British journal of anaesthesia
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effect of intravenous S-ketamine on the MAC of sevoflurane: a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blinded clinical trial.
Ketamine is routinely used in operating theatres, emergency departments, ICUs, and even outpatient units. Despite the widespread use of ketamine, only basic aspects of its interactions with inhalation anaesthetic agents are known, and formal testing of interactions in humans is lacking. The minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of inhalation anaesthetics is used to guide the depth of anaesthesia, and several drugs are known to influence the MAC. The aim of this study was to investigate whether intravenous application of ketamine influences the MAC of sevoflurane in humans. ⋯ EudraCT ref. no. 2012-001908-38.
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Non-technical skills, such as communication or leadership, are integral to clinical competence in anaesthesia. There is a need for valid and reliable tools to measure anaesthetists' non-technical performance for both initial and continuing professional development. This systematic review aims to summarise the measurement properties of existing assessment tools to determine which tool is most robust. ⋯ Though there are seven tools for assessing the non-technical skills of anaesthetists, only ANTS has been extensively investigated with regard to its measurement properties. ANTS appears to have acceptable validity and reliability for assessing non-technical skills of anaesthetists in both simulated and clinical settings. Future research should consider additional clinical contexts and types of measurement properties.
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Multicenter Study
Organisational factors and mortality after an emergency laparotomy: multilevel analysis of 39 903 National Emergency Laparotomy Audit patients.
Studies across healthcare systems have demonstrated between-hospital variation in survival after an emergency laparotomy. We postulate that this variation can be explained by differences in perioperative process delivery, underpinning organisational structures, and associated hospital characteristics. ⋯ This multicentre study identified low-technology, readily implementable structures and processes that are associated with improved survival after an emergency laparotomy. Key components of pathways, perioperative medicine input, and specialist units require further investigation.