Preoxygenation: a comparison of three different breathing systems.

An end-tidal expiratory oxygen concentration (FE'O2) greater than 0.90 is considered to be adequate for preoxygenation. This is generally achieved using a face mask, but this can be unsatisfactory in some patients.

Point-of-care testing apparatus. Measurement of coagulation.

Point-of-care testing of coagulation parameters provides a more rapid assessment of test results compared with laboratory testing. A new coagulation monitor (GEM PCL, Instrumentation Laboratory, Kirchheim, Germany) was evaluated. Point-of-care data for activated partial thromboplastin time and prothrombin time (expressed as the international normalised ratio) and turn-around-time were compared.

Hearing loss after spinal and general anesthesia: A comparative study.

Hearing loss has been described after spinal anesthesia. We examined the hearing in patients before and after spinal and general anesthesia by pure tone audiometry (LdB: 125-1500 Hz; HdB: 2000-8000 Hz). Tympanic membrane displacement analysis was used to noninvasively monitor the intralabyrinthine and intracranial pressure.

[Intraoperative transesophageal versus preoperative transthoracic contrast echocardiography. A method for detection of patent foramen ovale in neurosurgical patients].

Preoperative detection of a patent foramen ovale (PFO) may be achieved employing either transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) with the Valsalva manoeuvre in the awake patient or trans-oesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in the anaesthesised patient. Our study was undertaken to validate these methods with regard to their efficacy in identifying patients at risk for paradoxical air embolism (PAE). METHODS.

Venous and paradoxical air embolism in the sitting position. A prospective study with transoesophageal echocardiography.

This prospective study investigates the frequency of patent foramen ovale (PFO), venous air embolism (VAE) and paradoxical air embolism (PAE) by transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) in neurosurgical patients operated on in the sitting position. The risk of PAE after exclusion of PFO is assessed. A PFO was identified by pre-operative TOE and VAE and PAE by continuous intraoperative TOE.