Journal of clinical anesthesia
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Comparative Study
Pressure waveform-guided epidural catheter placement in comparison to the loss-of-resistance conventional method.
To investigate pressure waveform-guided epidural catheter placement (PWEP) and its effect in clinical practice. ⋯ PWEP is a reliable and useful technique for epidural catheter placement.
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To compare turnover times for a series of elective cases with surgeons following themselves with turnover times for a series of previously scheduled elective procedures for which the succeeding surgeon differed from the preceding surgeon. ⋯ The investigated institution averages 2.5 cases per OR per day. The cumulative additional turnover time (far less than one hour per OR per day) for switching surgeons definitely does not allow the addition of another elective procedure if the difference could be eliminated. A flexible scheduling policy allowing surgeon swapping rather than requiring full blocks incurs minimal additional staffed time during the OR day while allowing the schedule to be filled with available elective cases.
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To determine if a high score (≥ 3) on the STOP-Bang screening questionnaire for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) predicts whether obese patients are at high risk for OSA and increased risk of difficult airway. ⋯ The STOP-Bang score may be used as an effective predictor of difficult airway in obese patients. Obese surgical patients with unknown/undiagnosed OSA status should be evaluated using the STOP-Bang questionnaire score.