British journal of anaesthesia
-
Comparative Study Observational Study
Upper limb muscular activity and perceived workload during laryngoscopy: comparison of Glidescope(R) and Macintosh laryngoscopy in manikin: an observational study.
The interaction between operators and their working environment during laryngoscopy is poorly understood. Numerous studies have focused on the forces applied to the patient's airway during laryngoscopy, but only a few authors have addressed operator muscle activity and workload. We tested whether different devices (Glidescope(®) and Macintosh) use different muscles and how these differences affect the perceived workload. ⋯ Greater muscular activity and workload were observed with the Macintosh laryngoscope. Augmented vision and related postural adjustments related to using the Glidescope(®) may reduce activation of the operator's muscles and task workload.
-
In critically ill children, monitoring of cardiac output (CO) is essential to guide haemodynamic management and facilitate cardiovascular therapy. The ultrasound dilution technique (UDT), a novel minimally invasive indicator method, was recently introduced to determine CO. We validated UDT against the 'gold standard' reference technique, the direct Fick principle, in infants and children. ⋯ CO measurements by UDT agree favourably with Fick-derived CO data and both techniques were found to be equivalent and interchangeable. UDT represents a valid and applicable method for repetitive CO determinations in infants and children.
-
The posterior longitudinal ligament (PLL) has been found to be a reliable measure of the acoustic target window for lumbar spinal anaesthesia and a predictive tool for difficult spinals. Currently, there is limited information on the PLL in the thoracic spine and its potential use for optimizing the acoustic target window during thoracic epidural placement. This study examined the effects of changes in body position on the length of the PLL as a measure of the acoustic target window for paramedian thoracic epidural access. ⋯ In volunteers, flexion with 10° dorsal table tilt and flexion with right rotation significantly increased the length of the ipsilateral PLL, compared with the standard flexed sitting position, as visualized by paramedian ultrasonography at the level of T9/10.
-
Editorial Historical Article
IV. History of anaesthesia in Colombia: periods of development.