Anaesthesia and intensive care
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Jul 2014
Letter Randomized Controlled TrialPharmacist prescribing of venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in a surgical pre-admission clinic.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Jul 2014
Syringe Drivers: incorrect selection of syringe type from the syringe menu may result in significant errors in drug delivery.
There have been many reported adverse incidents due to syringe driver use, most of which have been attributable to human error. In this paper we present a previously unreported, but potentially widespread practice which may result in significant over or under-delivery of medication. Even with the naked eye it is evident that syringes of equal volume have different dimensions and to quantify this we sectioned a range of syringes and measured the inner and outer dimensions. ⋯ There is a wide variation in syringe metrics and complex syringe menus may increase errors, resulting in significant under or over-delivery of medication. Availability of more than one brand of syringe in a clinical area increases the risk of adverse drug delivery events. Systems need to be implemented to minimise the risk of adverse events.
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"Those wonderful huts…" (Florence Nightingale). This is the story of the British Civil Hospital, erected in 1855 at Renkioi on the south Dardanelles coast of Turkey. The spectacular hospital was a portable one designed by British engineer IK Brunel. It was his only health-related project, and it was known as a Civil Hospital because its staff were all civilians, despite its patients being military.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Jul 2014
Does diabetic status in the ICU predict haemofiltration requirement? The Haemofiltration in the ICU and Diabetic Status (HIDS) Study.
Diabetes is already a major health burden and prevalence is expected to double by 2025. The impact of diabetes and clinical outcomes in the intensive care unit is an evolving area of research. This study seeks to identify whether diabetic status is an independent risk factor for haemofiltration. ⋯ After exclusion criteria there were 7262 patients, 1674 with a history of diabetes (median age of 69, 66.72% male) and 5588 without a history of diabetes (median age 64, 64.13% male). Diabetic status was an independent risk factor (odds ratio 1.401, 95% confidence interval 1.079 to 1.820, P=0.011) for haemofiltration. Further research may identify intensive care unit-based renoprotective measures specifically for patients with diabetes.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Jul 2014
Biography Historical ArticleDr Pugh and the myth of the illicit still.
In her valuable history of the arrival of the news of etherisation in Australia and its implementation by many doctors and dentists, titled One Grand Chain, the late Dr Gwen Wilson asserted that the dentist and the doctor who pioneered etherisation in Australia, "Belisario and Pugh, …were charged by the authorities with possession of an illicit still." This paper examines the evidence for the truth or otherwise of this assertion, in relation to Dr Pugh.