Anaesthesia
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
A comparison of single-dose dexmedetomidine or propofol on the incidence of emergence delirium in children undergoing general anaesthesia for magnetic resonance imaging.
Emergence delirium is a significant problem in children regaining consciousness following general anaesthesia. We compared the emergence characteristics of 120 patients randomly assigned to receive a single intravenous dose of dexmedetomidine 0.3 μg.kg(-1) , propofol 1 mg.kg(-1) , or 10 ml saline 0.9% before emerging from general anaesthesia following a magnetic resonance imaging scan. Emergence delirium was diagnosed as a score of 10 or more on the Paediatric Anaesthesia Emergence Delirium scale. ⋯ Three patients in the dexmedetomidine group, none in the propofol group and two in the saline group required pharmacological intervention for emergence delirium (p = 0.202). Administration of neither dexmedetomidine nor propofol significantly reduced the incidence, or severity, of emergence delirium. The only significant predictor for emergence delirium was the time taken to awaken from general anaesthesia, with every minute increase in wake-up time reducing the odds of emergence delirium by 7%.
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Methods used to assess the height of spinal block before caesarean section vary widely across literature, textbooks and individual anaesthesia practice.
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Multicenter Study
Sedation practice in six acute hospitals - a snapshot survey.
The number of UK hospital patients receiving procedural sedation remains unknown. Our trainee research network recorded all procedural sedation given over a 48-h period at six acute hospitals in the South West of England. Three hundred and sixty patients aged between 1 and 96 years old were sedated. ⋯ The most frequent sedative combination was midazolam and fentanyl, with median (IQR [range]) doses of 2 (2-3 [1-10]) mg and 50 (50-100 [10-300]) μg used, respectively. We tested a methodology that could be used in a UK-wide denominator survey to describe sedation practice across the NHS. A national audit collecting serious adverse outcomes of sedation (severe harm or death) could then identify hotspots of sedation risk (clinical areas, patient groups, procedures and sedation techniques) where consistent application of current and improved standards might reduce harm.