Anaesthesia and intensive care
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Jul 2009
Sixteen years of severe Tiger snake (Notechis) envenoming in Perth, Western Australia.
We aimed to describe the characteristics, clinical course, management and outcome of patients presenting to Perth teaching hospitals after envenoming by Tiger snakes. We undertook a chart review from six Perth teaching hospitals over a 16 year period from 1990 to 2005. Data were collected by a trained investigator using a preformatted data abstraction tool. ⋯ This is the largest series of Tiger snake envenoming reported in Australia. Only one patient of 23 (4%) died, despite all patients being significantly envenomed. With rapid antivenom treatment and modem emergency and intensive care management, most patients envenomed by Tiger snakes survive.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Jul 2009
Application of the Laboratory Risk Indicator in Necrotising Fasciitis (LRINEC) score to patients in a tropical tertiary referral centre.
The objective of this study was to assess the applicability and usefulness of the Laboratory Risk Indicator in Necrotising Fasciitis (LRINEC) score in patients from our institution. A retrospective analysis was undertaken of the case notes of all patients admitted to our facility between January 2002 and December 2005 with the admission diagnosis of necrotising fasciitis and the application of the LRINEC score upon the initial blood tests. The sensitivity, specificity and likelihood ratios were then calculated for patients with a LRINEC score of > or = 6 compared with the findings of a surgical biopsy. ⋯ With a cut-off score of > or = 6, the LRINEC score had a sensitivity of 80%, specificity of 67%, a positive predictive value of 57% and a negative predictive value of 86% in distinguishing the patients with proven necrotising fasciitis from those with severe soft tissue infections. The likelihood ratio of a positive biopsy was 2.4 and the likelihood ratio of a negative biopsy was 0.3. A cut-off value of > or = 6 of the LRINEC score was not overly sensitive or specific, and the likelihood ratios suggest that, at this cut-off level, the LRINEC score would have only a very small effect on the post-test probability of the patients in the studied population having necrotising fasciitis.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Jul 2009
A minimum cost anaesthesia machine, compliant with Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists Professional Document T3, for medical missions.
This report describes what seems to be the simplest and least expensive anaesthesia machine possible which complies with the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists technical document T3.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Jul 2009
Comment Letter Biography Historical ArticleThe Fisher & Paykel Humidifier.