Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthésie
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To determine the independent relationship between leukoreduced platelet transfusions and adverse events in cardiac surgery. ⋯ Transfusion of leukoreduced platelets in cardiac surgery is not associated with adverse clinical outcomes when adjustments are made for important confounders.
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At present, there are no guidelines and insufficient evidence to guide the decision-making of anesthesiologists in the perioperative care of patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The purpose of this study was to examine the current perioperative care provided, and to obtain opinions from anesthesiologists regarding evidence/consensus based guidelines to assist them in providing care to patients with OSA. ⋯ This study demonstrates a variation amongst anesthesiologists in their postoperative monitoring of patients with OSA. The majority surveyed do not have departmental policies, and believed that guidelines would assist them in providing care to patients with OSA.
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The research productivity was estimated by publications from anesthesiology departments at Canadian universities over a five-year period, and the articles published were classified into several study designs. ⋯ Although overall numbers in anesthesia publications do not suggest a significant decline, the number of RCTs decreased during the years 2000-2004. The quality of anesthesia research appears to be comparable to those in other medical specialties, with larger institutions conducting RCTs and smaller institutions publishing more case reports.
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Inadvertent epidural needle punctures represent the leading cause of severe postdural puncture headache (PDPH) in parturients. Use of small gauge (G) epidural needles for continuous analgesia has received little attention despite possible important reductions in PDPH. We report the first study to examine the feasibility of using small G Tuohy needles and 23 G catheters for labour analgesia. ⋯ It is feasible to provide high quality labour analgesia using small G epidural needles and catheters. The effect of small G epidural needles on PDPH warrants future study.
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Obesity is a common comorbid condition among patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery. Previous studies have shown inconsistent results as to whether obese patients require prolonged ventilation after cardiac surgery. Fast track recovery strategies have become common to reduce the duration of ventilation and intensive care. The purpose of this study was to determine whether, in our practice, obesity affects post-operative ventilation time using a fast track recovery strategy. ⋯ While most obese patients can undergo a fast track recovery strategy following cardiac surgery, in our institution the incidence of failure of early extubation is significantly higher than in non-obese patients. Our experience may assist in resource planning for postcardiac surgery patients.