Critical care clinics
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As this article demonstrates, tremendous progress has been made in the techniques of oxygen measurement and monitoring over the past 50 years. From the early developments during and after World War II, to the most recent applications of solid state and microprocessor technology today, every patient in a critical care situation will have several continuous measurements of oxygenation applied simultaneously. Information therefore is available readily to alert personnel of acute problems and to guide appropriate therapy. ⋯ The next generation of devices will attempt to provide information about living tissue. Unlike the devices monitoring arterial or venous oxygen content, no "gold standards" exist for tissue oxygenation, so calibration will be difficult, as will interpretation of the data provided. The application of these devices ultimately may lead to a much better understanding of how disease (and the treatment of disease) alters the utilization of oxygen by the tissues.
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The role of the fiberscope in the management of difficult and failed intubations has been well established and the importance of learning this valuable skill has been emphasized. Nonetheless, the fiberscope is underutilized in anesthesia and critical care practices because of a high rate of intubation failure. The main cause of failure is lack of expertise in maneuvering the fiberscope. ⋯ The fiberscope is best used in patients after learning to perform three simultaneous movements--advancing the fiberscope, coordinated rotation of the insertion cord, and bending the tip of the fiberscope while traversing the airway. After the technical skills of the fiberscope become second nature, the endoscopist can give more attention to patient-related factors to improve the success rate of tracheal intubation. Expert use of the fiberscope can be a life-saving measure through alleviating major airway complications and unnecessary tracheostomies.