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Hanouz JL, Lefrançois V, Boutros M, Fiant AL, Simonet T, Buléon C. Comparison of the modified Mallampati classification score versus the best visible Mallampati score in the prediction of difficult tracheal intubation: a single-centre prospective observational study. Can J Anaesth 2024:10.1007/s12630-024-02815-0. [PMID: 39147992 DOI: 10.1007/s12630-024-02815-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2024] [Revised: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 08/17/2024] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The modified Mallampati classification is part of the preoperative airway risk assessment. Inconsistency in the way it is examined may contribute to heterogeneity in its diagnostic performance. The best visible Mallampati score could reduce interobserver heterogeneity but its diagnostic characteristics remain unknown. METHODS During preoperative anesthesia consultation of adult patients with a senior anesthesiologist, we compared the modified Mallampati classification score vs the best visible Mallampati score using cervical extension, tongue in, and phonation. The primary outcome was the diagnostic characteristic of the modified Mallampati classification score vs the best visible Mallampati score as predictors of difficult orotracheal intubation (more than two direct laryngoscopies or need for an alternate device). We performed a multivariable analysis to identify independent predictors of difficult orotracheal intubation in the tested cohort. RESULTS Difficult orotracheal intubation occurred in 77/3,243 (2.4%) patients. A best visible Mallampati score was obtained in 1,596 (49.2%) patients. Sensitivity and specificity of the modified Mallampati classification score for predicting difficult orotracheal intubation were 0.56 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.44 to 0.66) and 0.69 (95% CI, 0.68 to 0.71), respectively. By comparison, the best visible Mallampati score was less sensitive (difference, -0.30; 95% CI, -0.19 to -0.30; P < 0.001) but more specific (difference, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.22 to -0.25; P < 0.001). In patients with difficult orotracheal intubation, 53% were incorrectly reclassified as low risk by the best visible Mallampati score. CONCLUSION Compared with the modified Mallampati classification score, the best visible Mallampati score decreased sensitivity for predicting difficult orotracheal intubation and falsely classified half of the patients with difficult orotracheal intubation. Taking the risks associated with difficult airways into account, our findings indicate that a careful examination of the modified Mallampati classification is required during the global preoperative airway examination. STUDY REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT02788253 ); 9 February 2016.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Luc Hanouz
- Caen Normandy University, Caen, France.
- Service d'Anesthésie Réanimation, CHU Caen Normandie, Avenue Côte de Nacre, CS 30001, 14000, Caen, France.
| | - Valentin Lefrançois
- Service d'Anesthésie Réanimation, CHU Caen Normandie, Avenue Côte de Nacre, CS 30001, 14000, Caen, France
| | - Mariam Boutros
- Service d'Anesthésie Réanimation, CHU Caen Normandie, Avenue Côte de Nacre, CS 30001, 14000, Caen, France
| | - Anne Lise Fiant
- Service d'Anesthésie Réanimation, CHU Caen Normandie, Avenue Côte de Nacre, CS 30001, 14000, Caen, France
| | - Thérèse Simonet
- Service d'Anesthésie Réanimation, CHU Caen Normandie, Avenue Côte de Nacre, CS 30001, 14000, Caen, France
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Kearns RJ, Broom MA, Lucas DN. Long-term effects of neuraxial analgesia. Curr Opin Anaesthesiol 2024; 37:227-233. [PMID: 38390906 DOI: 10.1097/aco.0000000000001365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW This review article explores the potential longer-term implications of neuraxial analgesia in labour for both the mother and her child. RECENT FINDINGS Neuraxial techniques for labour analgesia are well tolerated and effective, and long-term adverse sequelae are rare. Labour epidural analgesia is not independently associated with long-term headache, backache, postnatal depression or anal sphincter injury, and evidence supports that epidurals may offer protection against severe maternal morbidity, particularly in women at a higher risk of complications. However, there is an increasing awareness that postdural puncture headache may be associated with chronic headache, back pain and postnatal depression, emphasizing the need for adequate follow-up until symptoms resolve.For the neonate, a growing body of evidence refutes any association between epidural analgesia in labour and the later development of autism spectrum disorder. The clinical significance of epidural related maternal fever remains uncertain and is a research priority. SUMMARY Women should continue to access the significant benefits of neuraxial analgesia in labour without undue concern about adverse sequelae for themselves or their offspring. Measures to prevent, appropriately manage and adequately follow-up women who have suffered complications of neuraxial analgesia, such as postdural puncture headache, are good practice and can mitigate the development of long-term sequelae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel J Kearns
- Princess Royal Maternity Unit
- School of Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow
| | - Malcolm A Broom
- Princess Royal Maternity Unit
- School of Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow
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Hofkamp MP, Sharpe EE, Zakowski MI, White RS. Quality metrics for cesarean delivery: More than just general anesthesia rates. J Clin Anesth 2024; 94:111398. [PMID: 38262177 DOI: 10.1016/j.jclinane.2024.111398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/13/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael P Hofkamp
- Department of Anesthesiology, Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Temple, Temple, TX, USA.
| | - Emily E Sharpe
- Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Mark I Zakowski
- Department of Anesthesiology, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Robert S White
- Department of Anesthesiology, Weill Cornell Medicine/New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, USA
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Cook TM, Oglesby F, Kane AD, Armstrong RA, Kursumovic E, Soar J. Airway and respiratory complications during anaesthesia and associated with peri-operative cardiac arrest as reported to the 7th National Audit Project of the Royal College of Anaesthetists. Anaesthesia 2024; 79:368-379. [PMID: 38031494 DOI: 10.1111/anae.16187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
The 7th National Audit Project (NAP7) of the Royal College of Anaesthetists studied complications of the airway and respiratory system during anaesthesia care including peri-operative cardiac arrest. Among 24,721 surveyed cases, airway and respiratory complications occurred commonly (n = 421 and n = 264, respectively). The most common airway complications were: laryngospasm (157, 37%); airway failure (125, 30%); and aspiration (27, 6%). Emergency front of neck airway was rare (1 in 8370, 95%CI 1 in 2296-30,519). The most common respiratory complications were: severe ventilation difficulty (97, 37%); hyper/hypocapnia (63, 24%); and hypoxaemia (62, 23%). Among 881 reports to NAP7 and 358 deaths, airway and respiratory complications accounted for 113 (13%) peri-operative cardiac arrests and 32 (9%) deaths, with hypoxaemia as the most common primary cause. Airway and respiratory cases had higher and lower survival rates than other causes of cardiac arrest, respectively. Patients with obesity, young children (particularly infants) and out-of-hours care were overrepresented in reports. There were six cases of unrecognised oesophageal intubation with three resulting in cardiac arrest. Of these cases, failure to correctly interpret capnography was a recurrent theme. Cases of emergency front of neck airway (6, approximately 1 in 450,000) and pulmonary aspiration (11, approximately 1 in 25,000) leading to cardiac arrest were rare. Overall, these data, while distinct from the 4th National Audit Project, suggest that airway management is likely to have become safer in the last decade, despite the surgical population having become more challenging for anaesthetists.
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Affiliation(s)
- T M Cook
- Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, Bath, UK
- School of Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - F Oglesby
- University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol, UK
| | - A D Kane
- Department of Anaesthesia, James Cook University Hospital, South Tees NHS Foundation Trust, Middlesbrough, UK
- Royal College of Anaesthetists, London, UK
| | - R A Armstrong
- University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol, UK
- Royal College of Anaesthetists, London, UK
| | - E Kursumovic
- Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, Bath, UK
- Royal College of Anaesthetists, London, UK
| | - J Soar
- Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Southmead Hospital, Bristol, UK
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5
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Armbruster W, Eichholz R, Notheisen T. [Practice Guidelines for Central Venous Access 2020 - Time for German Guidelines]. Anasthesiol Intensivmed Notfallmed Schmerzther 2024; 59:252-262. [PMID: 38684160 DOI: 10.1055/a-1690-5730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
The American Society of Anesthesiologists released practice guidelines for central venous access in 2020, and the entire world literature was examined for evidence on how to perform the entire process with best practice and minimal risk and harm to the patient. These guidelines may serve as a gold standard for individual procedural steps, allowing practitioners and hospital departments to critically question the own standard and improve upon them.We interpreted the guidelines for individual procedural steps on how to improve success of catheterization, minimize risks or adverse effects, enhance the management of accidental arterial punctures, adhere to evidence-based practices, and generally reduce the trauma of puncturing. In our opinion, the most needed recommendation for central venous access is to utilize ultrasound guidance, a practice that many international societies have already incorporated into their published national guidelines.In our view, it is time to implement a national guideline for central venous access using ultrasound in Germany. Doing so may improve success rates in the first attempt, reduce procedural time, decrease the number of needle insertions per patient, and lower the rate of arterial punctures. This approach represents best practice from ethical, insurance, civil rights, and patient security perspectives, and is supported by relevant societies.
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Fenton R, Thompson C, Drake S, Foley L, Cook TM. Anaesthetic records: an evaluation of variation across England. Anaesth Rep 2024; 12:e12287. [PMID: 38533388 PMCID: PMC10963021 DOI: 10.1002/anr3.12287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
We collected blank non-specialist anaesthetic records from 71 National Health Service Trusts in England. A data set was established by collating all data items found in an initial tranche of 28 records. All 71 records were subsequently analysed for each data item in this data set. We found significant variation: the most populated record included 216 data items and the least included 38 data items: a greater than five-fold variation. There was significant variation in the inclusion of data items commonly considered important to patient safety; 42% of records omitted documentation of fasting status, 72% omitted documentation of a discussion around the risk of accidental awareness during general anaesthesia, 92% omitted documentation of quantitative neuromuscular blockade monitoring and 63% omitted documentation for 'Stop Before You Block' when performing regional anaesthesia. The study highlights significant variability in the composition of anaesthetic records across England which may impact on its value as a data repository, an action trigger, a medicolegal account, and a tool to facilitate safe handover. Standardisation of the anaesthetic record or the establishment of standards of recording would help to allay potential risks to patient safety and assist in guiding future procurement of electronic solutions for anaesthetic records.
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Affiliation(s)
- R. Fenton
- Department of AnaesthesiaSouthmead HospitalBristolUK
| | - C. Thompson
- Department of AnaesthesiaSouthmead HospitalBristolUK
| | - S. Drake
- Royal College of AnaesthetistsLondonUK
| | - L. Foley
- Professional Records Standards BodyLondonUK
| | - T. M. Cook
- Department of AnaesthesiaRoyal United HospitalsBathUK
- University of BristolBristolUK
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Ainsworth MJG, Cook TM. Pre-operative information, shared decision-making and consent for anaesthesia: time for a rethink. Anaesthesia 2023; 78:1187-1190. [PMID: 37203398 DOI: 10.1111/anae.16053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- M J G Ainsworth
- Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Royal United Hospitals Bath, Bath, UK
| | - T M Cook
- Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Royal United Hospitals Bath, Bath, UK
- University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
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8
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Broom MA. Intrathecal catheterisation after accidental dural puncture: real-world data, real-world benefits and real-world barriers. Anaesthesia 2023; 78:1195-1198. [PMID: 37553790 DOI: 10.1111/anae.16116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- M A Broom
- Department of Anaesthesia, Glasgow Royal Infirmary and Princess Royal Maternity Hospital, Glasgow, UK
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9
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De Jong A, Penne C, Kapandji N, Touaibia M, Laatar C, Penne M, Carr J, Pouzeratte Y, Jaber S. Determinants of information provided by anaesthesiologists to relatives of patients during surgical procedures. BJA OPEN 2023; 7:100205. [PMID: 37638078 PMCID: PMC10457491 DOI: 10.1016/j.bjao.2023.100205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
Background Data and interventions are lacking for family-centred perioperative care in adults. Perioperative information given to relatives by nurses or surgeons is associated with improved satisfaction and fewer symptoms of anxiety for relatives and the patient themselves. However, the frequency of the provision of information by anaesthesiologists to patients' relatives during surgery has never been reported. Methods A cross-sectional survey was sent to French anaesthesiologists in October 2020 to inquire how often they provided information to patients' family members during surgery and what factors led to them providing information frequently (i.e. in more than half of cases). Results Among 607 anaesthesiologists, 53% (319/607) were male, with median age 47 (36-60) yr and nearly half (43%, 260/607) reported more than 20 years of clinical experience; most responders (96%, 580/607) mainly treated adults. Forty-nine (8%) anaesthesiologists declared that they frequently provide information to relatives during surgery. After multivariate analysis, age >50 yr, female gender, and paediatric practice were associated with providing information more frequently. Reasons for not providing information included a lack of time and dedicated space to talk to relatives. Urgent surgery or surgery lasting >2 h were identified as factors associated with provision of information to relatives. Conclusions Giving information to relatives during surgery is not a common practice among anaesthesiologists. It depends on individual anaesthesiologists' personal characteristics and practice. Information during surgery could be provided systematically in situations identified as being the most important by anaesthesiologists in our survey. By creating new pathways of information, we could reduce stress and anxiety of patients and relatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey De Jong
- PhyMedExp, University of Montpellier, INSERM, CNRS, CHU Montpellier, France
- Département d’Anesthésie-Réanimation, Hôpital Saint-Eloi, Montpellier, France
| | - Clara Penne
- Département d’Anesthésie-Réanimation, Hôpital Saint-Eloi, Montpellier, France
| | - Natacha Kapandji
- GRC 29, AP-HP, DMU DREAM, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Sorbonne University, Paris, France
| | - Maha Touaibia
- Département d’Anesthésie-Réanimation, Hôpital Saint-Eloi, Montpellier, France
| | - Chahir Laatar
- Département d’Anesthésie-Réanimation, Hôpital Saint-Eloi, Montpellier, France
| | - Michaela Penne
- Département d’Anesthésie-Réanimation, Hôpital Saint-Eloi, Montpellier, France
| | - Julie Carr
- Département d’Anesthésie-Réanimation, Hôpital Saint-Eloi, Montpellier, France
| | - Yvan Pouzeratte
- Département d’Anesthésie-Réanimation, Hôpital Saint-Eloi, Montpellier, France
| | - Samir Jaber
- PhyMedExp, University of Montpellier, INSERM, CNRS, CHU Montpellier, France
- Département d’Anesthésie-Réanimation, Hôpital Saint-Eloi, Montpellier, France
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10
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Forrest C, O'Donoghue K, Collins DC, O'Reilly S. Current Irish medicolegal landscape: an unsustainable trajectory. BMJ Open Qual 2023; 12:e002433. [PMID: 37607759 PMCID: PMC10445350 DOI: 10.1136/bmjoq-2023-002433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
Abstract
A number of outstanding clinical claims that are yet to be resolved as well as their associated estimated costs are at a record high in Ireland. By the end of 2022, the Irish government face 3875 active clinical claims which are expected to cost €3.85 billion in total. This does not account for future claims yet to be brought. The financial burden will be borne by the Irish healthcare system which is already facing unprecedented pressures on its services and staff. If current trends continue, the opportunity costs of the current medicolegal landscape will impact the future provision of healthcare. Aside from the financial consequences, clinical claims have numerous negative impacts on all parties involved. Gaining an understanding as to why claims and costs continue to increase relies on access to, and analysis of high-quality patient safety data, including learning from previous litigation. Addressing the causal and perpetuating factors requires efficient implementation of evidence-based recommendations through engagement with stakeholders, including the public. It is necessary to continuously assess the implementation of recommendations as well as measure their impact. This is to ensure that novel efforts from this point onwards do not suffer the same fate as many previous recommendations that, because of a lack of follow-on research, appear to go no further than the page of the report they are written. Action is required now to change the course of the currently unsustainable trajectory of the Irish medicolegal landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Forrest
- Academic Track Intern Programme, Intern Network Executive, School of Medicine, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Keelin O'Donoghue
- Pregnancy Loss Research Group, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- INFANT Research Centre, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Dearbhaile C Collins
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland
- Cancer Research@UCC, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Seamus O'Reilly
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland
- Cancer Research@UCC, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
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11
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Kelly FE, Frerk C, Bailey CR, Cook TM, Ferguson K, Flin R, Fong K, Groom P, John C, Lang AR, Meek T, Miller KL, Richmond L, Sevdalis N, Stacey MR. Human factors in anaesthesia: a narrative review. Anaesthesia 2023; 78:479-490. [PMID: 36630729 DOI: 10.1111/anae.15920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Healthcare relies on high levels of human performance, as described by the 'human as the hero' concept. However, human performance varies and is recognised to fall in high-pressure situations, meaning that it is not a reliable method of ensuring safety. Other safety-critical industries embed human factors principles into all aspects of their organisations to improve safety and reduce reliance on exceptional human performance; there is potential to do the same in anaesthesia. Human factors is a broad-based scientific discipline which aims to make it as easy as possible for workers to do things correctly. The human factors strategies most likely to be effective are those which 'design out' the chance of an error or adverse event occurring. When errors or adverse events do happen, barriers are in place to trap them and reduce the risk of progression to patient and/or worker harm. If errors or adverse events are not trapped by these barriers, mitigations are in place to minimise the consequences. Non-technical skills form an important part of human factors barriers and mitigation strategies and include: situation awareness; decision-making; task management; and team working. Human factors principles are not a substitute for proper investment and appropriate staffing levels. Although applying human factors science has the potential to save money in the long term, its proper implementation may require investment before reward can be reaped. This narrative review describes what is known about human factors in anaesthesia to date.
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Affiliation(s)
- F E Kelly
- Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, Bath, UK
| | - C Frerk
- Department of Anaesthesia and Critical Care, Northampton General Hospital, Northampton, UK.,College of Life Sciences/Leicester Medical School, University of Leicester, UK
| | - C R Bailey
- Department of Anaesthetics, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - T M Cook
- Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, Bath, UK.,School of Medicine, Bristol University, Bristol, UK
| | - K Ferguson
- Department of Anaesthesia, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen, UK
| | - R Flin
- School of Psychology, Aberdeen Business School, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK
| | - K Fong
- Department of Anaesthesia, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.,Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy, University College London, UK
| | - P Groom
- Department of Anaesthesia, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK
| | - C John
- Department of Anaesthesia, University College Hospital's NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - A R Lang
- Human Factors Research Group, Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham, UK
| | - T Meek
- Department of Anaesthesia, James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, UK
| | - K L Miller
- Department of Anaesthesia, Birmingham Women's and Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK
| | - L Richmond
- Department of Anaesthesia, Swansea Bay University Health Board, Swansea, UK
| | - N Sevdalis
- Centre for Implementation Science, King's College London, UK
| | - M R Stacey
- Department of Anaesthetics, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK
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12
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Forrest C, Madden D, O'Sullivan MJ, O'Reilly S. Learning From Medical Litigation. JCO Oncol Pract 2023; 19:160-163. [PMID: 36652657 DOI: 10.1200/op.22.00763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Clara Forrest
- Academic Track Intern Programme, Intern Network Executive, School of Medicine, University College, Cork, Ireland
| | | | | | - Seamus O'Reilly
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland.,Cancer Research@UCC, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
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Wiles MD. Airway management in patients with suspected or confirmed traumatic spinal cord injury: a narrative review of current evidence. Anaesthesia 2022; 77:1120-1128. [PMID: 36089854 PMCID: PMC9546380 DOI: 10.1111/anae.15807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Around 1 million people sustain a spinal cord injury each year, which can have significant psychosocial, physical and socio‐economic consequences for patients, their families and society. The aim of this review is to provide clinicians with a summary of recent studies of direct relevance to the airway management of patients with confirmed or suspected traumatic spinal cord injury to promote best clinical practice. All airway interventions are associated with some degree of movement of the cervical spine; in general, these are very small and whether these are clinically significant in terms of impingement of the spinal cord is unclear. Manual in‐line stabilisation does not effectively immobilise the cervical spine and increases the likelihood of difficult and failed tracheal intubation. There is no clear evidence of benefit of awake tracheal intubation techniques in terms of prevention of secondary spinal cord injury. Videolaryngoscopy appears to cause a similar degree of cervical spine displacement as flexible bronchoscope‐guided tracheal intubation and is an appropriate alternative approach. Direct laryngoscopy does cause a slightly greater degree of cervical spinal movement during tracheal intubation than videolaryngoscopy, but this does not appear to increase the risk of spinal cord compression. The risk of spinal cord injury during tracheal intubation appears to be minimal even in the presence of gross cervical spine instability. Depending on the clinical situation, practitioners should choose the tracheal intubation technique with which they are most proficient and that is most likely to minimise cervical spine movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- M D Wiles
- Department of Critical Care, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, UK.,University of Sheffield Medical School, Sheffield, UK
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14
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D'Sa A, Griffiths R. Medicolegal claims: a way to learn from our mistakes? Anaesthesia 2022; 77:507-509. [PMID: 35355245 DOI: 10.1111/anae.15729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- A D'Sa
- Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
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15
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Stanford SER. What is 'genuine' failure of neuraxial anaesthesia? Anaesthesia 2022; 77:523-526. [PMID: 35332526 DOI: 10.1111/anae.15723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
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16
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Crosby E. It's time to eliminate tort from the management of medical mishaps in the National Health Service. Anaesthesia 2022; 77:503-506. [PMID: 35195895 DOI: 10.1111/anae.15687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- E Crosby
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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