Anaesthesia
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Tonsillectomy is one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures; however, pain management remains challenging. Procedure-specific efficacy as well as specific risks of treatment options should guide selection of pain management protocols based on evidence and should optimise analgesia without harm. The aims of this systematic review were to evaluate the available literature and develop recommendations for optimal pain management after tonsillectomy. ⋯ Analgesic adjuncts such as intra-operative and postoperative acupuncture as well as postoperative honey are also recommended. Ketamine (only for children); dexmedetomidine; or gabapentinoids may be considered when some of the first-line analgesics are contra-indicated. Further randomised controlled trials are required to define risk and combination of drugs most effective for postoperative pain relief after tonsillectomy.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Using psychometric ability to improve education in ultrasound-guided regional anaesthesia: a multicentre randomised controlled trial.
The learning curve for novices developing regional anaesthesia skills, such as real-time ultrasound-guided needle manipulation, may be affected by innate visuospatial ability, as this influences spatial cognition and motor co-ordination. We conducted a multinational randomised controlled trial to test if novices with low visuospatial ability would perform better at an ultrasound-guided needling task with deliberate practice training than with discovery learning. Visuospatial ability was evaluated using the mental rotations test-A. ⋯ No difference was found using the global rating scale: mean (95%CI) low-ability control 53% (95%CI 46-60%); low-ability intervention 61% (95%CI 53-68%); high-ability control 63% (95%CI 56-70%); and high-ability intervention 66% (95%CI 60-72%), p = 0.05. For overall procedure pass/fail, the low-ability control group pass rate of 42% (14/33) was significantly less than the other three groups: low-ability intervention 69% (25/36); high-ability control 68% (25/37); and high-ability intervention 85% (29/34) p = 0.003. Further research is required to determine the role of visuospatial ability screening in training for ultrasound-guided needle skills.
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Multicenter Study
Addressing priorities for surgical research in Africa: implementation of a multicentre cloud-based peri-operative registry in Ethiopia.
In resource-constrained settings, where inequalities in access to and quality of surgical care results in excess mortality, peri-operative care registries are uncommon. A south-south collaboration supported the implementation of a context specific, clinician-led, multicentre real-time peri-operative registry in Ethiopia. Peri-operative information, including the Ethiopian Ministry of Health's national 'Saving Lives through Safe Surgery initiative', was linked to real-time dashboards, providing clinicians and administrators with information on service utilisation, surgical access, national surgical key performance indicators and measures of quality of care. ⋯ This collaboration has successfully implemented a multicentre digital surgical registry that can enable measurement of key performance indicators for surgery and evaluation of peri-operative outcomes. The peri-operative registry is currently being rolled out across the Amhara region and Addis Ababa city administration. It will provide continuous granular healthcare information necessary to empower clinicians to drive context-specific priorities for service improvement and research, in collaboration with national stakeholders and international research consortiums.