Anaesthesia
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We have evaluated the Sonomatic Confirmation of Tracheal Intubation device (SCOTI) by testing its ability to be correctly configured with a variety of tracheal tubes of differing internal diameter and length. The device only configured correctly for RAE tubes with internal diameter of 7.0 mm or greater and for armoured tubes of internal diameter 8.5 mm. For conventional tubes of varying internal diameter cut to different lengths, configuration was only successful with certain dimensions. The inability to configure the device correctly with all types and lengths of tracheal tubes limits its usefulness as a indicator of tracheal intubation.
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Biography Historical Article
Did the use of chloroform by Queen Victoria influence its acceptance in obstetric practice?
Examination of contemporaneous publications suggests that the use of chloroform by Queen Victoria in 1853 did not result in the major breakthrough in the acceptability of obstetric anaesthesia with which the event has been credited by some later writers.
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We have examined the predictability of inspired desflurane concentration during low-flow anaesthesia using a to-and-fro breathing system. Twenty-two adult patients requiring mechanical ventilation of the lungs during surgery took part in the study. Using a fresh gas flow of 1 l.min-1, the ratio of inspired desflurane concentration to desflurane vaporizer setting was found to be approximately 0.75 after 9 min of anaesthesia and at 2 l.min-1 fresh gas flow the ratio was approximately 0.9 after 2 min of anaesthesia. These ratios were maintained throughout the procedure, except for a few minutes following each change in vaporizer setting.
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A postal questionnaire aiming to ascertain the availability of cricothyrotomy and transtracheal ventilation equipment, and experience of its use, was sent to all tutors of the Royal College of Anaesthetists in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The response rate was 74.9%. Almost half of the respondents had experience of cricothyrotomy. ⋯ Seventy five percent of patients reported had eventual successful airway management with full recovery, while 9.6% had partial recovery and 15.4% died. Formal training of emergency airway management was practised in 14.2% of anaesthetic departments, while 73.6% had informal training. Twelve percent of the departments did not specifically teach their trainees the skill of emergency airway management.