Learning curves of the Airtraq and the Macintosh laryngoscopes for tracheal intubation by novice laryngoscopists: a clinical study.

Background: The curved laryngoscope blade described by Macintosh in 1943 remains the most widely used device to facilitate tracheal intubation. The Airtraq laryngoscope is a new, single-use device for tracheal intubation. Several studies compared the use of Airtraq and Macintosh laryngoscopes in simulated intubation scenarios on manikins.

Effects of opioid rotation in chronic pain patients: ORTIBARN study.

Background: Opioid rotation is currently the subject of considerable debate for two reasons: firstly as a strategy for pain treatment, and secondly because of the difficulty in determining equianalgesic doses. Switching from one slow-release (SR) opioid analgesic to another raises a number of critical issues, and there are no widespread studies that support a standard protocol. Initiation of opioid therapy must consider gradual dose titration of the drug until the minimum effective and maximum tolerated dosage for each patient is found.

Standard therapy with opioids in chronic pain management : ORTIBER study.

Objective: Moderate to severe pain is commonly experienced by cancer and non-cancer patients. Although opioids are generally the most important drugs in chronic pain management, their use in Italy remains low. We designed a prospective open trial to assess the efficacy and safety of a standard therapy clinically available for a large range of patients.

Noninvasive ventilation in the treatment of acute respiratory failure induced by all-trans retinoic acid (retinoic acid syndrome) in children with acute promyelocytic leukemia.

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of noninvasive ventilation through a nasal mask in the treatment of acute respiratory failure induced by all-trans retinoic acid.

Design: Observational, nonrandomized report of two cases.

Setting: Intensive care unit in a university hospital.