Anaesthesia
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Observations were made during the use of a Tuohy needle to perform deliberate dural puncture for the insertion of lumbar drains to improve operating conditions for intracranial aneurysm surgery. The most striking finding was the distance from identification of the epidural space to penetration of the dura. ⋯ This minimised the reactive forces across the dura. Aspiration and rotation of the Tuohy needle revealed dural puncture in some cases.
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All trainee anaesthetists on the Northern Ireland training scheme were surveyed about the techniques they use when anaesthetising elective paediatric cases. We compared the practice of doctors with specialist paediatric training to that of others and discovered that trainees with specialist training were more likely (p less than 0.05) to admit parents during induction, but were less likely (p less than 0.05) to visit their patients pre-operatively and routinely to use suxamethonium. Other general findings were confusion over the re-use of halothane and extensive involvement of trainee anaesthetists in neonatal resuscitation.