Body position affects manual dexterity.

To evaluate the relationship between posture and psychomotor efficiency, 20 anesthesia providers performed a test requiring manual dexterity and eye-hand coordination while seated, kneeling, and standing bent forward at the waist. Performance on the Grooved Pegboard Test improved 6%-10% (P < 0.005) when subjects were seated compared to kneeling and standing bent at the waist, positions that the subjects rated as more painful and less comfortable than sitting.

Brand and size matter when choosing a syringe to relieve pressure in a tracheal tube cuff.

We studied the use of an inline syringe as a pressure relief valve for tracheal tube cuffs during exposure to nitrous oxide to see if the technique works. Bench testing was done to determine the stick and slip characteristics of syringes of different brands and sizes. Cuffs were inflated with 20 mL of air, producing a cuff pressure of 100-120 mm Hg.