Anaesthesia
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
A comparison of simulated difficult intubation with multiple-use and single-use bougies in a manikin.
In a randomised cross-over study, 20 anaesthetists attempted to place a multiple- or single-use bougie in the trachea of a manikin, in which a grade 3 Cormack and Lehane laryngoscopic view was simulated. The anaesthetists made two attempts at placement with each bougie and were blinded to success (tracheal placement) or failure (oesophageal placement). ⋯ The success rates for the second attempts were similar to those for the first attempts with both bougies. There is an increased risk of failure to intubate the trachea when using a single-use bougie, and this must be weighed against the unquantified risk of cross-infection from prions when using a multiple-use bougie.
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Advances in technology have resulted in the development of several depth-of-anaesthesia monitors. Whether any of these monitors can reduce the incidence of awareness is an important issue for anaesthetists and their patients. We therefore surveyed a random selection of anaesthetists, asking for their opinions of awareness and depth-of-anaesthesia monitoring in current clinical practice. ⋯ Anaesthetists rated awareness on an 11-point scale as only a moderate problem, median (interquartile range) 5 (2-7). Older anaesthetists were less likely to rate the importance of awareness highly (p = 0.009) and to use awareness monitoring (p = 0.001). Anaesthetists are prepared to use depth-of-anaesthesia monitoring more widely if it can be shown to prevent most cases of awareness in routine practice.
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A questionnaire on organisation, documentation and communication of airway problems during anaesthesia was sent to 271 anaesthetic college tutors in the UK. Their responses were compared with three published recommendations. ⋯ Guidelines for management of the difficult airway were available in 142 departments (73%), but only 41 (21%) had guidelines for communication and dissemination of information. We present an 'Airway Alert' scheme which has since been adopted by the Difficult Airway Society.