Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica
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Local anaesthetics (LA) are generally considered safe with respect to allergy. However, various clinical reactions steadily occur. Even though most reactions are manifestations of reflexes to perceptive stimuli, uncertainty often remains regarding a possible allergic mechanism. This uncertainty later leads to an avoidance of local anaesthesia and unnecessarily painful interventions, resource-consuming general anaesthesia or even the risk of re-exposure to other yet unidentified allergens. In the present study, follow-up procedures at an allergy clinic were analysed to examine the frequency of identified causative agents and pathogenetic mechanisms and evaluate the strength of the diagnostic conclusions. ⋯ Reactions during local anaesthesia are rarely found to be an IgE-mediated LA allergy. Whenever the clinical picture is compatible with allergy, other allergens should also be tested.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · May 2010
Pleth variability index predicts hypotension during anesthesia induction.
The pleth variability index (PVI) is a new algorithm used for automatic estimation of respiratory variations in pulse oximeter waveform amplitude, which might predict fluid responsiveness. Because anesthesia-induced hypotension may be partly related to patient volume status, we speculated that pre-anesthesia PVI would be able to identify high-risk patients for significant blood pressure decrease during anesthesia induction. ⋯ Pre-anesthesia PVI can predict a decrease in MAP during anesthesia induction with propofol. Its measurement may be useful to identify high-risk patients for developing severe hypotension during anesthesia induction.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · May 2010
Burnout, psychosomatic symptoms and job satisfaction among Dutch nurse anaesthetists: a survey.
To meet the increasing demand for healthcare providers, it is crucial to recruit and retain more nurse anaesthetists (NAs). The majority of NAs in the Netherlands are >45 years old, and retaining them in their jobs is very important. This study investigates the relationships among burnout, physical health and job satisfaction among Dutch NAs. ⋯ The results confirmed the importance of a healthy psychosocial work environment for promoting job satisfaction. To prevent burnout, further research is necessary to determine the factors causing stress. These findings may also apply to anaesthesiologists who share many tasks and work in close cooperation with NAs.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · May 2010
Global and right ventricular end-diastolic volumes correlate better with preload after correction for ejection fraction.
Volumetric monitoring with right ventricular end-diastolic volume indexed (RVEDVi) and global end-diastolic volume indexed (GEDVi) is increasingly being suggested as a superior preload indicator compared with the filling pressures central venous pressure (CVP) or the pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP). However, static monitoring of these volumetric parameters has not consistently been shown to be able to predict changes in cardiac index (CI). The aim of this study was to evaluate whether a correction of RVEDVi and GEDVi with a measure of the individual contractile reserve, assessed by right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) and global ejection fraction, improves the ability of RVEDVi and GEDVi to monitor changes in preload over time in critically ill patients. ⋯ Correction of volumetric preload parameters by measures of ejection fraction improved the ability of these parameters to assess changes in preload over time in this heterogeneous group of critically ill patients.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · May 2010
The relative position of ilioinguinal and iliohypogastric nerves in different age groups of pediatric patients.
Ilioinguinal nerve (IIN) and iliohypogastric nerve (IHN) blocks provide good perioperative pain relief for children undergoing inguinal procedures such as inguinal hernia repair, orchiopexy, and hydrocelectomy. The aim of this ultrasound imaging study is to compare the relative anatomical positions of IIN and IHN in different age groups of pediatrics. ⋯ Age should be considered when placing a needle in landmark techniques for pediatric II/IH nerve blocks. However, needle depth should be confirmed by the fascial click due to the lack of predictable physiologic factors.