Anaesthesia
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The World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists (WFSA) was formed in 1955 and is currently composed of 120 national societies. The aims of WFSA are to improve the standards of anaesthesia worldwide, with a particular emphasis in developing countries. This article details the structure of the WFSA, the various activities carried out by the different committees, and our achievements in education and training.
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In modern anaesthesia practice, regional techniques are preferred to general anaesthesia for many types of surgery, particularly in obstetric care. Improved outcomes have been recorded in UK practice, but the techniques remain underutilised in many parts of the world. With encouragement, training and a regular supply of appropriate needles and local anaesthetic agents, the advantages of regional techniques in the developing world could be realised.
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The challenges of obstetric care in the developing world are enormous. Many fit young mothers die or suffer disabling birth injuries from preventable complications of pregnancy that are easily treated with basic facilities. ⋯ Access to Caesarean section is a particular problem, with rates lower than 1% being commonplace. The provision of appropriate anaesthesia services is of international concern.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Comparison of the incidence and severity of cough induced by sufentanil and fentanyl: a prospective, randomised, double-blind study.
We compared the incidence and severity of cough following a bolus of sufentanil with that following fentanyl in 510 patients, randomly allocated to receive sufentanil 0.3 microg.kg(-1), fentanyl 3 microg.kg(-1) or 5 ml sterile water intravenously over 5 s. Coughing was graded depending on the number of coughs as mild (1-2), moderate (3-5) and severe (> 5). ⋯ Sufentanil was also associated with a lesser severity (p = 0.039) of coughing compared with fentanyl. We conclude that equipotent boluses of sufentanil and fentanyl increase the incidence of cough, although the incidence and severity of coughing with sufentanil are less than those with fentanyl.
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The International Relations Committee of the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland was established over 30 years ago to assist anaesthetists working in developing countries. The committee has attempted to make an impact through distribution of educational materials, supporting training courses and investing in a number of small equipment projects. In 2005, the Overseas Anaesthesia Fund was set up to allow members to donate directly to support our work.