Anaesthesia
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A decision by a society to sanction assisted dying in any form should logically go hand-in-hand with defining the acceptable method(s). Assisted dying is legal in several countries and we have reviewed the methods commonly used, contrasting these with an analysis of capital punishment in the USA. We expected that, since a common humane aim is to achieve unconsciousness at the point of death, which then occurs rapidly without pain or distress, there might be a single technique being used. ⋯ However, for all these forms of assisted dying, there appears to be a relatively high incidence of vomiting (up to 10%), prolongation of death (up to 7 days), and re-awakening from coma (up to 4%), constituting failure of unconsciousness. This raises a concern that some deaths may be inhumane, and we have used lessons from the most recent studies of accidental awareness during anaesthesia to describe an optimal means that could better achieve unconsciousness. We found that the very act of defining an 'optimum' itself has important implications for ethics and the law.
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Observational Study
Safety, complications and clinical outcome after ultrasound-guided paravertebral catheter insertion for rib fracture analgesia: a single-centre retrospective observational study.
Rib fractures are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Ultrasound-guided thoracic paravertebral catheter insertion has been described for the management of pain secondary to rib fractures. We conducted a retrospective observational study of all patients with rib fractures who had a paravertebral catheter inserted for analgesia provision over a 4-year period. ⋯ The proportion of rib fracture patients managed with paravertebral catheters increased from 31/200 (15.5%) in the first year of study to 81/168 (48.2%) in the fourth; over this time-period the observed:predicted mortality ratio fell from 1.04 to 0.66. Proportional hazard regression with and without propensity score matching demonstrated a reduction in mortality associated with paravertebral catheter use, but this became statistically non-significant when time-dependent analysis was used. Paravertebral catheters are a safe and effective technique for rib fracture analgesia; however, our data were insufficient to demonstrate any improvement in mortality.
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Comparative Study Observational Study
A comparison of sufentanil vs. remifentanil in fast-track cardiac surgery patients.
We retrospectively compared patients receiving remifentanil with patients receiving sufentanil undergoing fast-track cardiac surgery. After 1:1 propensity score matching there were 609 patients in each group. ⋯ The sufentanil group had a lower mean (SD) visual analogue pain score than the remifentanil group; 1.5 (1.2) vs. 2.4 (1.5), p < 0.001 and consumed less mean (SD) piritramide (an opioid analgesic used in our hospital); 2.6 (4.7) vs. 18.9 (7.3) mg, p < 0.001. The results of our study show that although remifentanil was more effective in reducing time to tracheal extubation and length of stay in the recovery area, there was an increased requirement for postoperative analgesia when remifentanil was used.
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Regional anaesthesia is often helpful in improving respiratory function and analgesia following multiple rib fractures. The erector spinae plane block has become the technique of choice in our institution due to its relative simplicity and purported safety. The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to determine its effectiveness in improving respiratory and analgesic outcomes. ⋯ Mean arterial blood pressure remained unchanged from baseline. In conclusion, erector spinae plane blocks were associated with improved inspiratory capacity and analgesic outcomes following rib fracture, without haemodynamic instability. We propose that it should be considered to be a viable alternative to other regional analgesic techniques when these are not feasible.
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Letter Practice Guideline
Guidelines for the safe provision of anaesthesia in magnetic resonance units 2019: Guidelines from the Association of Anaesthetists and the Neuro Anaesthesia and Critical Care Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
There has been an increase in the number of units providing anaesthesia for magnetic resonance imaging and the strength of magnetic resonance scanners, as well as the number of interventions and operations performed within the magnetic resonance environment. More devices and implants are now magnetic resonance imaging conditional, allowing scans to be undertaken in patients for whom this was previously not possible. There has also been a revision in terminology relating to magnetic resonance safety of devices. ⋯ They reinforce the safety aspects of providing anaesthesia in the magnetic resonance environment, from the multidisciplinary decision making process, the seniority of anaesthetist accompanying the patient, to training in the recognition of hazards of anaesthesia in the magnetic resonance environment. For many anaesthetists this is an unfamiliar site to give anaesthesia, often in a remote site. Hospitals should develop and audit governance procedures to ensure that anaesthetists of all grades are competent to deliver anaesthesia safely in this area.