Journal of perioperative practice
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Up to 70% of surgical patients develop hypothermia perioperatively. Inadvertent hypothermia can be caused by a cold operating theatre, anaesthetic effects, exposure to the environment and administration of cold intravenous or irrigation fluids. ⋯ Preventing unplanned hypothermia increases patient comfort and prevents associated complications. It can be achieved by simple preventative measures (Burger & Fitzpatrick 2009, Lynch et al 2010).
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Tracheal intubation constitutes a routine part of anaesthetic practice both in the operating theatre as well as in the care of critically ill patients. The procedure is estimated to be performed 13-20 million times annually in the United States alone. There has been a recent renewal of interest in the morbidity associated with endotracheal tube cuff overinflation, particularly regarding the rationale and requirement for endotracheal tube cuff monitoring intra-operatively.
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The notion of different professional groups working and learning together is by no means new in healthcare. Members of each professional group within the perioperative environment frequently work and learn together in order to improve the care of the surgical patient. However traditional perioperative teamwork is being transformed as national and international directives bring members of the perioperative team closer together to promote the holistic care of the patient. As interprofessional teamwork increases an opportunity for interprofessional learning occurs.
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The assistant theatre practitioner (ATP) is increasingly being developed across a range of healthcare settings to support the role of the registered practitioner (Skills for Health 2010). Where ATPs take on roles that were previously the domain of registered practitioners, it is essential that safety and quality of care is maintained. This article describes the experience within one acute hospital trust of implementing an assistant practitioner role in a theatre setting and sets out to answer the question--should assistant theatre practitioners be allowed to scrub?
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I am an operating department practitioner (ODP) who routinely applies cricoid pressure under the direction of an anaesthetist in order to prevent gastric aspiration. This article examines the current use of cricoid pressure in anaesthetics.