Anaesthesia and intensive care
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Jan 2016
Obesity prevalence and associated outcomes in cardiothoracic patients: a single-centre experience.
The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of obesity and its relationship with adverse outcomes in ICU cardiothoracic patients. We performed a retrospective analysis of cardiothoracic patients admitted to The Royal Melbourne Hospital ICU between 2002 and 2014. Eight thousand and sixty-four patients who underwent coronary artery bypass, valve replacement/repair, or both, were divided into six categories of body mass index using World Health Organization criteria. ⋯ In summary, a growing proportion of our obese ICU patients are morbidly obese, with a dramatically increased length of ICU stay. This has major implications for resource allocation in the ICU, and may inform modelling of future bed utilisation. Obesity, but not morbid obesity, conferred a mortality benefit.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Jan 2016
Intentions and barriers to research activities among Australian and New Zealand anaesthetists: a Survey.
A voluntary, anonymous, cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 997 Fellows of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists, using an electronic questionnaire. Details about their demographics, employment, research experience and barriers they had encountered, their perception about research and their future intentions to participate in research, were collected. The survey response rate was 24.6%. ⋯ In terms of barriers encountered during previous projects, 91% of the respondents cited methodological issues, which included complicated ethics approval processes, difficulty in coordinating teams or recruiting participants, non-compliant patients and difficulty in publishing. Sixty-three percent of those surveyed believed more exposure to research activities during training would increase the number of anaesthetists involved in research and scholarly activities. Through this survey, we have identified several areas that, if satisfactorily addressed, could enhance interest and participation in research amongst anaesthetists in Australia and New Zealand.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Jan 2016
Prolonged fasting of children before anaesthesia is common in private practice.
Fasting guidelines for children are well established. Despite these guidelines, previous studies have shown children are often fasted for prolonged periods before anaesthesia, potentially causing discomfort and distress. Moreover, recent publications indicate shorter fasting times for oral clear fluids in children may be safe. ⋯ Data from the follow-up audit were similar. We conclude that fasting of children at our hospital is excessive, despite our efforts to shorten the duration. We suspect that our hospital is not the only one with a high incidence of prolonged fasting for children and suggest possible solutions.