Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica
-
Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Aug 2013
Comparative Study Clinical TrialPredicting haemorrhage in pre-hospital traumatic patients: evaluation of the novel heart-to-arm time index.
Early recognition of hypovolaemia in trauma patients is very important. However, the most often used clinical signs, such as hypotension and tachycardia, lack specificity and sensitivity. ⋯ iHAT is a non-invasive index that can identify haemorrhage in trauma patients with high sensitivity and specificity. These data should be considered as an exploration, but any conclusion should be validated in a new set of consecutive patients.
-
Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Aug 2013
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyChloroprocaine 40 mg produces shorter spinal block than articaine 40 mg in day-case knee arthroscopy patients.
Articaine and chloroprocaine have recently gained interest as short-acting spinal anaesthetics. Based on previous work comparing articaine 60 mg with chloroprocaine 40 mg, we hypothesised that articaine 40 mg and chloroprocaine 40 mg would produce similar spinal anaesthesa regarding block onset, maximal spread, and recovery. ⋯ Both A40 and C40 provided mainly adequate spinal anaesthesia for day-case knee arthroscopy. While onset and maximal spread were comparable, the recovery from motor block was clearly faster with chloroprocaine after equivalent doses of spinal articaine and chloroprocaine.
-
Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Aug 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialAssessment of intraoperative microaspiration: does a modified cuff shape improve sealing?
Intra-operative aspiration of oropharyngeal secretions is associated with post-operative pneumonia. The use of endotracheal tubes (ETTs) with a modified cuff shape could be one preventive action. In this clinical, prospective, randomised controlled trial, we hypothesised that altering the cuff shape to a tapered shape could reduce the aspiration incidence. The primary outcome was aspiration of dye solution into the trachea. ⋯ Short-term use of tapered-shaped polyvinylchloride cuffs in surgical patients results in more effective sealing of the tracheal lumen in comparison with a traditional barrel-shaped polyvinylchloride cuffs. Further evaluation is needed to determine whether a reduction in post-operative pneumonia can be demonstrated when these cuffs are used.