Anaesthesia
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Comparative Study
A comparison of different methods of lubrication of glass syringes used to identify the epidural space.
Measurement of loss of resistance in glass syringes is a method widely used to locate the epidural space in epidural anaesthesia. Static and dynamic forces were measured under four experimental conditions in new glass syringes: unpolished, dry; polished, dry; unpolished, saline lubricated; and polished, saline lubricated. ⋯ These values were significantly greater than for polished dry syringes where the values were 5.27 (2.1) g and 4.38 (0.94) g, respectively. The results show that the least amount of resistance to plunger movement is obtained by dry polishing glass syringes.
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A standard Boyle International anaesthetic machine was modified to allow operation in either a continuous flow or a drawover mode. This was achieved by fitting a valve in the backbar which allows entrainment of air under drawover conditions. The details of the valve and modification are discussed and an evaluation of the machine in a Central African hospital is presented.
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Problems associated with the presence of a tracheal tube during anaesthesia for infant laryngeal surgery using the carbon dioxide laser are described. This paper discusses alternatives and describes an effective anaesthetic technique and a new tracheal tube.