Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthésie
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Case Reports
Selective ordering of preoperative investigations by anesthesiologists reduces the number and cost of tests.
Preoperative investigations are frequently ordered according to care maps or protocols. We hypothesized that selective ordering of investigations by anesthesiology staff would reduce the number and cost of testing. ⋯ Selective test ordering by staff anesthesiologists reduces the number and cost of preoperative investigations. Educational efforts should be directed towards improving resident and staff preoperative test ordering practices.
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Case Reports
Use of the Aintree intubation catheter in a patient with an unexpected difficult airway.
To present a case where the Aintree intubation catheter (AIC) was used in conjunction with the Laryngeal Mask Airway (LMA) and a fibreoptic bronchoscope (FOB) in a patient with an unexpected difficult airway. ⋯ In this patient, the AIC provided an effective alternative to other methods for intubating through a regular LMA.
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The purpose of this single-centre database review was to establish the incidence of failure to intubate by direct laryngoscopy, to measure morbidity and mortality associated with this event, and to examine the use and efficacy of alternative airway devices. ⋯ The rate of unexpected failure to intubate by direct laryngoscopy is essentially unchanged from earlier studies. While morbidity was low, continued education and early use of alternative difficult airway devices may further limit complications associated with this event.
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Little or no information exists on the services that are currently available for the treatment of chronic pain across the different regions of Canada. As a first step, this study documented the hospital-based resources and services offered for the management of chronic non-cancer pain within anesthesia departments in Québec. ⋯ Although this survey did not include the services offered in departments other than anesthesia, the results show the extent to which the province of Québec is under-resourced for the management of chronic pain patients both in terms of access to treatment and quality of the services offered.