Anaesthesia in difficult situations. 2. General anaesthesia--general considerations

FIELD USE OF ISOFLURANE AND AIR ANESTHETIC EQUIPMENT IN WILDLIFE

Conventional inhalation anesthesia of wildlife species within natural habitats presents significant practical problems. Heavy cylinders of medical grade oxygen are often unavailable in field situations. Equipment has been modified to permit the delivery of isoflurane in ambient air as the carrier and to be fitted with circuitry adaptable for different species and anesthetic situations. Preliminary empirical studies at low altitude in a range of small mammalian and avian species demonstrate the suitability of this combination and these techniques for inducing and maintaining anesthesia in clinically normal patients undergoing relatively minor procedures. The equipment has also been used to deepen and prolong anesthesia in several larger species, including great apes and large cats, after induction with injectable agents. These techniques, in combination with pulse oximetry to detect hypoxemia, provide a cheap, robust, and portable inhalation anesthetic system for field situations that is not dependent on compressed gasses.

Where there is no laryngoscope

In hospitals of the developing world where financial constraints limit the procurement of even the most basic medical equipment, improvisation has become important and necessary. We describe a reliable, low-cost, locally produced laryngoscope constructed out of wood.

Anaesthesia under civil war conditions. An account of missions with British Red Cross surgical teams in Cambodia and Angola

The work of British Red Cross surgical teams during the Cambodian civil war in 1975 and the Angolan war of 1976 is described. The medical, social and military situations are discussed. The problems caused by the deteriorating conditions in the working environments of these teams during the collapse of the governing regimes within which they were operating are outlined and some of the methods which were used to solve these are considered.