Anaesthesia
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Review Comparative Study
Needle vs surgical cricothyroidotomy: a short cut to effective ventilation.
Cricothyroidotomy can be performed using three techniques. This literature review seeks to determine which is more appropriate for use in prehospital can't intubate/can't ventilate scenarios where laryngeal mask airways prove ineffective. ⋯ In the absence of a high degree of upper airway obstruction, ventilation can be effective if the cannula is attached to a high pressure (45 psi) jet ventilator, but such devices are rare in UK prehospital practice. A self-inflating bag used with a cuffed tube inserted through a horizontal scalpel incision provides sustained adequate ventilation, has a relatively low complication rate compared to needle cricothyroidotomy and is a skill that can be easily taught to paramedics, nurses and doctors.
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Peri-operative beta-blockade has been shown to reduce the incidence of postoperative cardio- vascular complications including cardiac death in high-risk non-cardiac surgical patients. However, the recent analysis by Lindenauer et al. suggests that it is inappropriate to administer beta-blockers blindly to all surgical patients. In an attempt to determine the appropriateness of peri-operative beta-blocker administration across patients with a spectrum of cardiovascular risks, we have examined studies of intermediate-risk patient groups (that is those undergoing intermediate risk surgery or those with a Lee Revised Cardiac Risk Score of < or =2). ⋯ It is not associated with a significant increase in drug associated side-effects. However, acute beta-blockade shows no real benefit in the prevention of major cardiovascular complications in intermediate risk non-vascular surgical patients with a number-needed-to-treat of 833. Vascular surgical patients undergoing intermediate-risk surgery may benefit from the protective effects of acute peri-operative beta-blockade, however, with a number-needed-to-treat of 68 it would require a randomised clinical trial of over 24,000 patients to prove their efficacy.