Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthésie
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The acceptability of waiver of consent for participation in clinical research in intensive care unit (ICU) settings is uncertain. We sought to survey the Canadian public to assess levels of support, comfort, and acceptability for waived consent for low-risk clinical trials. ⋯ There is public support for models of waived consent for participation in low-risk pragmatic clinical trials in ICU settings in Canada; however, this is not universal. This information can inform and guide education, ethics, policy, and legal discussion on consent models.
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The difficult airway cart is essential for difficult airway management. Recognition of the importance of human factors in critical scenarios promoted the evolution of the difficult airway cart. Limitation to essential equipment, a structured layout, and proper labelling should be observed. We sought to redesign the difficult airway cart accordingly and analyze how perioperative professionals reacted to it. ⋯ Our quality improvement project successfully designed and implemented a new visual-based difficult airway cart at our institution. We believe this report enables other institutions to reproduce our project.
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Case Reports
Anterior spinal cord syndrome from a spinal epidural hematoma following removal of an epidural catheter.
Spinal epidural hematoma (SEH) is a rare yet significant complication associated with neuraxial anesthesia. Here, we present the case of a 74-yr-old male who underwent open repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Following the removal of an epidural catheter, the patient developed anterior spinal cord syndrome due to an SEH despite having a normal coagulation profile. ⋯ Anterior spinal cord syndrome (ASCS) represents an uncommon neurologic manifestation of SEH, which is typically characterized by a triad of back pain and sensory and motor deficits. Although the initial CT scan was necessary to diagnose the postvascular surgery complication, it did not immediately detect the SEH. In cases of ASCS subsequent to thoracic epidural placement and removal, MRI is the preferred imaging modality for precise diagnosis and assessment of the need for surgical intervention. Despite adherence to anticoagulation guidelines, patients undergoing neuraxial anesthesia may face an elevated risk of developing SEH. Health care professionals should remain vigilant in monitoring for neurologic abnormalities following epidural catheter insertion or removal, particularly in the context of vascular surgery.
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Pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) worldwide restricted family presence in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to explore the experiences and impact of restricted family presence policies on Canadian PICU clinicians. ⋯ Pediatric intensive care unit clinicians were impacted by restricted family presence policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. These policies contributed to feelings of disempowerment and challenged clinicians' perceived ability to provide the best family-centred care possible. Frontline expertise should be incorporated into the design and implementation of policies to best support family-centred care in any context and minimize risks of moral distress for PICU clinicians.
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We aimed to estimate the association of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist therapy with the incidence of endoscopically visible gastric contents after preprocedural fasting. ⋯ In fasting patients, GLP-1 agonist therapy was associated with an increased incidence of residual gastric contents, potentially posing an additional risk of periprocedural pulmonary aspiration.