Anesthesia for percutaneous renal procedures.

Anesthesia for radiologic procedures is usually provided in locations remote from the operating theater. The anesthesiologist is removed from the environment in which experienced support is available for the care of anesthetized patients. Therefore, reliable anesthetic techniques that cause the least perturbation in the patient's physiology are often preferred.

Success of reentry into anesthesiology training programs by residents with a history of substance abuse.

To determine incidence and outcome of reentry into anesthesiology training programs by residents with histories of substance abuse, a survey was sent to the 159 US anesthesiology training programs. One hundred thirteen (71%) responded, with 82 (73%) submitting at least one case report of substance abuse. A total of 180 case reports were submitted, including 26 in which the resident died as a result of substance abuse.

Subarachnoid and epidural calcitonin in patients with pain due to metastatic cancer.

Nine patients with metastatic cancer who had pain refractory to traditional treatments received a subarachnoid injection of salmon calcitonin. Eight of the nine patients reported pain relief after subarachnoid injection varying from 1 hr to 5 days. Four of the responding patients subsequently received an epidural injection of salmon calcitonin, and two of these patients reported pain relief.

A comparison of pulse oximeters during helicopter flight.

Pulse oximetry would be an invaluable parameter to monitor during patient transport. While original models of oximeters were not battery powered nor very portable, this has changed. Seven currently available commercial pulse oximeter models were evaluated in the noisy vibration-prone environment of a helicopter.

Clinical evaluation of commonly used blood administration sets.

Five commonly available blood transfusion sets, the Fenwall Blood Recipient set, the Abbott HEMAR Y-type Blood Set, the Bentley Infusion Blood Set (PFF-100), the Medex Hi-Flo TraumaR Quad Set (MX 884) and the Pall Ultipor Transfusion Set with Filter are compared. Flow rates and lifespan are evaluated by measuring the time required for 150 mL aliquots of homogeneous units of human red blood cells to pass through the devices under 300 mmHg constant pressure. Microfiltration of blood is briefly reviewed.