Anaesthesia, critical care & pain medicine
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Anaesth Crit Care Pain Med · Apr 2015
Comparative StudyAssessment of dyspnoea in the emergency department by numeric and visual scales: A pilot study.
Dyspnoea is a common and often debilitating symptom that affects up to 50% of patients admitted to acute tertiary care hospitals. The primary purpose of this study was to compare the numeric rating scale (NRS) and the visual analogue scale (VAS) for dyspnoea evaluation in the ED setting. ⋯ This pilot study demonstrated that numerical rating and visual analogue scales agree well when assessing the severity of dyspnoea in the ED. Further studies with larger cohorts of patients are needed to confirm these preliminary results.
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Anaesth Crit Care Pain Med · Apr 2015
Comparative StudyCompatibility of medications during multi-infusion therapy: A controlled in vitro study on a multilumen infusion device.
Drug incompatibilities can jeopardize the safety and effectiveness of intravenous drug therapies, especially in the field of anaesthesia and intensive care. Patients receive many drugs simultaneously through limited venous accesses. This study was designed to confirm the impact of a multilumen infusion device on the occurrence of known physical drug incompatibilities. ⋯ Infusion device characteristics have an impact on physical drug incompatibilities. Our results confirm that the Edelvaiss Multiline-8 device prevents physical drug incompatibilities under specified conditions.
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Anaesth Crit Care Pain Med · Apr 2015
Observational StudyUsefulness of the Airtraq DL™ videolaryngoscope for placing a double-lumen tube.
Endotracheal insertion of a double-lumen tube (DLT) may be difficult because of its size and shape. The Airtraq™ is a new videolaryngoscope that allows supraglottis exposure without needing to align the oro-pharyngo-laryngeal axis. A specific model (Airtraq DL™), with a large diameter, has been specifically designed to insert a DLT. We have tested the efficiency of this device on the quality of supraglottis exposure and the endotracheal position of the DLT. ⋯ The use of the Airtraq DL™ improves exposure of the supraglottis during insertion of a DLT. However, previous removal of the stylet could increase the risk of incorrectly positioning the tube.
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Anaesth Crit Care Pain Med · Apr 2015
Decompression surgery for severe traumatic brain injury (TBI): A long-term, single-centre experience.
Despite well-conducted medical treatment, refractory intracranial hypertension occurs in 10-15% of patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Surgical decompression procedures, such as hemicraniectomy, are mainly considered as a rescue therapy. However, the long-term neurological outcomes of these patients remain controversial. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the long-term evolution of patients requiring surgical decompression surgery in our ICU over the last 7 years. ⋯ In this small retrospective study, we found that decompression surgery performed for traumatic refractory raised ICP concerned only 2% of our traumatic brain injury patients. According to long-term evaluation, decompression surgery is associated with unfavourable outcomes and disabilities. However, the functional recovery and quality of life in survivors seems equivalent to a matched population. These results require confirmation via larger studies.