Anaesthesia and intensive care
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Apr 2007
ICU staffing: identification and survey of staff involved in providing technical support services to Australian and New Zealand intensive care units.
We conducted a survey of all (200) Australian and New Zealand intensive care units to determine the presence and nature of staff employed in a technical support role. Specifically, we attempted to identify staff who are formally employed in a role where they are directly responsible for the equipment used in intensive care. Of 130 returned surveys, 80 units (62%) reported not having any personnel in this role. ⋯ The most common duties performed were equipment troubleshooting (92%), training (80%), equipment evaluation (80%), ordering supplies (77%), consumable evaluation (75%), equipment cleaning (73%), delivery of supplies (70%), handling product recalls (65%), equipment maintenance (65%) and sitting on hospital committees (52%). This is the first attempt to identify and understand the technical support role in Australian and New Zealand intensive care units. Numerous issues remain and future work will hopefully add to our findings, with the possibility of formal recognition of the role, training and/or accreditation and its extension into other hospital departments.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Apr 2007
The cardiovascular effects of adrenaline, dobutamine and milrinone in rabbits using pressure-volume loops and guinea pig isolated atrial tissue.
This study evaluated the effects of milrinone, adrenaline and dobutamine with pressure-volume loops and isolated atrial tissue. Agonist dose-response curves to incremental drug infusions were acquired in 11 anesthetised rabbits using pressure-volume loops and preload recruitable stroke work indicated contractility. Agonist concentration-response curves were completed in eight guinea pig isolated atria, for effects on atrial rate and force. ⋯ Adrenaline decreased heart rate (P < 0.001), whereas dobutamine and milrinone increased it (P = 0.006 and 0.011). Milrinone increased the force of left atrial contraction, but its inotropic effect was weak and significantly less than with dobutamine and adrenaline (P < 0.001). Adrenaline acted as an inoconstrictor, dobutamine an inodilator and milrinone predominantly a vasodilator
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Apr 2007
Editorial Comment Comparative StudyEpidural vs. multimodal analgesia for colorectal laparotomy.