Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Aug 2014
Clinical TrialReal-time ultrasound-guided spinal anesthesia using the SonixGPS ultrasound guidance system: a feasibility study.
Real-time ultrasound-guided neuraxial blockade remains a largely experimental technique. SonixGPS® is a new needle tracking system that displays needle tip position on the ultrasound screen. We investigated if this novel technology might aid performance of real-time ultrasound-guided spinal anesthesia. ⋯ The SonixGPS® system simplifies real-time ultrasound-guided spinal anesthesia to a large extent, especially the out-of-plane approach. Nevertheless, it remains a complex multi-step procedure that requires time, specialized equipment, and a working knowledge of spinal sonoanatomy.
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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
A follow-up meeting post death is appreciated by family members of deceased patients.
A practice with a follow-up meeting post death (FUMPD) with physician and staff for family members of patients who died in the intensive care unit (ICU) was started as a quality project to improve the support of families in post-ICU bereavement. A quality improvement control was conducted after 4 years. ⋯ A routine with a Follow-Up Meeting Post Death with the ICU team for the families of the patients who die in the ICU is appreciated. The presence of the physician is important.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Aug 2014
Umbilical cord blood acid-base status in pregnancy with congenital heart disease.
The risk of fetal and neonatal complications is higher in pregnant women with congenital heart disease (CHD). It remains unknown whether umbilical cord blood gas values are different between pregnant women with CHD and healthy women undergoing elective cesarean section during combined spinal-epidural anesthesia. The purpose of the present study was to compare umbilical cord blood acid-base status and gas values in pregnant women with CHD vs. healthy pregnant women undergoing elective cesarean section during combined spinal-epidural (CSE) anesthesia. ⋯ The lower values of umbilical arterial blood pH, BE and HCO3 (-) were observed in pregnant women with CHD than in healthy women undergoing elective cesarean section during CSE anesthesia.