International journal of obstetric anesthesia
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Int J Obstet Anesth · Oct 2010
Randomized Controlled TrialUltrasound decreases the failed labor epidural rate in resident trainees.
Epidural analgesia is widely used for pain relief during labor. The purpose of this study was to determine if ultrasound measurement of the depth from skin to epidural space before the epidural technique decreases the failure rate of labor analgesia. A secondary objective was to correlate ultrasound depth to the epidural space with actual depth of the needle at placement. ⋯ Ultrasound measurement of the epidural space depth before epidural technique placement decreases the rate of epidural catheter replacements for failed labor analgesia, and reduces the number of epidural attempts when performed by first year residents and compared to attempts without ultrasound guidance.
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Int J Obstet Anesth · Oct 2010
Case ReportsNon-invasive mechanical ventilation with spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery.
We present the successful use of perioperative non-invasive mechanical ventilation in a morbidly obese pregnant woman with bronchial asthma, severe preeclampsia and pulmonary edema undergoing an emergency cesarean delivery with spinal anesthesia. The combination of non-invasive mechanical ventilation with neuraxial anesthesia may be of value in selected parturients with acute or chronic respiratory insufficiency requiring surgery.
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Int J Obstet Anesth · Oct 2010
Case ReportsThe successful use of extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation in the management of a pregnant woman with severe H1N1 2009 influenza complicated by pneumonitis and adult respiratory distress syndrome.
We report a case of H1N1 2009 influenza A, in a previously fit woman at 24 weeks of gestation, who presented atypically with abdominal pain. The infection was complicated by severe respiratory failure and acute respiratory distress syndrome, requiring ventilatory support, including extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). This was one of the first cases of severe H1N1 disease presenting in the UK. Use of extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation for the complications of H1N1 resulted in full maternal recovery and subsequent delivery of a healthy infant.
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Int J Obstet Anesth · Oct 2010
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyA randomized comparison of automated intermittent mandatory boluses with a basal infusion in combination with patient-controlled epidural analgesia for labor and delivery.
Automated mandatory boluses (AMB), when used in place of a continuous basal infusion, have been shown to reduce overall local anesthetic consumption without compromising analgesic efficacy in patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA). We hypothesized that our PCEA+AMB regimen could result in a reduction of breakthrough pain requiring epidural supplementation in comparison with PCEA with a basal infusion (PCEA+BI). ⋯ PCEA+AMB, when compared to PCEA+BI, confers greater patient satisfaction and a longer duration of effective analgesia after CSE despite reduced analgesic consumption.