S Afr J Surg
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Adequate treatment of pain after surgery is central to the care of postoperative patients. Preventing pain or reducing its impact makes subsequent pain management easier. The establishment of 'acute pain relief services' will improve relief offered. Recent pharmacological, psychological and technical advances in this field are briefly discussed.
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Management of the patient with a full stomach ideally requires an anaesthetist with many hands--to cope with laryngoscopy, suction and intubation. The design of a standard McIntosh laryngoscope blade was modified to include a suction port. ⋯ The prototype was found to provide inadequate suction and was further modified. The final model proved to be very effective for intubation in situations where visualisation of the larynx was obscured by secretions.
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Case Reports
Cricotracheal separation in blunt neck injury--the sign of hyoid bone elevation. A case report.
A case of a 23-year-old man who sustained a traumatic cricotracheal separation after a closed neck injury is reported. Hyoid bone elevation above the level of the superior surface of the body of the third cervical vertebra was present on lateral cervical radiography. The importance of the recognition of this sign is discussed.