British journal of anaesthesia
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Multicenter Study
Sevoflurane therapy for life-threatening asthma in children.
Asthma is a common disease in children and often develops early in life. This multicentre retrospective case series describe the use and effectiveness of sevoflurane inhalation therapy in a series of children with severe asthma in the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU). ⋯ Sevoflurane inhalation corrects high levels of Pco2 and provides clinical improvement in mechanically ventilated children with life-threatening asthma who fail to respond to conventional treatment.
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Respiratory rate is an important measurement in patient care, but accurate measurement is often difficult. We have developed a simple non-invasive device to measure respiratory movements in clinical circumstances, with minimal interference with the patient. We investigated respiratory patterns in patients receiving postoperative morphine analgesia to assess the capacity of the device to detect abnormalities. ⋯ In undisturbed subjects receiving patient-controlled morphine analgesia after surgery, abnormal breathing patterns are extremely common. Cyclical airway obstruction is frequent and associated with a typical pattern of changes in chest wall movement.
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Bioreactance estimates cardiac output in a non-invasive way. We evaluated the ability of a bioreactance device (NICOM®) to estimate cardiac index (CI) and to track relative changes induced by volume expansion. ⋯ The NICOM® device cannot accurately estimate the cardiac output in critically ill patients. Moreover, it could not predict fluid responsiveness through the PLR test.
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Advances in the field of paediatric regional anaesthesia have specific applications to both acute and chronic pain management. This review summarizes data regarding the safety of paediatric regional anaesthetic techniques. Current guidelines are provided for performing paediatric regional techniques, with a focus on applications for postoperative pain management. Brief descriptions of relevant anatomy followed by indications for commonly performed blocks are highlighted along with the potential of adverse side-effects.
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Blood transfusion saves many lives but carries significant risk of injury. Currently, red blood cell (RBC) concentrates can be stored up to 42 days. Concerns have recently been raised about the safety and efficacy of transfusing stored RBCs. ⋯ A number of clinical studies, mostly observational or retrospective and from a single centre, have reported an association between transfusion of older RBCs and increased clinically significant outcomes, such as increased morbidity and mortality in certain patient populations, including trauma, critical care, and cardiac surgery. Others, however, have failed to indicate an influence of RBC age on outcome. The quality of evidence is currently too poor to make recommendations to change current transfusion practice; however, the transfusion community looks forward to the results of randomized trials currently addressing the long-standing question regarding the effects of RBC storage on clinically significant outcomes.