Current opinion in anaesthesiology
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Dec 2008
ReviewWeb-based education in anesthesiology: a critical overview.
The purpose of this review is to discuss the rise of web-based educational resources available to the anesthesiology community. ⋯ The worldwide web has made available a large variety of valuable medical information and education resources only dreamed of two decades ago. To a large extent,these developments represent a shift in the focus of medical education resources to emphasize free access to materials and to encourage collaborative development efforts.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Dec 2008
ReviewAirway management in the outpatient setting: new devices and techniques.
There are an ever-increasing number of supraglottic airway devices available on the market, many being suitable for ambulatory surgery and the specific demands it creates. These include constraints of time, high turnover and the need for early and effective discharge. This article hopes to highlight the potential benefits of the current devices available. ⋯ Some of the unique advantages offered by certain devices lend themselves well to anaesthesia in ambulatory surgery. The laryngeal mask airway has a proven track record but newer airway devices are becoming more popular and may offer advantages. Further research is needed in this fast-moving field to assess these benefits, especially in specific cohorts of patients (such as the obese), who are appearing with increasing regularity on outpatient surgery lists.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Dec 2008
ReviewChanges in skin conductance as a tool to monitor nociceptive stimulation and pain.
The skin conductance algesimeter (SCA) reflects the sympathetic nervous system influenced by changes in emotions, which releases the acetylcholine that acts on muscarine receptors, causing a subsequent burst of sweat and increased skin conductance. The SCA reacts immediately and is not influenced by hemodynamic variability or neuromuscular blockade. The use of SCA for pain and nociceptive assessment is outlined in this review. ⋯ The SCA detects nociceptive pain fast and continuously, specific to the individual, with higher sensitivity and specificity than other available objective methods.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Dec 2008
ReviewRecent advances in scenario-based training for medical education.
To summarize recent thinking about how to best design simulations and other virtual environments in medical education and training. ⋯ In presenting this framework, I hope that medical educators and practitioners can have a deeper appreciation for how to best design and implement scenario-based training.
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Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Dec 2008
ReviewOffice-based anesthesia: new frontiers, better outcomes, and emphasis on safety.
Office-based anesthesia has grown and continues to grow very rapidly in the ever-changing medical environment. The demand of patients, surgeons and the evolving economic environment has set off a dynamic growth explosion. This explosion has created aggressive and tumultuous enhancements, some of which have been adapted well and some of which have led to disastrous results. ⋯ The review of recent literature and technological advances has provided some valuable lessons in the evolution of patient safety and office based technology for the surgical office-based environment. As this specialty grows, measures of its outcome parameters will allow a gauge of performance.