Anaesthesia
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Sevoflurane-induced isoelectric EEG and burst suppression: differential and antagonistic effect of added nitrous oxide.
The objective of this study was to investigate whether nitrous oxide influenced the ED50 of sevoflurane for induction of isoelectric electroencephalogram (ED50isoelectric ) differently from its influence on the ED50 of sevoflurane for electroencephalogram burst suppression (ED50burst ). In a prospective, randomised, double-blind, parallel group, up-down sequential allocation study, 77 ASA physical status 1 and 2 patients received sevoflurane induction and, after tracheal intubation, were randomly allocated to receive sevoflurane with either 40% oxygen in air (control group) or 60% nitrous oxide in oxygen mixture (nitrous group). The ED50isoelectric in the two groups was determined using Dixon's up and down method, starting at 2.5% with 0.2% step size of end-tidal sevoflurane. ⋯ The values for ED50burst were 3.05 (95%CI, 2.66-3.90)% and 3.02 (95%CI, 3.00-3.05)% in nitrous group and control group, respectively (p = 0.52). The addition of 60% nitrous oxide increases ED50isoelectric , but not the ED50burst of sevoflurane. Neither result indicates an additive effect of anaesthetic agents, as might be expected, and possible reasons for this are discussed.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
A randomised crossover simulation study comparing the impact of chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear substance personal protection equipment on the performance of advanced life support interventions.
Recent incidents involving chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear substances have stressed the importance of sufficient personal protection equipment for medical first-responders. Modern lightweight, battery-independent, suit ensembles may prove superior to the current protective suit used in the UK. This study compared the powered respiratory protective suit (PRPS ensemble) with a lightweight suit consisting of a SARATOGA® Multipurpose CBRN Protective Coverall Polyprotect 12 in conjunction with the Avon C50 Respirator/Avon CBRNF12CE filter canister and butyl rubber protective gloves (Polyprotect 12 ensemble). ⋯ Total mean (SD) completion time for the five interventions was significantly longer for the PRPS compared with the Polyprotect 12 ensemble (204 (53) s vs. 149 (36) s, respectively; p < 0.0001). Participants rated mobility, noise, heat, vision, dexterity and speech intelligibility significantly better in the Polyprotect 12 ensemble compared with the PRPS ensemble. The combination of a lightweight Polyprotect 12 suit and an Avon C50 air-purifying respirator is preferable to the powered respiratory protective suit during simulated emergency life support, due to a combination of shorter task completion times and improved mobility, communication and dexterity.
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Review
The application of three-dimensional printing technology in anaesthesia: a systematic review.
Three-dimensional printing has rapidly become an easily accessible, innovative and versatile technology, with a vast range of applications across a wide range of industries. There has been a recent emergence in the scientific literature relating to its potential application across a multitude of fields within medicine and surgery; however, its use within anaesthesia has yet to be formally explored. ⋯ We identified eight relevant articles. Due to the paucity of studies, we also completed a narrative review of the applications of three-dimensional printing pertinent to anaesthetic practice that our department are currently exploring, and suggest potential future uses for this technology relevant to our speciality.
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Multicenter Study
Transfusion in critical care - a UK regional audit of current practice.
A consistent message within critical care publications has been that a restrictive transfusion strategy is non-inferior, and possibly superior, to a liberal strategy for stable, non-bleeding critically ill patients. Translation into clinical practice has, however, been slow. Here, we describe the degree of adherence to UK best practice guidelines in a regional network of nine intensive care units within Wessex. ⋯ The reason why recommendations on transfusion triggers have not translated into clinical practice is unclear. With a clear national drive to decrease usage of blood products and clear evidence that a threshold of 70 g.l-1 is non-inferior, it is surprising that a scarce and potentially dangerous resource is still being overused within critical care. Simple solutions such as electronic patient records that force pause for thought before blood transfusion, or prescriptions that only allow administration of a single unit in non-emergency circumstances may help to reduce the incidence of unnecessary blood transfusions.
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In anaesthesia, patient simulators have been used for training and research. However, insights from simulator-based research may only translate to real settings if the simulation elicits the same behaviour as the real setting. To this end, we investigated the effects of the case (simulated case vs. real case) and experience level (junior vs. senior) on the distribution of visual attention during the induction of general anaesthesia. ⋯ Experience level did not have an effect on the distribution of visual attention. The results showed that there were differences in the distribution of visual attention by between real and simulated cases. Therefore, researchers need to be careful when translating simulation-based research on topics involving visual attention to the clinical environment.