European journal of anaesthesiology
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Ultrasound-guided infrapatellar nerve block for anterior cruciate ligament repair: a prospective, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.
We have previously described an ultrasonography-guided technique to block the infrapatellar nerve that is associated with an extended duration of anaesthesia. The aim of the present study was to investigate the clinical usefulness of this new technique in patients undergoing arthroscopy-assisted anterior cruciate ligament repair. ⋯ Adjunct use of an ultrasound-guided block of the infrapatellar nerve is associated with improved pain relief and an increased number of sleep hours after arthroscopy-assisted anterior cruciate ligament repair.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Assessment of subjective workload in an anaesthesia simulator environment: reliability and validity.
For the subjective assessment of workload, Borg's Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale is a global measure of perceived workload during anaesthesia induction, maintenance and emergence in the real workplace. In the present study, validity and reliability of the RPE scale were analysed for a full-scale simulator environment using scenarios of induction of general anaesthesia with and without critical incidents. ⋯ RPE scores were significantly increased after critical incidents during simulated anaesthesia induction and indicate good construct validity. Reliability may be impaired by the fact that the first session was announced to be without a critical incident. The RPE scale is easy to administer and a valid tool for subjective workload assessment in simulator settings. Reliability is moderate.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
The use of ultrasound to guide time-critical cannula tracheotomy when anterior neck airway anatomy is unidentifiable.
Transtracheal or transcricothyroid placement of a cannula is a practice used in a number of aspects of airway management in anaesthesia and intensive care. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether the use of ultrasound will facilitate cannula placement in a time-critical situation in patients with difficult anterior neck airway anatomy. ⋯ If a 'can't intubate, can't oxygenate' scenario occurs in a patient with unidentifiable anterior neck airway anatomy in a location where an ultrasound machine is immediately available, we recommend that consideration is given to the use of ultrasound-guided cannula tracheotomy as the first-line rescue technique.