Der Anaesthesist
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The cooperation of surgeon and anaesthetist in positioning of the patient is subject to the principles of horizontal division of labour recognized in the interdisciplinary agreement and confirmed by the legislature: anaesthetist and surgeon carry out their respective tasks independently of each other, each bearing full responsibility for their own work (principle of strict separation of functions), they tailor their procedures to fit in with each other (duty of coordination), and each is entitled to expect and rely on due care in the other (principle of trust). In the case of conflict--when the best position for the specific intervention leads to a higher anaesthesiological risk--the principle of predominance of the actual requirements applies. If no agreement is reached it is incumbent on the surgeon to make the decision; this means that the surgeon bears the medical and legal responsibility for appropriate deliberation. ⋯ The demands of jurisdiction in terms of documentation of the positioning and of presentation of evidence are practically oriented and can basically be met. The same is true of the information supplied to the patient on the risk that positioning can cause harm. The doctor is obliged to supply evidence of the patient's substantive consent and the provision of information that this implies.
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Glucocorticoids are frequently used in clinical anaesthesiology and intensive care because of their antiallergic, antiinflammatory and antioedematous properties and anaphylactic reactions are rare. We report on a 62-year-old asthmatic patient with evidence of aspirin sensitivity. We administered 100 mg of hydrocortisone-21-hemisuccinate (Pharmacia & Upjohn, Erlangen, Germany) dissolved in 100 ml 0.9% sodium chloride solution for perioperative corticoid substitution. ⋯ He then developed atrioventricular block type III for which we transcutaneously paced the patient. Subsequently he was tested via skin prick tests, intracutaneous tests and i.v.-challenges resulting in the patient having positive reactions to hydrocortisone-21-hemisuccinate. Thus when allergic-like reactions result from glucocorticoid therapy one should consider corticoid allergy as a differential diagnosis.
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With the inclusion of new monitoring devices over the last two decades, the distribution of the anesthesiologists vigilance has changed which might influence the ergonomic profile of an optimal anesthesia workstation. The aim of this pilot study was the evaluation of an eyetracking device to analyze the vigilance distribution of an anesthesiologist during routine cases in an operating theatre of the 21st century. ⋯ Eye-tracking studies proved to be a suitable way to analyze the distribution of vigilance of anesthesiologists in a modern operating theatre. For further studies examining the influence of detailed modifications of the OR environment, a standardized study design with the same level of education, the same anesthesia technique and the same surgical procedure needs to be chosen.