British journal of anaesthesia
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Historical Article
A brief historical review of non-anaesthetic causes of fires and explosions in the operating room.
Fires and explosions have occurred in the operating theatre for many years. Flammable inhalation anaesthetic agents were responsible for many incidents in the past, but these are no longer available in many countries. Other causes of fires and explosions still exist in the operating theatre and, from time to time, result in serious and occasionally fatal injury. ⋯ Adhesive skin drapes have resulted recently in two tragic deaths. The increasing use of laser therapy, particularly in ear, nose and throat surgery, and in oral surgery, has brought about a renewed awareness of the risk of fire. The relevant factors which should be borne in mind and the precautions which should be adopted when laser therapy is to be used in the airway are discussed.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Uteroplacental and fetal haemodynamics and cardiac function of the fetus and newborn after crystalloid and colloid preloading for extradural caesarean section anaesthesia.
We have studied the effects of randomized preloading with either a crystalloid (lactated Ringer's) 15 ml kg-1 or colloid (hydroxyethyl starch) 7.5 ml kg-1 solution in 20 parturients undergoing elective Caesarean section under extradural anaesthesia, on blood flow in maternal placental and non-placental uterine and placental arcuate arteries and in fetal umbilical, renal and middle cerebral arteries, using a pulsed colour Doppler technique. Simultaneously, fetal and neonatal myocardial function were investigated by pulsed Doppler and M-mode echocardiography. ⋯ There were no differences in fetal or neonatal myocardial function between the groups, and the outcome of the newborn infants were uneventful in all cases. These results suggest that preloading with either a crystalloid or colloid solution may lead to different uterine and fetal haemodynamics but these solutions had only minimal effects on fetal and neonatal myocardial performance and no effect on the clinical condition of newborns in uncomplicated pregnancies.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Preoperative or postoperative diclofenac for laparoscopic tubal ligation.
We have compared the analgesic effects of diclofenac given before operation or immediately after operation in a randomized, double-blind, double-dummy study of 40 healthy female patients undergoing laparoscopic tubal ligation. Group 1 patients received diclofenac 75 mg as a 3-ml i.m. injection 1-2 h before operation and normal saline 3 ml i.m. immediately after surgery. Group 2 patients received normal saline 3 ml i.m. before operation and diclofenac 75 mg i.m. immediately after surgery. ⋯ VRS at 1 and 3 h after operation were, respectively, (median, interquartile range) 2.2 (1.5-3.0) vs 2.7 (2.0-4.0) and 0.8 (0-1.3) vs 0.9 (0-1.5) (ns). Sixteen patients in group 1 compared with 17 in group 2 required postoperative morphine. Time to first morphine administration and dose given were, respectively, (median, interquartile range) 50.6 (39-60) min vs 35.7 (20-49) min (P = 0.1) and 9.0 (5-10) mg vs 9.5 (7.5-10) (P = 0.9).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Convective warming after hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass.
In a randomized, controlled study, we found that convective warming after hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass did not accelerate the rate of warming of the body core or the time to tracheal extubation. The relationship between body core and shell temperature, however, was affected. ⋯ Convective warming was delivered using BairHugger (Augustine Medical Inc., MN, USA) and Warm Touch (Mallinckrodt Medical UK Ltd, Northampton, UK) blankets. There was no difference between the performance of each blanket when powered by the BairHugger 500 power unit set at its medium setting of 38 degrees C, and when chest drain and radial artery cannulation sites were left exposed for observation.
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We have studied in 12 healthy male volunteers the effects of three different body positions (10 degrees head-down tilt, horizontal supine and supine with 50-cm leg elevation from the hip) on the spectral components of heart rate and finger plethysmographic amplitude variability. We have demonstrated the absence of any statistically significant difference in any measure of variability in the time of frequency domain for both of these measures between the three positions. We conclude that neither leg elevation nor 10 degrees head-down tilt is associated with any significant alteration in the dominant parasympathetic cardiac control in comparison with the resting supine position.