Paediatric anaesthesia
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Paediatric anaesthesia · May 2009
Impact of laryngeal mask airway cuff pressures on the incidence of sore throat in children.
Hyperinflation of laryngeal mask airway cuffs can cause harm to the upper airway mainly by exerting high pressures on pharyngeal and laryngeal structures thus impairing mucosal perfusion. Although cuff manometers can be used to guide the monitoring of cuff pressures, their use is not routine in many institutions. In a prospective audit, we assessed the incidence of sore throat following day-case-surgery in relation to the intracuff pressure within the laryngeal mask airway. ⋯ We have demonstrated that intra cuff pressure in laryngeal mask airways is closely related to the development of sore throat with higher pressures increasing its likelihood. Hence, cuff pressures should be measured routinely using a manometer to minimize the incidence of sore throat.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · May 2009
The importance of flow and pressure release in emergency jet ventilation devices.
Several self-assembled devices, consisting of a three-way stopcock connected to a high pressure oxygen source, have been proposed for transtracheal jet ventilation in an emergency situation. As a three-way stopcock acts as a 'flow splitter' it will, when connected to a continuous oxygen flow, never ensure total flow and pressure release through its side port. The aim of the present study was to measure the efficacy of flow and pressure release of three previously described self-assembled jet devices and one commercially available tool. ⋯ In case of complete upper airway obstruction the OFM provides sufficient flow and pressure release, whereas the self-assembled jet devices tested are inherently dangerous constructions.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · May 2009
Letter Case ReportsIatrogenic endotracheal tube obstruction with foam face padding.