Anaesthesia and intensive care
-
Anaesth Intensive Care · Oct 2004
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyThe use of end-tidal carbon dioxide monitoring to confirm endotracheal tube placement in adult and paediatric intensive care units in Australia and New Zealand.
The use of end-tidal carbon dioxide monitoring to assist in confirming endotracheal tube placement is currently not mandatory in intensive care units (ICUs) in Australia and New Zealand. Early detection of failed tracheal intubation is vital to optimize management and to prevent complications. Questionnaires were sent to the lead clinician/head of department of all 66 intensive care units approved for training purposes by the Joint Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine in Australia and New Zealand. ⋯ Thirty-eight respondents (62.3%) thought that end-tidal carbon dioxide monitoring should be mandatory to confirm tracheal intubation in the intensive care unit. If it were available, 42 respondents (68.8%) would use end-tidal carbon dioxide monitoring for confirmation of every intubation. Mandatory end-tidal carbon dioxide confirmation of endotracheal tube placement was policy in 33 (54.1%) of the intensive care units.
-
Anaesth Intensive Care · Oct 2004
Review Comparative StudyThe single-connector technique for initial placement of double-lumen tubes.
Due to the presence of major lung or extra-pulmonary pathology, which may be unilateral or bilateral, the initial placement of a double-lumen tube is not always straightforward. Although fibreoptic bronchoscopy is often used to confirm "correct" placement, a "blind" technique is frequently used for the initial insertion. ⋯ On a purely "number of steps" basis, the single-connector approach has several advantages. Furthermore, use of a technique that involves bronchial cuff inflation and single-lung ventilation as a first manoeuvre may reduce the risk of a temporarily malplaced double-lumen tube creating a potentially harmful ball-valve effect in a partially obstructed lobe or lung.
-
Anaesth Intensive Care · Oct 2004
Comparative StudyDelayed epidural catheter removal: the impact of postoperative coagulopathy.
A retrospective analysis of 413 patients who received postoperative epidural analgesia under a standardized protocol found that 84 (20%) had a duration of epidural catheterization of greater than four days. The most common reasons were significant pain (n=64, 15%) and coagulopathy (n=26, 6%). Risk factor analysis for coagulopathy showed an odds ratio of 10.1 (95% confidence interval 4.2-24.5) for prolonged epidural catheterization among patients undergoing hepatectomy. ⋯ The signs soon resolved in all except two, one of whom had neuropathy related to intraoperative positioning and the other preoperative weakness. Accidental epidural catheter dislodgement occurred in 29 patients (7%) and is potentially hazardous if coagulopathy is unresolved. The risk-benefit ratio and factors complicating catheter removal, especially coagulopathy, should be considered when deciding whether to use epidural techniques.
-
Anaesth Intensive Care · Oct 2004
Comparative StudyEarly experience with magnesium administration in Irukandji syndrome.
The administration of magnesium sulphate is a proposed novel therapy for Irukandji syndrome'. In this non-randomized, unblinded case series, data from ten patients who received magnesium salts are reviewed. Magnesium sulphate boluses of 10 to 20 mmol, in the six patients for which there was adequate data, reduced pain scores immediately after administration from 8.7+/-1.5 to 2.8+/-2.8 (Wilcoxon rank-sum test, P=0.03). ⋯ Magnesium requirements in individual patients varied markedly. Pain on injection occurred in four patients, three of whom had received peripherally administered magnesium chloride, and one patient reported transient ptosis after administration of magnesium sulphate 166 mmol over 18 hours in the setting of severe Irukandji syndrome. Magnesium sulphate administration appears to attenuate pain and hypertension in Irukandji syndrome and warrants further evaluation in this setting.
-
Anaesth Intensive Care · Oct 2004
Comparative StudyAn audit of the Single Use Portex Laryngeal Mask.
We performed an audit of the insertion of the Single Use Portex Laryngeal Mask in 400 patients. Insertion was successful at first attempt in 335 out of 400 patients (83.8%). ⋯ After the completion of the audit, 22 out of 29 anaesthetists (75.9%), who had inserted > or = 5 Portex laryngeal masks, considered it inferior to the standard LMA. It would appear to us that the Portex laryngeal mask might need some design modifications to be a real alternative to the standard LMA.