A before and after study of the impact of simulation training on practitioner confidence in complex operative deliveries.

The aim of this before and after study was to evaluate the efficacy of a complex operative obstetrics course in improving practitioner confidence. The course covered rotational instrumental vaginal delivery, vaginal breech delivery, cervical cerclage, management of postpartum haemorrhage, and complex caesarean section. Participants filled in a pre- and postcourse questionnaire using a Likert scale to rate confidence from 1 (not confident) to 5 (very confident) in 15 key skills.

The Effects of Healthy Ageing on Cerebral Blood Flow Responses to Cognitive Testing.

Background: Transcranial Doppler Ultrasonography (TCD) can be utilised to measure the tight coupling of cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFv) in response to cognitive demand by task activation, termed neurovascular coupling.

Aims: To investigate the differences in neurovascular coupling between healthy older (>50 years) and younger (18-49 years) adults in response to cognitive testing.

Methods: Fifty-four older (n=25) and younger (n=29) adults underwent continuous bilateral TCD, beat-to-beat blood pressure (MAP; Finapres), heart rate (HR; electrocardiogram), and end-tidal CO2 (ETCO2; capnography) monitoring.