Anaesthesia
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Review Meta Analysis
Peri-operative intravenous administration of magnesium sulphate and postoperative pain: a meta-analysis.
Intravenous magnesium has been reported to improve postoperative pain; however, the evidence is inconsistent. The objective of this quantitative systematic review is to evaluate whether or not the peri-operative administration of intravenous magnesium can reduce postoperative pain. ⋯ Numeric pain scores at rest and on movement at 24 h postoperatively were reduced by 4.2 (95% CI -6.3 to -2.1; p < 0.0001) and 9.2 (95% CI -16.1 to -2.3; p = 0.009) out of 100, respectively. We conclude that peri-operative intravenous magnesium reduces opioid consumption, and to a lesser extent, pain scores, in the first 24 h postoperatively, without any reported serious adverse effects.
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We prospectively compared two point-of-care haemoglobin concentration measuring devices with laboratory measurements to determine their accuracy in women undergoing caesarean section delivery. The two devices were the Masimo Rainbow SET(®) Radical -7™ pulse co-oximeter and the HemoCue(®) HB 201+, which is a cuvette-type system that uses photometry. Co-oximeter readings and HemoCue measurements were taken before and after surgery, and compared with laboratory measurements of haemoglobin concentration taken at the same time. ⋯ Limits of agreement for co-oximeter readings were -2.19 to 3.41 g.dl(-1) and for the HemoCue were -1.52 to 1.79 g.dl(-1). The bias (mean difference) for the co-oximeter was -0.61 g.dl(-1) (95% CI 0.36 to -0.86) and for the HemoCue was 0.13 g.dl(-1) (95% CI -0.015 to 0.28). [corrected] Overall, 110/274 (40%) co-oximeter readings were within 1 g.dl(-1) of laboratory values compared with 247/274 (90%) HemoCue measurements (p < 0.001 for difference). The co-oximeter gave lower readings and was less accurate than the HemoCue system when compared with laboratory measurements.
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Patients presenting for emergency surgery represent a category at high risk of complications, with substantial morbidity and mortality, whose management may be extremely challenging. In this first of two articles we consider the identification and evaluation of high risk emergency patients, the provision of critical care support, the management of sepsis, common postoperative complications and in-theatre death.
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In this, the first of two article on medical emergencies, we discuss the definitions, epidemiology, pathophysiology, acute and chronic management of atrial fibrillation and acute myocardial necrosis in the peri-operative and intensive care settings.