Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica
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The main objectives of this study were to clarify the contents of and attitudes to morning conferences for physicians at Swedish departments of anaesthesiology and intensive care medicine. ⋯ Daily morning conferences enable regular exchange of information and professional experience, and are considered by Swedish anaesthesiologists to be most valuable for intercollegial solidarity and contacts. Before changes are being made in frequency or duration of morning conferences, their actual structure and content should be carefully evaluated and critically challenged to fit specific needs of that individual department.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Sep 2013
Neurocognitive effects following an overnight call shift on faculty anesthesiologists.
The impact of sleep deprivation on neurocognitive performance is a significant concern to both the health of patients and to the physicians caring for them, as demonstrated by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education enforced resident work hours. This study examined the effects of an overnight call at a level 1 trauma hospital on neurocognitive performance of faculty anesthesiologists. ⋯ Following a night call shift, performance on learning and memory was significantly reduced. Other areas were not significantly affected, which may have been due to certain possibilities, such as practice effect or variability in the call shifts. The real-world relevance of the decline in performance on these measures remains unclear.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Sep 2013
Gender disparity among US anaesthesiologists: are women underrepresented in academic ranks and scholarly productivity?
The h-index is an objective indicator of research productivity and influence on scholarly discourse within a discipline. It may be a valuable adjunct for measuring research productivity, a key component in decisions regarding appointment and promotion in academic medicine. The objectives of this analysis were to (1) examine whether there are gender disparities in research productivity among academic anaesthesiologists, and (2) compare results to measures of research productivity in other specialties. ⋯ While men had higher overall research productivity, women had equivalent or higher mid-career research output, suggesting that early-career considerations unique to women should be taken into account during appointment and promotion in academic anaesthesiology. While disparities in gender representation among anaesthesiologists have also been noted in Europe, further study as to whether these differences also extend to research productivity and academic promotion outside of the US would be of interest.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Sep 2013
Observational StudyLevels and sources of sound in the intensive care unit - an observational study of three room types.
Many intensive care unit (ICU) patients describe noise as stressful and precluding sleep. No previous study in the adult setting has investigated whether room size impacts sound levels or the frequency of disruptive sounds. ⋯ Single-bed rooms do not guarantee lower sound levels per se but may imply less frequent disruptive sounds. Sixty-four percent of disruptive sounds were avoidable. Our findings warrant sound reducing strategies for ICU patients.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Sep 2013
Improved neuroprotective effect of methylene blue with hypothermia after porcine cardiac arrest.
Induced mild hypothermia and administration of methylene blue (MB) have proved to have neuroprotective effects in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR); however, induction of hypothermia takes time. We set out to determine if MB administered during CPR could add to the histologic neuroprotective effect of hypothermia. ⋯ Administration of MB during CPR added to the short term neuroprotective effects of induced mild hypothermia induced 30 min after ROSC.