Anaesthesia
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A relationship between cardiac output and the onset time of neuromuscular blockade administered into a peripheral vein was evaluated in 41 adult patients. Anaesthesia was induced with midazolam and fentanyl and maintained with intermittent doses of fentanyl and 66% nitrous oxide in oxygen. ⋯ A significant correlation between cardiac index and the onset time of blockade was observed. This study demonstrated that the rapidity of the onset of paralysis in the adductor pollicis muscle after vecuronium injection into a peripheral vein is clearly related to cardiac output.
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The Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care at the Chinese University of Hong Kong provides a 4 week course in our specialty for final year medical students. Our curriculum covers basic concepts in anaesthesia and intensive care, management of common medical emergencies and the safe performance of basic practical skills. ⋯ We believe that our adaptation of the Objective Structural Clinical Examination is better than traditional methods of examination and it has allowed us to identify deficiencies in our teaching methods. The Objective Structured Clinical Examination has been well received by our students and is perceived by them to be a fair reflection of their level of knowledge and skill attainment during the course.
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We have designed an automatic detector system for noninvasive monitoring of irrigating fluid absorption during transurethral resection of the prostate. Ethanol, which is used as a tracer for the fluid, is measured in the expired breath of the patient. The breath ethanol monitor can be used both in the awake patient and during general anaesthesia. ⋯ The monitor has been used in routine operations for one year. The interpretation of absorption routes was checked by control methods or by evaluation of the postoperative breath-ethanol curve. We found the indicated absorption to be correct in all resections with absorption large enough for the monitor to present an interpretation.