BMJ : British medical journal
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Bupivacaine versus bupivacaine plus fentanyl for epidural analgesia: effect on maternal satisfaction.
To compare a combination of epidural fentanyl and bupivacaine with bupivacaine alone for epidural analgesia in labour and to evaluate factors in addition to analgesia that may influence maternal satisfaction. ⋯ The already high maternal satisfaction from conventional epidural analgesia can be improved; epidural fentanyl may be combined with bupivacaine to reduce operative deliveries and confer other advantages that may increase maternal satisfaction. Further investigations should be performed to determine the exact mechanisms of these findings and, in particular, to develop a safe method of delivering such analgesia to women.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
How well can radiographers triage x ray films in accident and emergency departments?
To assess the ability of radiographers to identify abnormal radiographs of patients attending accident and emergency departments. ⋯ Unselected radiographers can offer useful advice on radiographs to casualty officers, but their high rate of false positive diagnoses indicates that they cannot triage casualty radiographs sufficiently accurately to allow them to extend their current reporting role.
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Measurement of changes in patients' perceptions of how differing states of health affect their lives and determination of the ability of preoperative variables to predict outcome after coronary artery bypass grafting. ⋯ Improvements were evident in general health state, symptoms, and activity at three months and one year after coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Interventions likely to influence outcomes included reduction in waiting times for operation; rehabilitation initiatives; and more attention to the quality of information given to patients, their relatives, and the community.