Der Anaesthesist
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The aim of the present study was to evaluate application customs of neuromuscular monitoring in hospitals and private practice. Of the 3,260 questionnaires sent out, 2,182 could be analyzed. ⋯ In 12.1% of the hospital departments and 66.7% of private practices, no neuromuscular monitoring was available at all. In both hospital departments and private practices, clinical signs were the most often applied criteria for timing of reinjection of myorelaxants as well as for evaluation of neuromuscular recovery.
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In 2003 an anonymous reporting system for critical incidents was implemented in the Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine of the University Hospital Dresden. This reporting system was modified to an intranet-based version and extended to the intensive care unit (ICU). ⋯ The main causes were lack of attention, missing check of measures, work load of nurses, experience and communication deficits. The article discusses the incidence of errors in the ICU setting and their potential effects.
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Although about 150,000-200,000 hernia repair procedures are performed every year in Germany alone, fast-track concepts are mainly ignored for this type of surgery. Therefore, this study was designed to analyze the perioperative management of patients undergoing laparoscopic hernia repair, performed as transabdominal preperitoneal patch hernioplasty (TAPP). Based on these results, the clinical management was optimized in order to shorten the length of stay without affecting the quality of treatment or the complication rate, and the effects of the optimization strategies were reanalyzed. ⋯ This study demonstrates that the length of stay after laparoscopic hernia repair can be reduced by one day by relatively simple means without affecting patient satisfaction or the complication rate. Most important is the introduction of clear-cut criteria that allow an early decision-making for discharge home. Moreover, many patients complain of constipation after laparoscopic surgery, and this may prolong the length of stay. This problem can be solved completely by the standardized use of sodium picosulfate, administered on the evening after surgery.
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Prehospital emergency teams will be confronted with the specific needs of resuscitation in palliative patients in whom a return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) could be found significantly less frequently than in other emergency situations. The present investigation aims to show medical and judicial problems related to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), external examination of the corpse and death certification. ⋯ Due to a reduced rate of ROSC in palliative patients, death certification and external examination of the corpse are more often necessary than in other emergency situations. Therefore every emergency physician should be familiar with the ethics of resuscitation of patients in palliative care and with external examination of the corpse to do justice to patients and their caregivers.