Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Jan 2016
Review Meta AnalysisTachyphylaxis to local anaesthetics. What is the clinical evidence? A systematic review.
Tachyphylaxis or acute tolerance to local anaesthetics has been reported, but the prevalence in clinical analgesia is obscure, and the mechanisms behind this phenomenon remain unclear. We sought to examine the clinical significance of tachyphylaxis from the available literature. ⋯ Studies documenting tachyphylaxis with clinical use of local anaesthetics are surprisingly scarce, and the mechanisms behind it remain unclear.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Jan 2016
Step-down vs. step-up noxious stimulation: differential effects on pain perception and patterns of brain activation.
We hypothesize that pain and brain responses are affected by changes in the presentation sequence of noxious stimuli that are, overall, identical in intensity and duration. ⋯ When pain cannot be avoided in clinical practice, noxious stimuli should be applied to patients in a step-down pattern that delivers the most intense pain first and the least intense pain last.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Jan 2016
Exploring the relationship between anaesthesiologists' non-technical and technical skills.
A combination of non-technical skills (NTS) and technical skills (TS) is crucial for anaesthetic patient management. However, a deeper understanding of the relationship between these two skills remains to be explored. We investigated the characteristics of trainee anaesthesiologists' NTS and TS in a simulated unexpected difficult airway management scenario. ⋯ This study illustrates that anaesthesiologist trainees' NTS and TS were not correlated in this setting, but rather intertwined and how the interplay of NTS and TS can impact patient management. Themes describing the characteristics of NTS and a list of desirable, concrete NTS were developed to aid the understanding, training and use of NTS.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Jan 2016
Oxytocin use during Caesarean sections in Denmark - are we getting the dose right?
In Denmark, an iv bolus of 10 IU oxytocin was traditionally given after delivery to prevent atony during caesarean sections. Randomized controlled trials have shown that lower iv bolus doses have same efficacy with fewer side effects and many countries now recommend a 5 IU maximum dose. The aims of this study were to investigate whether patients referred for allergy testing after oxytocin exposure had dose-related side effects to oxytocin rather than true allergic reactions and to investigate whether updated international recommendations on lower bolus doses had been implemented in practice. ⋯ Too high oxytocin doses are still used in Denmark leading to dose-related side effects mimicking allergic reactions. Coordination between obstetricians and anaesthesiologists on producing common updated guidelines on the administration of oxytocin and dissemination of this information to obstetric and anaesthetic departments in Denmark is needed.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Jan 2016
Editorial Biography Historical ArticleTwo great medical discoveries and the wretchedness they caused their discoverers.