Anaesthesia and Intensive Care back issues from February 2005:
Local Anaesthesia-After Xylocaine
Feb 01, 2005; ... Xylocaine® revolutionized local and regional anaesthesia in the early 1950s, hut the patent was due to expire in 1965 and Astra was anxious to produce a successor. The research was led by Nils Lofgren again and he worked steadily hack through all the compounds they had investigated in the ...
Pneumonia in Intensive Care-Another Frontier?
Feb 01, 2005; ... Pneumonia is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in intensive care. Three types of pneumonia are relevant to intensive care. These are community-acquired, hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia. The latter two types of pneumonia are nosocomial in nature and at least in ...
High-dose Buprenorphine: Perioperative Precautions and Management Strategies
Feb 01, 2005; ... SUMMARY Buprenorphine has been in clinical use in anaesthesia for several decades. Recently, the high-dose sublingual formulation (Subutex®, Reckitt Benckiser, Slough, U.K.) has been increasingly used as maintenance therapy in opioid dependence, as an alternative to methadone and other ...
The Effect of Adjunctive Fresh Frozen Plasma Administration on Coagulation Parameters and Survival in a Canine Model of Antivenom-treated Brown Snake Envenoming
Feb 01, 2005; ... SUMMARY This study aimed to assess the effects of dugite envenoming on blood coagulation and platelet count in a canine model, and the efficacy of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) in reversing the clotting disorder after both adequate and inadequate venom neutralization. Following initial ...
The Linearity of the Visual Analogue Scale in Patients with Severe Acute Pain
Feb 01, 2005; ... SUMMARY The visual analogue scale (VAS) is a standard measurement tool in pain research and clinical practice, and has been shown to have linear scale properties for mild to moderate pain. Our aim was to evaluate the scaling properties of the VAS in subjects with severe acute pain. After ...
Spinal-induced Hypotension in Elderly Patients with Hip Fracture. A Comparison of Glucose-free Bupivacaine with Glucose-free Bupivacaine and Fentanyl
Feb 01, 2005; ... SUMMARY Intraoperative hypotension is a common and potentially deleterious event in elderly patients undergoing spinal anaesthesia for repair of hip fractures. The synergism between intrathecal opioids and local anaesthetics may allow a reduction in the dose of local anaesthetic and ...
Patient-controlled Sedation Using Remifentanil for Third Molar Extraction
Feb 01, 2005; ... SUMMARY The purpose for this study was to examine the efficacy of patient-controlled sedation (PCS) with remifentanil as an intravenous adjunct to local anaesthesia for treating pain associated with dental extraction during monitored anaesthetic care. Forty ASA 1-2 and aged 18 or older ...
Fresh Frozen Plasma After Brown Snake Bite-Helpful or Harmful?
Feb 01, 2005; ... The venom of snakes of the genus Pseudonaja contains prothrombin activators which initiate unchecked procoagulation in human (and canine) blood. This process is recognised clinically as disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) - it exhausts the supply of circulating coagulation factors and ...
The Influence of the Univent® Endotracheal Tube on Internal Jugular Vein Cannulation
Feb 01, 2005; ... SUMMARY This prospective clinical investigation assessed the effect of placement of a Univent® tube on the anatomy of the internal jugular veins and the success of cannulation of the left internal jugular vein. After obtaining informed consent, 48 adult patients were enrolled. Of these, ...
Assessment of Outcome Over a 10-year Period of Patients Admitted to a Multidisciplinary Adult Intensive Care Unit with Haematological and Solid Tumours
Feb 01, 2005; ... SUMMARY The risk factors for time to mortality, censored at 30 days, of patients admitted to an adult teaching hospital ICU with haematological and solid malignancies were assessed in a retrospective cohort study. Patients, demographics and daily ICU patient data, from admission ...
Treatment of Polypharmacy Overdose with Multimodality Extracorporeal Life Support
Feb 01, 2005; ... SUMMARY A 45-year-old woman presented to the emergency department of a tertiary referral hospital after taking an overdose of verapamil, doxepin, quetiapine, diazepam, temazepam, and clonazepam. She rapidly developed shock refractory to pharmacological support and was placed on ...
Disease Risk and Mortality Prediction in Intensive Care Patients with Pneumonia. Australian and New Zealand Practice in Intensive Care (ANZPIC II)
Feb 01, 2005; ... SUMMARY This study of ventilated patients investigated pneumonia risk factors and outcome predictors in 476 episodes of pneumonia (48% community-acquired pneumonia, 24% hospital-acquired pneumonia, 28% ventilator-associated pneumonia) using a prospective survey in 14 intensive care units ...
Unexpectedly High Block Following Epidural Catheter Placement Under Direct Vision: A Case Report
Feb 01, 2005; ... SUMMARY A 72-year-old female underwent elective lumbar spinal decompression. At the end of the procedure an epidural catheter was sited by the surgeon under direct vision. A bolus of levobupivacaine was injected. Shortly after reaching the recovery area, the patient collapsed and ...
A problem with a PCA pump handset/Reply
Feb 01, 2005; ... We report a potentially serious fault with our patient controlled analgesia (PCA) pump handsets used with the Abbott Pain Management Provider (Abbott Laboratories, North Chicago, U.S.A.). Over the six months between October 2003 and March 2004 we had three separate instances of self-activating ...
Use of Intrathecal Neostigmine as an Adjunct to Other Spinal Medications in Perioperative and Peripartum Analgesia: a Meta-analysis
Feb 01, 2005; ... SUMMARY Intrathecal neostigmine has been used as an adjunct to intrathecal local anaesthetic or opioid to prolong regional analgesia and improve haemodynamic stability, with variable results. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the effectiveness and side-effects of intrathecal ...
A New Technique to Determine the Size of Double-lumen Endobronchial Tubes by the Two Perpendicularly Measured Bronchial Diameters
Feb 01, 2005; ... SUMMARY The cross-section of the mainstem bronchi is not completely round. For preoperative selection of a double-lumen endobronchial tube size, it may be necessary to measure the mediolateral and the anteroposterior bronchial diameters, which can be measured respectively on chest ...
Accidental transection of radical artery cannula
Feb 01, 2005; ... We report a potentially serious complication of invasive blood pressure monitoring. A 62-year-old man undergoing radical prostatectomy had a 20 gauge "arrow" cannula (Arrow International Inc, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.) placed in the left radial artery for perioperative blood pressure ...
Pharmacoeconomic viewpoints on volatile anaesthesia-"much ado about nothing?"
Feb 01, 2005; ... Pharmacoeconomics is the science that describes and analyses the costs of drug therapy to healthcare systems and society. Healthcare costs continue to spiral upwards as the availability of improving medical technology continues unabated. In anaesthesia, the cost of new drugs and their delivery ...
One Grand Chain - The History of Anaesthesia in Australia 1846-1962-Volume 2 - 1934-1962
Feb 01, 2005; ... One Grand Chain - The History of Anaesthesia in Australia 1846-1962-Volume 2 - 1934-1962. G. Wilson, G. Kaye, G. Phillips, B. Baker; Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists, 630 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Vie. 3004; $65.00; 255 × 180 mm; pp. 657; ISBN: 0 9585208 5 2. The ...
Growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis in Anaesthetic Resuscitative Drugs: Implications for Potential Contamination
Feb 01, 2005; ... SUMMARY This controlled laboratory study investigated the survival of Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis) over a 24 hour period in four commonly drawn-up anaesthetic resuscitative drugs: suxamethonium, atropine, metaraminol and ephedrine. These drugs were prepared in typical ...
Pediatric Airway Management for the Prehospital Professional
Feb 01, 2005; ... Pediatric Airway Management for the Prehospital Professional. M. Gausche-Hill, D. P. Henderson, S. M. Goodrich, W. Koenig, P. Doil-Poore; Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 40 Tall Pine Drive, Sudhury, MA 01776; $60.50; 215 × 275 mm; pp. 146; ISBN 0 7637 2066 6. From the Australian ...
Biologically Active Contaminants of Intravenous Saline in PVC Packaging: Australasian, European, and North American Samples
Feb 01, 2005; ... SUMMARY We have previously found evidence of contaminants in 0.9% saline packaged in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) for clinical use. For this current study we asked two questions: (1) what are the organic chemical contaminants in solutions packaged in PVC? and (2) do the contaminants vary in ...
Erratum
Feb 01, 2005; ... Pain Management - Hot Topics. E. L. Ross; Elsevier Australia. ISBN 1 56053 596 2 ....
The Spectrum of Practice in the Diagnosis and Management of Pneumonia in Patients Requiring Mechanical Ventilation. Australian and New Zealand Practice in Intensive Care (ANZPIC II)
Feb 01, 2005; ... SUMMARY This study of ventilated patients investigated current clinical practice in 476 episodes of pneumonia (48% community-acquired pneumonia, 24% hospital-acquired pneumonia, 28% ventilator-associated pneumonia) using a prospective survey in 14 intensive care units (ICUs) within ...
Predictors of Physician Confidence to Diagnose Pneumonia and Determine Illness Severity in Ventilated Patients. Australian and New Zealand Practice in Intensive Care (ANZPIC II)
Feb 01, 2005; ... SUMMARY The manner in which elements of clinical history, physical examination and investigations influence subjectively assessed illness severity and outcome prediction is poorly understood. This study investigates the relationship between clinician and objectively assessed illness ...
Transfusion-Related Acute Lung Injury (TRALI)
Feb 01, 2005; ... SUMMARY A 50-year-old male presented for a Whipple's procedure to excise a pancreatic lesion. Massive transfusion of packed cells and fresh frozen plasma was required. Towards the end of the procedure, the patient developed sudden onset of frank pulmonary oedema and hypotension. A ...
Anaesthetic Considerations in Castleman's Disease
Feb 01, 2005; ... SUMMARY Castleman's disease is a lymphoreticular disorder, often localized and clinically silent. Systemic manifestations may occur. Castleman's disease may be associated with pathologies such as POEMS syndrome (polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy, and ...
Intensive insulin therapy and the Bath insulin protocol/Reply
Feb 01, 2005; ... The recent paper by Laver and colleagues deserves further comment1. The DIGAMI study and work in diabetics post cardiac surgery have demonstrated that improvement in glycaemic control in diabetic patients has the potential to modulate patient outcomes beneficially2,3. However the question of ...
Another case of anaphylaxis and fibrinolysis
Feb 01, 2005; ... Further to our earlier report of four cases of anaphylaxis with associated fibrinolysis reversed with tranexamic acid1, we would like to comment on a further case that occurred in Auckland City Hospital recently. A 52-year-old woman presented for recurrent left cerebellopontine angle ...
The use of the laryngeal mask in gynaecological laparoscopy/Limited evidence for the ProSeal laryngeal mask airway-a reply
Feb 01, 2005; ... We would like to comment on the article by Viira and Myles1 The authors have asked the question "In healthy patients with no risk factors for regurgitation undergoing gynaecological laparoscopy, does use of the LMA in preference to tracheal intubation increase the risk of regurgitation or ...
One Grand Chain-The History of Anaesthesia in Australia 1846-1962 - Volume 1 - 1846-1934. Book of References
Feb 01, 2005; ... One Grand Chain-The History of Anaesthesia in Australia 1846-1962 - Volume 1 - 1846-1934. Book of References. G. Wilson; Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists, 630 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Vie. 3004; $12.00; 255 × 180mm; pp. 48; ISBN 0 9585208 4 4. This small but ...
International Anesthesiology Clinics: Hematologic Issues in Anesthesia. Volume 42, Number 3, Summer 2004
Feb 01, 2005; ... International Anesthesiology Clinics: Hematologic Issues in Anesthesia. Volume 42, Number 3, Summer 2004. K. W. Park; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 530 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106-3621, U.S.A.; US$90.00; 162 Times; 232mm; pp. 166; ISSN 0020-5907 This 166-page volume is ...
Future Meetings
Feb 01, 2005; ... 2005 February 18-20, Doherty St Helens, Victoria: Combined Tasmanian ANZCA/ASA State Scientific Meeting. Surgical Airway Workshops. Theme: "Hearts and Airways". Venue: Doherty St Helens Resort, 1 Quail Street, St Helens. Invited Speakers: Dr D. Scott, Melbourne, Dr D. Platts, Hobart, Dr ...