Uterotonics, magnesium sulphate and antibiotics during childbirth and peripartum: Important obstetric drugs for the anaesthesiologist.

The main causes of maternal mortality are comorbidities, hypertensive pregnancy syndrome, obstetric haemorrhage, and maternal sepsis. For this reason, uterotonics, magnesium sulphate, and antibiotics are essential tools in the management of obstetric patients during labour and in the peripartum period. These drugs are widely used by anaesthesiologists in all departments, and play a crucial role in treatment and patient safety.

Intraoperative Fascial Plane Blocks Facilitate Earlier Tracheal Extubation and Intensive Care Unit Discharge After Cardiac Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis.

Objectives: Novel fascial plane blocks may allow early tracheal extubation and discharge from the intensive care unit (ICU). The present study primarily aimed to determine whether fascial plane blocks, in comparison with intravenous analgesia alone, significantly shortened tracheal extubation times in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. The secondary objectives were to compare each block's performance with that of intravenous analgesia alone in terms of the individual tracheal extubation time and length of ICU stay.

Pharmacokinetics of levobupivacaine with epinephrine in transversus abdominis plane block for postoperative analgesia after Caesarean section.

Background: Transversus abdominis plane block is increasingly used for post-Caesarean section analgesia. Cases of toxicity and the limited pharmacokinetic information during pregnancy motivated this study. The objective of the study was to characterise and compare the pharmacokinetics of levobupivacaine with epinephrine in tranversus abdominis plane block, in post-Caesarean section patients and healthy volunteers.

[Analysis of incident reports in an anesthesiology unit of a university hospital].

Background: Incident reporting is an effective strategy used to enhance patient safety. An incident is an event that could eventually result in harm to a patient.

Aim: To classify and analyze incidents reported by an Anesthesiology division at a University hospital in Chile.

[Difficult fiberoptic tracheal intubation in 1 month-old infant with Treacher Collins Syndrome].

Unlabelled: Neonates and small infants with craniofacial malformation may be very difficult or impossible to mask ventilate or intubate. We would like to report the fiberoptic intubation of a small infant with Treacher Collins Syndrome using the technique described by Ellis et al.

Case Report: An one month-old infant with Treacher Collins Syndrome was scheduled for mandibular surgery under general endotracheal anesthesia.

The effect of anti-emetic doses of dexamethasone on postoperative blood glucose levels in non-diabetic and diabetic patients: a prospective randomised controlled study.

There are few data regarding postoperative hyperglycaemia in non-diabetic compared with diabetic patients following postoperative nausea and vomiting prophylaxis with dexamethasone. Eighty-five non-diabetic patients and patients with type-2 diabetes were randomly allocated to receive intravenous dexamethasone (8 mg) or ondansetron (4 mg). Blood glucose levels were measured at baseline and then 2, 4 and 24 h following induction of anaesthesia.

World Health Organization (WHO) surgical safety checklist implementation and its impact on perioperative morbidity and mortality in an academic medical center in Chile.

Health care organizations are unsafe. Numerous centers have incorporated the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist in their processes with good results; however, only limited information is available about its effectiveness in Latin America. We aimed to evaluate the impact of the checklist implementation on the in-hospital morbidity and mortality rate in a tertiary health care center.

[What preoperative information do the parents of children undergoing surgery want?].

Introduction: Parents feel fear and anxiety before surgery is performed on their child, and those feelings could obstruct their preparation for the surgery. Preoperative information could relieve those feelings.

Objective: To determine the preoperative information needs of parents of children undergoing elective surgery.

The relationship between neuraxial anesthesia and advanced ovarian cancer-related outcomes in the Chilean population.

Background: Mixed evidence has been published relating the use of regional anesthesia during oncologic surgery to a decrease in time to cancer recurrence and improvement in overall survival. We investigated whether the use of epidural anesthesia, in addition to general analgesia during and/or after surgical removal of advanced ovarian cancer, has an impact on time to recurrence and overall survival.

Methods: Patients were identified from a prospective clinical registry.

[Prophylaxis and treatment of arterial hypotension during caesarean with spinal anaesthesia].

Caesarean section is one of the most common surgical procedures worldwide. Arterial hypotension is the most prevalent adverse effect after spinal anaesthesia. Various methods have been used to prevent or treat hypotension.

[Impact on the implementation of patient controlled epidural analgesia for pain management during labor. A survey in a university hospital in Chile].

Objective: Analgesia for labor is a legal obligation in Chile. In our institution we implemented patient controlled analgesia for pain relief during labor. We describe the perception of the several professionals involved in the medical care of patients in labor in terms of effectiveness, usefulness, satisfaction, and safety.

Dexamethasone for postoperative nausea and vomiting prophylaxis: effect on glycaemia in obese patients with impaired glucose tolerance.

Background And Objective: Dexamethasone given to prevent postoperative nausea and vomiting may produce significant hyperglycaemia in the perioperative period. The effect of dexamethasone on patients with impaired glucose tolerance is unknown.

Methods: Thirty obese patients with impaired glucose tolerance undergoing laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery were studied in a double-blind fashion.

[Epidural and subarachnoid anesthesia and analgesia in adults: an update].

We present an update of the latest advances in clinical management and images of the most commonly used neuraxial techniques in epidural, subarachnoid, and combined spinal-epidural anesthesia and analgesia.