European journal of anaesthesiology
-
Patients who require multidisciplinary intensive care after cardiac surgery have a poor prognosis. The aim was to investigate factors in the mortality of this group of patients at 6 months. ⋯ The 6-month mortality rate of 51% in a group of patients requiring multidisciplinary intensive care after cardiac surgery is consistent with previous studies; mortality was particularly high in extreme old age and in patients referred with sepsis or ventricular failure. Those patients with uncomplicated respiratory or renal failure had a better outcome than the group as a whole.
-
Perioperative hypothermia is generally regarded as undesirable, but its incidence rate in the elective procedures in our hospital and the effect of the preventative measures taken against it were unknown. An initial audit indicated that postoperative hypothermia occurred. Therefore, changes in practice were implemented to address the problem. A further audit was then undertaken to assess the impact of these measures. ⋯ We found that with simple but consistently implemented changes in practice, postoperative hypothermia in elective patients could largely be eradicated.
-
Letter Case Reports
Subacute epidural abscess after spinal cord stimulator implantation.
-
An inverse I : E ratio (inspiratory time > expiratory time) may have benefits in patients suffering trauma who requiring lung ventilation. However, this application may be deleterious if there is concomitant head injury. We aimed to determine the physiological effects of pressure- and volume-controlled modes of inverse ratio (I : E = 2 : 1) ventilation of the lungs, while maintaining normocapnia, in a rabbit model of raised intracranial pressure (ICP). ⋯ An already raised ICP was altered by the application of induced mean PAW increases as a consequence of inverse ratio ventilation of the lungs with normocapnia.