Journal of perioperative practice
-
Biography Historical Article
Reflections on a perioperative career: 1970-2008.
This paper is a personal journey through nurse training and perioperative practice. Nurse education is also explored alongside some of the social, academic and political changes that have influenced healthcare in the United Kingdom between 1966 and 2008. The views expressed are those of the author only, and the anecdotal descriptions are anonymous.
-
This cross sectional study examines the rate of catheterisation of patients after elective primary hip and knee arthroplasty in an English district general hospital. 50 patients were included in this study, with 19 (37%) being catheterised pre-operatively. Of the remainder, 10 went into retention and had to be catheterised, while the other 21 were managed without a catheter. There was a trend towards more patients requiring catheterisation after axial anaesthetic (42%) compared to non-axial anaesthetic (21%), although this was not significant. We examine the rationale for catheterisation in hip and knee arthroplasty and review the available literature.
-
In December 2008 the Department of Health released the new operating framework for 2009/10 (DH 2008a). The framework highlights key principles around the provision of care for patients in the NHS and prime among these are the emphasis placed on leadership and quality. The theme throughout is that patient experience is the key indicator of success for the NHS.
-
Femoral nerve blocks and indeed all peripheral nerve blocks have become a popular, safe and effective method of providing postoperative analgesia. The advantages of a femoral nerve block for lower limb surgery include good postoperative analgesia, a reduction in the need for opioids (thus reducing the associated complications of opioids such as nausea, vomiting, itching and confusion (Allen et al 1998, Wang et al 2002)) and the potential for earlier mobilisation and discharge from the hospital (Wang et al 2002, Ilfeld et al 2008).
-
Cleft lip and palate is one of the most common craniofacial anomalies. The surgery is not performed usually until the baby is three months of age. The anaesthesia technique is dependent on the difficulty of the airway. The anaesthetic practitioner therefore requires knowledge of the paediatric airway and of this particular anomaly and skill in the thorough preparation of the equipment used for intubating a baby for this procedure.