Der Anaesthesist
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In patient care several clinical departments are often involved in the treatment of a single case. Due to this shared work and internal patient transfer between departments the respective departments have to share the single reimbursement sum which is granted for each hospital case in the German DRG system. The intensive care unit in particular, at least if maintained as an independent department, has a high rate of internal transfers and most of the patients will be transferred back to the original department prior to discharge from hospital. ⋯ Three different methods of supplemental revenues allocation were analyzed regarding the financial impact on the intensive care unit: allocation to the department from which the patient is discharged, allocation according to the length of stay in a particular department (in this case the intensive care unit) and allocation based on actually documented medical services eligible for supplemental revenues. The supplemental revenues take up a considerable share of the total reimbursement for intensive care. Based on the first 2 allocation methods the intensive care unit would receive 20% less supplemental revenues compared to the third allocation method, which supposedly reflects best the actual costs.
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In this study the impact of 25 mg of ketamine racemate given just before surgery on recovery times and postoperative analgesic needs in patients undergoing vaginal hysterectomy and receiving propofol-remifentanil anaesthesia was investigated. ⋯ This study demonstrated that 25 mg ketamine racemate given just before surgery significantly prolongs recovery times without reducing post-operative analgesic needs when applied to patients undergoing vaginal hysterectomy and receiving propofol-remifentanil anaesthesia. A bolus dose of 25 mg ketamine racemate cannot therefore be recommended for preemptive analgesia under these conditions.
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Timely establishment of venous access in infants and toddlers can prove a particularly challenging task. Since the 1940s the technique of intraosseous infusion has established itself as a valuable alternative means for rapid, efficient and safe delivery of drugs and fluids to critically ill children. Whereas international guidelines for paediatric emergency medical care have assigned intraosseous infusion a high priority, most anaesthetists utilize this well-proven technique with great reluctance. ⋯ In particular, children with acutely life-threatening conditions, such as circulatory arrest, laryngospasm, acute airway haemorrhage, hypovolaemic shock or hypothermia secondary to extensive burns, should receive an intraosseous cannula if intravenous access cannot be rapidly established. Future discussion may reveal whether a transiently inserted intraosseous infusion would also be indicated if the child with difficult or impossible venous access presents without acute life-threatening conditions for anaesthesia. Successful application of the intraosseous infusion technique requires immediate access to the necessary equipment, intensive education, continuous training and clear guidelines for its application in an anaesthesia department.
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Increased intra-operative and postoperative blood loss might be caused by acquired platelet function disorders. In particular because conventional coagulation analyses and platelet count fail to detect impaired platelet function, implementation of bedside-tests for platelet function in the peri-operative period is desirable according to the results of retrospective studies. Following adequate adjustment of basic conditions of haemostasis (e.g. temperature, pH, Ca2+-concentration, haematocrit) a pharmacological approach with desmopressin (1-desamino-8-d-arginine vasopressin; DDAVP) or tranexamic acid potentially represents a low cost alternative to platelet transfusions with minor side effects.