British journal of anaesthesia
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Placement of the intubating laryngeal mask is easier than the laryngeal mask during manual in-line neck stabilization.
We have compared in 25 patients ease of placement of the conventional and intubating laryngeal masks while the patient's head and neck were stabilized by a manual in-line method, in a randomized, crossover study. After induction of anaesthesia and neuromuscular block, the masks were placed in turn. ⋯ Adequate ventilation was always obtained after placement of the intubating laryngeal mask, whereas ventilation was adequate in 22 of 25 patients after placement of the conventional laryngeal mask. Placement of the intubating laryngeal mask was significantly easier (P < 0.001; 95% confidence intervals (CI) for median difference 8-31 mm in VAS) and faster (P < 0.001; 95% CI for mean difference 3.2-6.2 s) than that of the conventional mask.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Analgesic efficacy of paracetamol and diclofenac in children receiving PCA morphine.
We studied 80 children, aged 5-13 yr, who received PCA with morphine after appendicectomy using a standardized tracheal general anaesthetic. All patients received morphine 0.1 mg kg-1 before surgical incision and all had wound infiltration with bupivacaine 1 mg kg-1 at the end of surgery. ⋯ Analgesia, as assessed by movement pain scoring, was significantly improved by the addition of diclofenac despite lower morphine consumption. Adverse effects and duration of PCA were comparable in the four groups.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Comparison of a new piezoelectric train-of-four neuromuscular monitor, the ParaGraph, and the Relaxometer mechanomyograph.
The ParaGraph is a new device for monitoring neuromuscular function using a piezoelectric motion sensor. In 20 patients, monitoring of neuromuscular block produced by cisatracurium 0.1 mg kg-1 was compared using the ParaGraph and a Relaxometer 2 mechanomyograph. ⋯ There were no significant differences in the time to 100% depression of T1/T0, time to 25% recovery of T1/T0 or time to recovery of T1/T0 from 25% to 75%, measured by the two monitors. When the difference between the two monitors was plotted against the average of the two measurements, the limits of agreement for T1/T0 (-42.95, +53.98%) and the train-of-four ratio, T4/T1 (-0.28, +0.21) were too wide to allow the values given by the two monitors for individual patients to be used interchangeably.
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An increase in the demand by local surgeons for neuromuscular block during strabismus surgery, and the forced duction test in particular, led us to review the literature and conduct a regional survey of anaesthetic techniques used. A questionnaire was distributed to 379 anaesthetists in the region and 264 responses were received. The results demonstrated that 55% of paediatric patients and 66% of adult patients may have been operated on under suboptimal conditions; residual tone may have been present in the extraocular muscles during forced duction testing and strabismus correction.