Anaesthesia and intensive care
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Anaesth Intensive Care · May 2021
Staff perceptions of military chemical-biological-radiological-nuclear (CBRN) air-purifying masks during a simulated clinical task in the context of SARS-CoV-2.
Air-purifying full-face masks, such as military chemical-biological-radiological-nuclear masks, might offer superior protection against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 compared to disposable polypropylene P2 or N95 masks. In addition, disposable masks are in short supply, while military chemical-biological-radiological-nuclear masks can be disinfected then reused. It is unknown whether such masks might be appropriate for civilians with minimal training in their use. ⋯ We conclude that this air-purifying full-face mask is acceptable to clinicians in a civilian intensive care unit. It enhances staff confidence, reduces waste, and is likely to be a lower logistical burden during a prolonged pandemic. Formal testing of effectiveness is warranted.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · May 2021
Case ReportsIatrogenic pneumomediastinum followed by bilateral pneumothoraces: A case report.
Major respiratory catastrophe associated with iatrogenic airway injury during the Sistrunk operation is a rare event. A three-year-old patient underwent thyroglossal duct cyst removal under general anaesthesia. ⋯ The patient was managed with bilateral chest drains and endotracheal intubation, and he required mechanical ventilation for three days. So, even after repair of a recognised iatrogenic airway injury associated with the Sistrunk operation, it may be necessary to continue positive pressure ventilation in the postoperative period to avoid serious respiratory complications.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · May 2021
Long-term outcomes of patients admitted to an intensive care unit with intentional self-harm.
Self-harm is one of the most common reasons for admission to an intensive care unit (ICU). While most patients with self-harm survive the ICU admission, little is known about their outcomes after hospital discharge. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients in the Barwon region in Victoria admitted to the ICU with self-harm (between 1998 and 2018) who survived to hospital discharge. ⋯ Cause of death was self-harm in 27%, possible self-harm in 32% and medical disease in 41%. The only factors associated with mortality were male sex, older age and re-admission to ICU with self-harm. Further population studies are required to confirm these findings, and to understand what interventions may improve long-term survival in this relatively young group of critically ill patients.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · May 2021
Observational StudyVentilatory parameters measured during a physiological study of simulated powered air-purifying respirator failure in healthy volunteers.
Powered air-purifying respirators (PAPR) are a high level of respiratory personal protective equipment. Like all mechanical devices, they are vulnerable to failure. The precise physiological consequences of failure in live subjects have not previously been reported. ⋯ Median collateral entrainment of room air into the hood was 17.6 l/min (interquartile range 12.3-27.0 l/min). All subjects reported thermal discomfort, with two (22.2%) requesting early termination of the experiment. Whilst the degree of rebreathing in this experiment was not sufficient to cause dangerous physiological derangement, the degree of reported thermal discomfort combined with the consequences of entrainment of possibly contaminated air into the hood, pose a risk to wearers in the event of failure.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · May 2021
Diagnosis and incidence of acute kidney injury in a mixed paediatric intensive care unit: Retrospective analysis, 2005 and 2015.
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common in intensive care patients. While creatinine definitions for AKI have been validated, oliguria criteria are less well evaluated in children. Our study compared the validity and agreement of creatinine and oliguria criteria for diagnosing AKI in a large mixed medical, surgical and cardiac paediatric intensive care unit (PICU), and assessed the significance of their independent and combined effects on predicted mortality relative to paediatric index of mortality (PIM risk of death) on admission. ⋯ Increasing severity of creatinine rise and oliguria confers increasing risk-adjusted mortality, especially for admissions with low PIM3 risk of death. The mortality of patients with AKI defined by oliguria alone is low. Defining AKI by oliguria alone has less clinical utility and may not represent true AKI.