Anaesthesia
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Acute pulmonary oedema in pregnant women is an uncommon but life-threatening event. The aims of this review are to address why pulmonary oedema occurs in pregnant women and to discuss immediate management. We performed a systematic literature search of electronic databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library, using the key words obstetrics, pregnancy, acute pulmonary oedema, pregnancy complications, maternal, cardiac function and haemodynamics. ⋯ Pre-eclampsia remains an important cause of hypertensive acute pulmonary oedema in pregnancy and preventive strategies include close clinical monitoring and restricted fluid administration. Immediate management of acute pulmonary oedema includes oxygenation, ventilation and circulation control with venodilators. Pregnancy-specific issues include consideration of the physiological changes of pregnancy, the risk of aspiration and difficult airway, reduced respiratory and metabolic reserve, avoidance of aortocaval compression and delivery of the fetus.
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Guideline
Checking anaesthetic equipment 2012: association of anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland.
A pre-use check to ensure the correct functioning of anaesthetic equipment is essential to patient safety. The anaesthetist has a primary responsibility to understand the function of the anaesthetic equipment and to check it before use. Anaesthetists must not use equipment unless they have been trained to use it and are competent to do so. ⋯ A two-bag test should be performed after the breathing system, vaporisers and ventilator have been checked individually. A record should be kept with the anaesthetic machine that these checks have been done. The 'first user' check after servicing is especially important and must be recorded.
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Letter Case Reports
Antibiotic prophylaxis for caesarean section: exchanging one risk for another?
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Patients with suspected or symptomatic cardiac disease, associated with increased peri-operative risk, are often seen by anaesthetists in the pre-assessment clinic. The use of transthoracic echocardiography in this setting has not been reported. This prospective observational study investigated the effect of echocardiography on the anaesthetic management plan in 100 patients who were older than 65 years or had suspected cardiac disease. ⋯ Haemodynamically significant cardiac disease was revealed in 31 patients, resulting in a step-up of treatment in 20 patients, including: cardiology referral (four patients); altered surgical (two) and anaesthetic (four) technique; use of invasive monitoring (13); planned use of vasopressor infusion (10); and postoperative high dependency care (five). Reassuring negative findings in 69 patients led to a step-down in treatment in 34 patients: altered anaesthetic technique (six); procedure not cancelled (10); cardiology referral not made (10); use of invasive monitoring not required (seven); and high dependency care not booked (11). We conclude that focused transthoracic echocardiography in the pre-operative clinic is feasible and frequently alters management in patients with suspected cardiac disease.