The effect of coughing at extubation on oxygenation in the post-anaesthesia care unit.

We prospectively studied 84 patients to investigate whether there is a relationship between coughing during emergence and tracheal extubation, and impaired oxygenation in the post-anaesthesia care unit. Our primary outcome measure was a change in the alveolar-arterial oxygen partial pressure gradient ((A-a)DO2 ) between time A (during general anaesthesia) and time B (1 h after extubation). Patients demonstrated a worsening of oxygenation with mean (SD) (A-a)DO2 increasing from 7.

The haemodynamic effects of propofol in combination with ephedrine in elderly patients (ASA groups 3 and 4).

The marked vasodilator and negative inotropic effects of propofol are disadvantages in frail elderly patients. We investigated the safety and efficacy of adding different doses of ephedrine to propofol in order to obtund the hypotensive response. The haemodynamic effects of adding 15, 20 or 25 mg of ephedrine to 200 mg of propofol were compared to control in 40 ASA 3/4 patients over 60 years presenting for genito-urinary surgery.

The haemodynamic effects of propofol in combination with ephedrine.

Forty ASA1 patients presenting for minor gynaecological surgery were randomly allocated into four study groups to compare the haemodynamic effects of adding different doses of ephedrine to an induction dose of propofol. Heart rate, oxygen saturation and non-invasive arterial blood pressure were monitored before and for 5 min after induction. In those patients who received propofol alone, there was a significant decrease in both systolic (p < 0.

The SMART needle. A new Doppler ultrasound-guided vascular access needle.

Central venous access is an essential part of patient management in many clinical settings. Traditionally this has been achieved by a blind, external landmark guided technique which may not correlate exactly with the location of the vessel. We have prospectively evaluated the SMART needle, a new Doppler ultrasound guided vascular access device, in 40 patients, to evaluate whether it can improve on the standard technique.