British journal of anaesthesia
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Use of succinylcholine is associated with an increased risk of post-operative respiratory complications in a dose-dependent manner.
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Postoperative delirium is a relatively common and serious complication. It increases hospital stay by 2-3 days and is associated with a 30-day mortality of 7-10%. It is most prevalent in older patients, those with existing neurocognitive disorders, and those undergoing complex or emergency procedures. ⋯ Choice of general anaesthetic agent may not be associated with significant difference in delirium risk. Several other factors, such as preoperative fasting, temperature control, and blood pressure management have some association with the risk of postoperative delirium; these will require further studies. Because of the limited treatment options available for established delirium, we propose that risk assessment and perioperative risk reduction may be the most effective approaches in managing postoperative delirium.
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Data on UK obstetric anaesthetic practice between 2009 and 2014 were collected by the Obstetric Anaesthetists' Association's National Obstetric Anaesthetic Database. This database provides information on workload, variation in practice, and complication rates. ⋯ This unique large dataset provides a valuable insight of obstetric anaesthetic activity in the UK. Although missing data may place limitations on interpretation, it provides comparative estimates for the rates of rare complications and highlights variations in practice in time and place.
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Target-controlled infusion (TCI) systems use pharmacokinetic (PK) models to predict the drug infusion rates necessary to achieve a desired target plasma or effect-site concentration. As new PK models are developed and implemented in TCI systems, there can be uncertainty as to which target concentrations are appropriate. Existing dose recommendations can serve as a point of reference to identify target concentrations suitable for clinical applications. ⋯ We identified remifentanil TCI target concentrations that resulted in drug administration similar to product label dosing recommendations. This approach did not necessarily identify target concentrations that achieve desired clinical effect, only those that are consistent with the product label recommended doses. We estimate that plasma target concentrations of 3.1-5.3 ng ml-1 are suitable for initial dosing.