Anaesthesia
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Comparative Study
The effects of electromyographic activity on the accuracy of the Narcotrend monitor compared with the Bispectral Index during combined anaesthesia.
The Narcotrend is a monitor system for the assessment of depth of anaesthesia. The objective of this trial was to investigate the susceptibility of the Narcotrend to electromyographic (EMG) activity when compared with the Bispectral Index (BIS). We enrolled 33 patients undergoing major urological procedures under combined anaesthesia (thoracic epidural analgesia and general anaesthesia). ⋯ None of the patients reported intra-operative awareness. Increased electromyographic activity does not affect Narcotrend values. Under combined anaesthesia, the Narcotrend monitor is more reliable when compared with the BIS regarding susceptibility to increased EMG activity.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of the Airway Scope, gum elastic bougie and fibreoptic bronchoscope in simulated difficult tracheal intubation: a manikin study.
We compared the Airway Scope with a gum elastic bougie and fibreoptic bronchoscope in a manikin with a simulated Cormack and Lehane Grade 3 laryngoscopic view. Twenty-seven anaesthetists intubated the trachea of the manikin with these devices and the time required for intubation was measured. ⋯ The median (range) difficulty was 2 (1-4) with the Airway Scope, 3 (2-4) with the gum elastic bougie (p < 0.001), and 2 (1-5) with the fibreoptic bronchoscope (p = 0.014). In Cormack and Lehane grade 3 laryngoscopic views, the Airway Scope may enable faster and easier tracheal intubation than does a Macintosh laryngoscope with a gum elastic bougie or a fibreoptic bronchoscope.
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The Intubating Laryngeal Mask Airway (ILMA) is a supraglottic airway that facilitates ventilation and blind tracheal intubation. The LMA CTrach is functionally identical to the ILMA, but has an integrated fibreoptic bundle that provides a view of the larynx. This enables visualisation of tracheal intubation while delivering 100% oxygen, with or without an inhalational anaesthetic. ⋯ Pre-operatively, patients were given midazolam and glycopyrrolate intravenously, and then in the operating theatre the airway was anaesthetised with topical lidocaine 4%. The CTrach was inserted into the oropharynx of the still-awake patient, the vocal cords were visualised, and anaesthetic induction was commenced with sevoflurane and spontaneous ventilation. Neuromuscular blockers were not used and we were able to see the vocal cords during the entire anaesthetic induction and intubation.
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The Basic Airway Model is an airway manikin designed for training in mask ventilation. We investigated the ability of the Basic Airway Model to provide varying levels of difficulty for mask ventilation. ⋯ The median (IQR (range)) degree of difficulty was 3 (2-5 (1-7)), 4 (3-5.3 (2-7)) and 6 (5-7 (3-9)) for easy, intermediate and difficult settings, respectively. We conclude that the Basic Airway Model can provide different levels of difficulty for mask ventilation training.
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We hypothesised that intramuscular halothane injection increases local Pco(2) concentrations in malignant hyperthermia susceptible (MHS) but not in non-susceptible (MHN) individuals. Pco(2) probes with attached microtubing catheters for halothane injection were placed into the lateral vastus muscle of eight MHS and eight MHN probands. Following equilibration, a single bolus of 200 microl halothane 5 and 6 vol% was injected. ⋯ Systemic haemodynamic and metabolic parameters did not differ between both groups. Local halothane application induces a hypermetabolic reaction with a significant Pco(2) increase in MHS compared to MHN probands, indicating a susceptibility to malignant hyperthermia. Intramuscular halothane injection with Pco(2) measurement seems to be a suitable method for the development of a minimally invasive metabolic test to diagnose malignant hyperthermia susceptibility.