Anaesthesia
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Multicenter Study
A national survey of practical airway training in UK anaesthetic departments. Time for a national policy?
The Fourth National Audit Project (NAP4) recommended airway training for trainee and trained anaesthetists. As the skills required for management of airway emergencies differ from routine skills and these events are rare, practical training is likely to require training workshops. In 2013, we surveyed all UK National Health Service hospitals to examine the current practices regarding airway training workshops. ⋯ Reported barriers to training include lack of time and departmental or individual interest. Workshop-based airway training is variable in provision, frequency and content, and is often not prioritised by departments or individual trainers. It could be useful if guidance on workshop organisation, frequency and content was considered nationally.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
A prospective randomised study of a rigid video-stylet vs. conventional lightwand intubation in cervical spine-immobilised patients.
Compared with a lightwand which is used blind, Optiscope™ , a rigid video-stylet, can provide direct imaging of airway structures, potentially offering improved conditions in cervical spine-immobilised patients. We randomly assigned 168 patients who required cervical immobilisation during tracheal intubation to use of the Optiscope or the lightwand. ⋯ The incidence of postoperative airway complications was similar in the two groups. The devices were equivalent with respect to initial intubation success rate but the Optiscope yielded slightly longer intubating times.