The European Society of Regional Anaesthesia and Pain Therapy (1982-2012): 30 years strong.

Inspired by the earlier establishment of the American Society of Regional Anesthesia, but with a structure to accommodate the diverse languages and health care systems of Europe, the European Society of Regional Anaesthesia (ESRA) held its first scientific meeting in 1982. During the following 30 years, ESRA grew from strength to strength and implemented a number of important educational initiatives, the story of these developments being the subject of this review. ESRA's prime function is to publicize the evidence on regional anesthesia and encourage its further development, but it also led the way in democratizing European anesthesia societies by being the first to open its membership to all.

The LMA-Supreme™ as an intubation conduit in patients with known difficult airways: a prospective evaluation study.

Background: Many extraglottic airway devices allow the direct passage of an adult-sized tracheal tube, but this is not possible with the LMA-Supreme(TM) . We evaluated the feasibility of using the LMA-Supreme(TM) as a conduit for intubation in patients with known difficult airways.

Methods: Sixty-eight adult patients, with preoperative predictors of difficult intubation, were scheduled for elective surgery under general anaesthesia.

No differences in job perceptions amongst Dutch nurse anaesthetists with and without nursing background.

Background: In the Netherlands, the employment as a "nurse anaesthetist" is comparable to that of a registered nurse anaesthetist in the Scandinavian countries and Poland. However, the Dutch healthcare system employs nurse anaesthetists both with and without nursing backgrounds. This study has investigated whether a nursing background influences the attitudes and perceptions of nurse anaesthetists in the Netherlands.

Work climate related to job satisfaction among Dutch nurse anesthetists.

Finding ways to retain nurse anesthetists in the profession to meet the increasing demands of the healthcare system is of paramount importance. The present study investigates the relationship between work climate and job satisfaction among Dutch nurse anesthetists. A questionnaire was distributed to Dutch nurse anesthetists to assess their perceptions of their work climates, and their levels of job satisfaction.

Successful use of videolaryngoscopy in an adult patient with acute epiglottitis: a case report.

Acute epiglottitis is a potentially life-threatening infection of the supraglottic structures, which can lead to sudden, fatal airway obstruction. Different techniques have been described to facilitate tracheal intubation in acute epiglottitis. We describe the successful intubation, with the help of the videolaryngoscope, of a 60-year-old female with acute epiglottitis.

Personality dimensions and their relationship with job satisfaction amongst Dutch nurse anaesthetists.

Aim: This study investigates the relationship between personality dimensions and job satisfaction.

Background: The shortage of nurses, and those voluntarily leaving their jobs, continues to be a problem affecting the delivery of healthcare all over the world, including anaesthesia. If it is found that nurse anaesthetists with certain personality types have high levels of job satisfaction, the information may be helpful for the retention of nurse anaesthetists.

Job satisfaction amongst Dutch nurse anaesthetists: the influence of emotions on events.

Background: An ageing population, combined with a shortage of health-care professionals, can result in a decrease in the capacity of health-care systems. Therefore, it is important to explore possible solutions for this problem. By finding methods to increase job satisfaction, it may be possible to retain employees within their profession.

Hypotonic and isotonic fluid overload as a complication of hysteroscopic procedures: two case reports.

Hysteroscopy is used extensively for both the diagnosis and treatment of intrauterine pathology. Although considered a safe procedure, complications such as cervical laceration, uterine perforation, absorption of irrigation solutions and, rarely, gas or air embolism may occur. The authors present two cases with successful outcomes, whereby complications following hysteroscopy occurred due to excessive fluid absorption.

The videolaryngoscope is less traumatic than the classic laryngoscope for a difficult airway in an obese patient.

This report describes the anesthetic management of an obese patient with a difficult airway and the merits of videolaryngoscopy, specifically in terms of the reduced risk of dental damage during intubation. A 49-year-old woman (body mass index; BMI, 36 kg.m(-2)), was scheduled to undergo an elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy because of cholelithiasis.

Preoperative C-reactive protein levels to predict early and late mortalities after coronary artery bypass surgery: eight years of follow-up.

Objective: There is limited evidence that increased preoperative levels of C-reactive protein are associated with increased mortality after coronary artery bypass grafting. We retrospectively investigated in 5669 patients the predictive value of preoperative C-reactive protein levels for early and late mortalities after coronary artery bypass grafting.

Methods: Patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting between January 2000 and December 2007 (n = 8500) were studied.

Forces applied to the maxillary incisors during video-assisted intubation.

Background: Modern, video laryngoscopes provide an easier view of the glottis, possibly facilitating easier intubations. We describe an objective method for evaluating the benefits of video-assisted laryngoscopy, compared with standard techniques using force measurements.

Method: Macintosh and video laryngoscopes (both Karl Storz, Tuttlingen, Germany) were used on the patients until the anesthesiologist was convinced he or she had the best possible view of the glottis.

Centennial of intravenous regional anesthesia. Bier's Block (1908-2008).

The surgeon August Gustav Bier significantly influenced surgery, general medicine, and especially anesthesia. He was the father of spinal anesthesia (1898) and intravenous regional anesthesia (1908). Both anesthetic techniques are still valuable and widely applied in everyday anesthesia practices throughout the world, with a high degree of safety, efficacy, efficiency, and satisfaction.

Direct laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation in the prone position following traumatic thoracic spine injury.

Perioperative airway management in trauma victims presenting with penetrating thoracic spine injury poses a major challenge to the anesthesiologist. To avoid further neurological impairment it is essential to ensure maximal cervical and thoracic spine stability at the time of airway manipulation (e.g.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy under segmental thoracic spinal anaesthesia: a feasibility study.

Background: Laparoscopic surgery is normally performed under general anaesthesia, but regional techniques have been found beneficial, usually in the management of patients with major medical problems. Encouraged by such experience, we performed a feasibility study of segmental spinal anaesthesia in healthy patients.

Methods: Twenty ASA I or II patients undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy received a segmental (T10 injection) spinal anaesthetic using 1 ml of bupivacaine 5 mg ml-1 mixed with 0.

Comparison of three disposable extraglottic airway devices in spontaneously breathing adults: the LMA-Unique, the Soft Seal laryngeal mask, and the Cobra perilaryngeal airway.

Background: The authors compared three disposable extraglottic airway devices in spontaneously breathing anesthetized adults: the LMA-Unique (LMA-U; The Laryngeal Mask Company, San Diego, CA), the Soft Seal laryngeal mask (SS-LM; Portex Ltd., Hythe, United Kingdom), and the Cobra perilaryngeal airway (Cobra-PLA; Engineered Medical Systems, Inc. Indianapolis, IN).

Segmental spinal anaesthesia for cholecystectomy in a patient with severe lung disease.

Occasionally patients awaiting heart or lung transplant because of terminal disease require other types of surgery, but present significant challenges to the anaesthetist because of impaired organ function. Regional anaesthesia may have much to offer such patients and we here report one who underwent successfully a laparoscopic cholecystectomy under segmental subarachnoid (spinal) anaesthesia performed at the low thoracic level. The anatomical and physiological consequences of such a technique are discussed.