Anaesthesia
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Intrathecal alfentanil with and without bupivacaine for analgesia in labour.
Combined spinal-epidural (CSE) for analgesia in labour is widely used as a method of providing pain relief while minimising motor blockade. Aiming to further reduce the associated motor weakness, we investigated the use of alfentanil alone as the initial intrathecal injection in a double-blind study. Thirty women were randomly allocated to receive either alfentanil 0.25 mg with bupivacaine 2.5 mg intrathecally, or alfentanil 0.25 mg in the same volume. ⋯ Sixty per cent of women receiving the alfentanil-bupivacaine mixture demonstrated an impaired ability to straight leg raise compared with none of the women in the alfentanil-saline group (p < 0.01). The incidence of adverse effects in mother and fetus was similar in both groups. We conclude that intrathecal alfentanil 0.25 mg alone as part of a CSE technique provides rapid analgesia of satisfactory quality without detectable motor blockade.
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
The safety and efficacy of cisatracurium 0.15 mg.kg(-1) during nitrous oxide-opioid anaesthesia in infants and children.
We studied the neuromuscular and cardiovascular effects of a single, rapidly administered intravenous dose of cisatracurium 0.15 mg.kg(-1) in 27 infants (aged 1-23 months) and 24 children (aged 2-12.5 years). After midazolam premedication, anaesthesia was induced and maintained with thiopental and alfentanil in addition to nitrous oxide in oxygen. Neuromuscular function was monitored by evoked adductor pollicis electromyography. ⋯ Once neuromuscular function started to recover, the rate of recovery was similar in both age groups. Changes in blood pressure and heart rate after the administration of cisatracurium were negligible in both age groups. Cisatracurium, at a dose of 0.15 mg. kg(-1), was effective and well tolerated in infants and children.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Learning fibreoptic endoscopy. Nasotracheal or orotracheal intubations first?
We have studied the extent to which learning fibreoptic nasotracheal endoscopy first helped anaesthetists to learn fibreoptic orotracheal endoscopy later, and vice versa. After preliminary training on a bronchial tree model, 30 anaesthetic trainees were randomly allocated to the nasal first/oral second group, who performed 10 nasal intubations followed by 10 oral intubations, or the oral first/nasal second group, who performed 10 oral intubations followed by 10 nasal intubations, in anaesthetised, ASA group I or II patients undergoing elective oral or general surgery. ⋯ The mean (SD) total endoscopy time for all the endoscopies (both nasal and oral) in the nasal first/oral second group [1196 (162) s] was not significantly different from that for all the endoscopies in the oral first/nasal second group [1193 (188) s]. Because there is no advantage or disadvantage to be gained in starting to learn either type of endoscopy first, graduated training programmes can be planned according to the availability of suitable patients for fibreoptic intubation, without instructors needing to consider whether trainees make better progress if they learn one technique before the other.
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All anaesthetic trainees must maintain a logbook. The recent extension of Specialist Registrar training from 4 to 5 years, granted by the Specialist Training Authority, is conditional upon a change to competency-based training. The Royal College of Anaesthetists defines competency as possession of the 'trinity' of knowledge, skills and attitudes. ⋯ Less than 50% regularly analysed their logbooks and for 67% of Specialist Registrars, no (or minimal) attention was paid to the logbook at assessments. Overwhelmingly, 97% did not believe that the current logbook assessed competency. The value of Training Portfolios is discussed.