Anaesthesia
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Multicenter Study
An analysis of 1505 consecutive patients receiving continuous interscalene analgesia at home: a multicentre prospective safety study.
Continuous interscalene brachial plexus block has been shown to be the most effective analgesic technique following shoulder surgery; however, its use is uncommon due to logistical and safety concerns related to ambulatory administration. We prospectively studied 1505 consecutive patients undergoing shoulder surgery who received continuous interscalene analgesia at home. Catheter removal was by the patient between postoperative days two and five. ⋯ Twelve percent sought medical advice and 2% reported technical issues with the pump or tubing. Complications and technical issues were associated with patient age; weight; use of ultrasound or concomitant nerve stimulation as the endpoint for final needle tip position; local anaesthetic placement via the catheter or needle; whether a catheter-related intervention for pain relief was required in the recovery area; and the type of ambulatory pump. We conclude that this study supports the safety of this underused analgesic technique.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
A randomised controlled trial of peri-operative lidocaine infusions for open radical prostatectomy.
We allocated 76 men scheduled for radical retropubic prostatectomy to peri-operative lidocaine 2% or saline 0.9%: a pre-operative 0.075 ml.kg(-1) intravenous bolus; an intra-operative intravenous infusion at 0.075 ml.kg(-1) .h(-1) ; and 24 hours' postoperative subcutaneous infusion at 0.075 ml.kg(-1) .h(-1). Lidocaine reduced the postoperative hospital stay by a mean (95% CI) of 1.3 (0.3-2.4) days, p = 0.017, from a mean (SD) of 4.6 (3.2) days with saline. ⋯ Lidocaine reduced 24-h morphine consumption by a mean (95% CI) of 13.9 (2.2-25.7) mg, p = 0.021, from a mean (SD) of 52.3 (26.9) mg with saline. There were no differences in other outcomes.
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Multicenter Study
The effect of two cognitive aid designs on team functioning during intra-operative anaphylaxis emergencies: a multi-centre simulation study.
This multi-centre repeated measures study was undertaken to determine how contrasting designs of cognitive aids affect team performance during simulated intra-operative anaphylaxis crises. A total of 24 teams consisting of a consultant anaesthetist, an anaesthetic trainee and anaesthetic assistant managed three simulated intra-operative anaphylaxis emergencies. Each team was assigned at random to a counterbalanced order of: no cognitive aid; a linear cognitive aid; and a branched cognitive aid, and scored for team functioning. ⋯ Aggregate scores were higher with the linear compared with the branched aid design (p = 0.03). Cognitive aids improve co-ordination of the team's activities and support team members to verbalise their actions. A linear design of cognitive aid improves team functioning more than a branched design.