Anaesthesia
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We conducted a survey and semi-structured qualitative interviews to investigate current anaesthetic practice for arteriovenous fistula formation surgery in the UK. Responses were received from 39 out of 59 vascular centres where arteriovenous access surgery is performed, a response rate of 66%. Thirty-five centres reported routine use of brachial plexus blocks, but variation in anaesthetic skill-mix and practice were observed. ⋯ The use of regional anaesthesia for arteriovenous fistula formation in the UK is varied and influenced by a multitude of factors. Despite the availability of anaesthetists capable of performing regional blocks, there are other limiting factors that influence the routine use of this technique. The study also highlighted the perceived need for a large multicentre, randomised controlled trial to provide an evidence base to inform current practice.
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Which journals cite work published in anaesthetic journals is of potential interest to authors, editors and publishers. We analysed citations made in 2017-2018 for articles, reviews, editorials and letters published by 12 anaesthetic journals in 2016, using the Web of Science™ citation index platform. We analysed 12,544 citations made for 3518 items. ⋯ The median (IQR [range]) proportion of citations made by the same journal that published the items (i.e. 'self-citations') was 15% (11-17% [5-32%]). There were 1305/1932 (68%) citations made by North American journals for items published in North American journals and 1712/2063 (83%) citations made by European journals for items published in European journals, p < 0.0001. Our analysis may inform authors, editors and publishers where to submit work, what editorial policy to pursue and what journal strategy to follow, respectively.
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Editorial Comment
Regional anaesthesia and quality of recovery after surgery.