Improving pain management for children having dental extractions under general anaesthesia.

Children provided with general anaesthesia for dental extractions at East Surrey Hospital were audited to determine the percentage of children who were prescribed adequate pain management in accordance with guidance published by the Association of Paediatric Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland. Three audit cycles were completed. Data were collected retrospectively through case note review.

Automated assessment of alcohol-induced impairment of balance in male and female social drinkers.

The acute administration of alcohol reliably impairs the ability to balance when standing. The standardized field sobriety test uses alcohol-induced impairment of body stability to indicate probable alcohol intoxication. Given that body sway is used in the detection of alcohol impairment and intoxication, it is surprising that little research with humans has incorporated new technology that provides automated neuromuscular control assessment.

Multiprofessional education: improving care for acutely ill children.

A three-year programme was established for practitioners who work with acutely ill and injured children and young people. Courses were held in urban and rural areas of Scotland and more than 2,000 NHS staff, including nurses, paramedics, doctors and allied health professionals, took part. Three-day training comprised clinical skills updates, scenario-based teaching and observed structural clinical examinations.

Anesthetic management of the complications of previously undiagnosed ingested foreign body in a pediatric patient.

A case of a previously undiagnosed ingested foreign body, subsequent acquired tracheoesophageal fistula and airway obstruction in a pediatric patient is described. We suggest that the capability to provide cardiopulmonary bypass was a key factor in this patient's survival.