into large blood vessels or vasculitis. We describe an unusual case due to unrecognised syphilis masquerading as ...