Resuscitation
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Airway management training using the laryngeal mask airway: a comparison of two different training programmes.
Nurses without prior experience in the use of the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) were randomly allocated to one of two groups to be trained in the emergency technique of insertion of an LMA. Group A (32 nurses) were trained only on a manikin and group B (20 nurses) were trained on a manikin and with live anaesthetised patient practice in theatre (five successful insertions). Without further practice, both groups were asked to insert an LMA in a live patient in theatre 3 months after initial training. ⋯ Skill performance and retention were shown to be high following either training method, with no significant difference between the performance of either group (chi 2). We have shown that manikin-only training in the emergency technique for LMA insertion is as effective as live patient training. It is proposed that manikin training alone may be adopted as a future training modality if, as is expected, the use of the LMA in resuscitation becomes more commonplace.
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Accumulating experience with the use of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in critically ill patients with acute renal failure suggests that these treatment modalities have distinct advantages relative to conventional dialysis in terms of solute clearances, fluid removal and hemodynamics, which may translate in improved renal and patient outcome. Recent data point to a possible beneficial effect of CRRT on the clinical course, independent from an impact on fluid balance, in critically ill patients with shock which is attributed to the continuous elimination of inflammatory mediators from the circulation. This has raised the question as to whether CRRT might be used for 'non-renal' indications such as the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). ⋯ However, no significant survival advantage has yet been shown for critically ill patients with SIRS/MODS when treated with CRRT as an adjunct to conventional therapy. Only prospective controlled studies of appropriate sample size, which requires a multicenter approach, might answer the question whether use of CRRT may alter the clinical course and outcome in critically ill patients with SIRS and MODS. Until such studies are performed, the rationale for the use of CRRT in the absence of conventional indications for dialytic support remains unproven.
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To describe the occurrence, characteristics and outcome among patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest who required continuation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on admission to the emergency department. ⋯ among consecutive patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, CPR was ongoing in 68% of them on admission to hospital. Among these patients, 6% were hospitalized alive and 1.2% were discharged from hospital. Thus, among patients with ongoing CPR on admission to hospital, survivors can be found but they are few in numbers and extensive cerebral damage is frequently present.
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Comparative Study
Intubation with laryngoscope versus transillumination performed by paramedic students on manikins and cadavers.
Seventeen paramedic students, all of whom are novice intubators, performed laryngoscopic and Trachlight intubation after supervised training for 90 min on two manikins (Laerdal, AMBU) and 30 min on cadavers. A maximum of two intubation attempts lasting a maximum 30 s each were permitted on each manikin and the cadaver. The time for confirming tube placement by auscultation and securing the tube was added. ⋯ Intubation with the Trachlight was 100% successful in the Laerdal manikin, but significantly lower than with the laryngoscope in the AMBU manikin (65%), and in cadavers (50%). The mean intubation time was significantly longer (30-44 s) with the Trachlight compared with laryngoscopic intubation (10-23 s) in both manikins and cadavers. The present results do not indicate that intubation with the Trachlight is an improvement upon laryngoscopic intubation for novices.
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This study determined the acute effects of intravenous levothyroxine sodium (LT4) on systemic oxygen delivery and consumption for 6 h following resuscitation from 9 min of normothermic cardiac arrest in dogs. Male mongrel dogs (15-25 kg) were randomly assigned to two groups of seven. The treated group received a pre-cardiac arrest infusion of 15 micrograms/kg per h of LT4 for 1.5 h prior to arrest and for 6 h after, while controls received a comparable volume of 0.9 N saline infusion. ⋯ Treated dogs had significantly elevated levels of T4, FT4, T3, FT3 and rT3 (P < 0.01), compared with control dogs. No changes in cTSH were detected between groups or over time. Acute administration of LT4 enhances systemic oxygen delivery and apparently, therefore, oxygen consumption following resuscitation.