Journal of clinical anesthesia
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We present a case of prolonged recovery from mivacurium. Neuromuscular monitoring using acceleromyography was extremely helpful following attempted reversal of residual block in determining when tracheal extubation could be safely performed. If a method of objective estimation of the TOF ratio had not been available, tracheal extubation would have taken place at a time when the train-of-four fade ratio was below 0.40.
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We report a case of epidural catheter shearing, an uncommon complication of removal of a wire-reinforced epidural catheter. The catheter was removed without incident, and with the tip intact, after we allowed the patient to relax for 3 hours, placing the patient in the lateral decubitus position, and placing continuous tension on the catheter itself so as to let it "work its way out".
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Difficult airway management is a critical aspect of anesthesiology training and practice. A survey was conducted of American anesthesia residency programs to determine the prevalence of a specific airway rotation and its curriculum. ⋯ Of the programs with an airway rotation, the flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope and the laryngeal mask airway represent the most frequently used devices, excluding the standard laryngoscopes. There is minimum emphasis on more invasive techniques. Traditional methods of instruction continue to be utilized more frequently than nontraditional methods.