Anaesthesia
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Comparative Study
Cross-sectional study of complications of inhalational anaesthesia in 16,995 patients.
Patients undergoing anaesthesia in which halothane, enflurane or isoflurane were used, were surveyed with reference to 16 unwanted effects selected by the nominal group method. A simple record card was completed at the time of anaesthetic administration. ⋯ One complication was reported in 10.8% of the cases, and more than one in 3.1%. Complications were more frequent in the obese, the elderly and those patients receiving isoflurane, but in view of the small overall use of this agent, the anaesthetists involved may still have been on a learning curve.
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We have used an intravenous micro-drip infusion set to identify the epidural space in 350 infants and children. The infusion set was prepared with saline and connected to the hub of an epidural needle. Free dripping of saline was regarded as a sign that the needle tip had entered the epidural space. The overall success rate of this method was 97.7%.