Nursing times
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Patient-controlled analgesia uses an infusion pump to administer analgesia to the patient intravenously in small bolus doses. Administration of the doses is controlled by the patient up to a prescribed maximum dose (Pasero and McCaffrey, 1994). The use of PCA is increasing in hospitals, partly due to the range of reported benefits it has for patients (Thomas, 1993). It is particularly useful in the control of postoperative pain (Thomas, 1993), and avoids the need for other pain relief methods such as intramuscular injections.
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Malignant hyperthermia is a syndrome that has no symptoms until the individual is given an anaesthetic, although cases have occurred as a result of Ecstasy ingestion. Delays in making the correct diagnosis can prove fatal. Practitioners should be aware of the agents that are known to trigger an MH reaction and the clinical manifestations of the condition. Treatment includes discontinuing the triggering agent, administering dantrolene and cooling the body.
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The main function of the respiratory system is to draw air into the lungs to allow the exchange of gases with blood circulating to the lungs. This blood supplies the cells of the body with oxygen and removes the waste products of metabolism. Tissues of the respiratory tract are thin and delicate, and become thinnest at the surfaces of the aveoli, where gaseous exchange occurs. The body has a number of mechanisms which protect these tissues and ensure that debris and bacteria do not reach them.