Anaesthesia
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Review Meta Analysis
A systematic review and meta-analysis of perineural dexamethasone for peripheral nerve blocks.
Perineural dexamethasone may significantly increase the duration of analgesia after regional blockade, though without dose-response effect.
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Pre-operative anaemia is a relatively common finding, affecting a third of patients undergoing elective surgery. Traditionally associated with chronic disease, management has historically focused on the use of blood transfusion as a solution for anaemia in the peri-operative period. Data from large series now suggest that anaemia is an independent risk associated with poor outcome in both cardiac and non-cardiac surgery. ⋯ Since absorption from the gastrointestinal tract is blocked, increasing oral iron intake is ineffective, and studies are now looking at the role of intravenous iron to treat anaemia in the surgical setting. In this article, we review the incidence and impact of anaemia on the pre-operative patient. We explain how anaemia may be caused by functional iron deficiency, and how iron deficiency anaemia may be diagnosed and treated.
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Red cell transfusion therapy is a common treatment modality in contemporary medical practice. Although blood collection and administration is safer and more efficient than ever before, red cells undergo multiple metabolic and structural changes during storage that may compromise their functionality and viability following transfusion. ⋯ In the current review, we begin with an in-depth overview of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying red cell storage, with a focus on altered metabolism, oxidative stress and red cell membrane damage. We proceed to review the current state of evidence on the clinical relevance and consequences of the red cell storage lesion, while discussing the strengths and limitations of clinical studies.
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Review Comparative Study
A performance comparison of the paediatric i-gel(™) with other supraglottic airway devices.
We performed a review of published literature comparing the i-gel with other supraglottic airway devices in children. Sixty-two articles were identified following a literature search; we included data from 14 randomised controlled trials and eight observational studies that compared i-gel sizes 1-2.5 with other commonly used, equivalently-sized, devices. The primary outcome in most studies was oropharyngeal leak pressure. ⋯ Insertion success rate, gastric tube placement and complications were similar for all the devices. Seven of the eight observational studies measured average oropharyngeal leak pressures of 20-27 cmH2O and all had first-time insertion success rates exceeding 90%. We conclude that the i-gel is at least equivalent to other supraglottic airway devices currently available for use in children, and may enable a higher oropharyngeal leak pressure and an improved fibreoptic view of the glottis.
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We describe the development and laboratory assessment of a refined prototype tactile feedback device for the safe and accurate application of cricoid pressure. We recruited 20 operating department practitioners and compared their performance of cricoid pressure on a training simulator using both the device and a manual unaided technique. ⋯ Most importantly, the percentage of force applications that deviated from target by more than 10 N decreased from 18% to 7% (p < 0.01). The device requires no prior training, is cheap to manufacture, is single-use and requires no power to operate, whilst ensuring that the correct force is always consistently applied.