Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Aug 2014
Multicenter StudyVitamin D deficiency in anesthesia department caregivers at the end of winter.
To test whether the vitamin D status of anesthesia department caregivers practicing at high Northern latitudes is compatible with current recommendations, the 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels of caregivers at hospitals in Iceland (64°08' N) and in Wisconsin (43°07' N) were compared at the end of winter. ⋯ 25(OH)D levels below the 50 nmol/l (20 ng/ml) threshold recommended by the Institute of Medicine and the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis, and below the 75 nmol/l (30 ng/ml) threshold recommended by The Endocrine Society, are highly prevalent among anesthesia caregivers working at two Northern hospitals at the end of winter who may otherwise not meet criteria to be tested. Anesthesia and critical care providers may wish to determine their 25(OH)D levels and use effective, safe, and low cost supplementation to target a 25(OH)D level compatible with optimal health.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Aug 2014
Comparative Study Clinical TrialThe median effective dose of dexmedetomidine for laryngeal mask airway insertion with propofol 2.0 mg/kg.
Dexmedetomidine can be used as a co-induction agent to facilitate laryngeal mask airway (LMA) insertion with minimal effect on respiratory function. The purpose of the study was to determine the median effective dose (ED50) of dexmedetomidine to facilitate LMA insertion during anaesthesia induction with propofol 2.0 mg/kg without neuromuscular blockade. ⋯ The single dose of dexmedetomidine for successful LMA insertion to be feasible in 50% of patients was 0.55 μg/kg during anaesthesia induction with propofol 2 mg/kg.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Aug 2014
Routine pre-operative focused ultrasonography by anesthesiologists in patients undergoing urgent surgical procedures.
Unexpected cardiopulmonary complications are well described during surgery and anesthesia. Pre-operative evaluation by focused cardiopulmonary ultrasonography may prevent such mishaps. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of unexpected cardiopulmonary pathology with focused ultrasonography in patients undergoing urgent surgical procedures. ⋯ Focused cardiopulmonary ultrasonography disclosed unexpected pathology in patients undergoing urgent surgical procedures and induced changes in the anesthesia technique or supportive actions. Pre-operative focused ultrasonography seems feasible in patients above 60 year and/or with physical limitations but not in young, healthy individuals.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Aug 2014
Major complications of epidural anesthesia: a prospective study of 5083 cases at a single hospital.
We undertook a prospective study of non-obstetric epidurals placed in surgical inpatients at a single teaching hospital to evaluate the incidence of and potential risk factors for major complications of continuous epidural anesthesia. ⋯ Serious complications were very rare; only one patient had permanent sequelae, and a single epidural hematoma was diagnosed. Post-operative neurologic deficits were more common, but most complications resolved spontaneously within 3 months and they rarely required intervention.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Aug 2014
Assessing Nurse Anaesthetists' Non-Technical Skills in the operating room.
Incident reporting and fieldwork in operating rooms have shown that some of the errors that arise in anaesthesia relate to inadequate use of non-technical skills. To provide a tool for training and feedback on nurse anaesthetists' non-technical skills, this study aimed to adapt the Anaesthetists' Non-Technical Skills (ANTS) as a behavioural marker system for the formative assessment of nurse anaesthetists' non-technical skills in the operating room. ⋯ A behavioural marker system, N-ANTS, for nurse anaesthetists was adapted from a behavioural marker system, ANTS, for anaesthesiologists.