Minerva anestesiologica
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Minerva anestesiologica · Mar 2009
Letter Case ReportsDifficult removal of an epidural catheter in a postpartum woman.
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Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) is an effective technique that can avert side effects and complications associated with endotracheal intubation. NIV is primarily used to avert the need for endotracheal intubation in patients with early stage acute respiratory failure (ARF), and to prevent postextubation respiratory failure in patients considered to be at risk. ⋯ The success of NIV relies on several factors including the type and severity of ARF, the underlying disease, the timing, the location of treatment, and the experience of the team. In this review article, we analyze, compare, and discuss the results of studies in which NIV was applied in different pathologies and with different timing during the evolution of ARF.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Jan 2009
A survey of 1000 consecutive epidural catheter placements performed by inexperienced anesthesia trainees.
Education is the core activity of academic anaesthesia departments. One of the main difficulties appears to be the development of realistic high-quality 'training' practices that are safe for patients. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of complications occurring after epidural catheter placement by inexperienced anaesthesia trainees and their possible relationship with the experience of the operator. ⋯ Epidural catheterization performed under supervision by inexperienced anaesthesia residents is not associated with a significantly greater number of complications than reported in the literature. Moreover, at the early stage of training, we could not demonstrate any correlation between the experience of the operator and the incidence of complications incidence.