The application of three-dimensional printing technology in anaesthesia: a systematic review.

Three-dimensional printing has rapidly become an easily accessible, innovative and versatile technology, with a vast range of applications across a wide range of industries. There has been a recent emergence in the scientific literature relating to its potential application across a multitude of fields within medicine and surgery; however, its use within anaesthesia has yet to be formally explored. We undertook a systematic review using MEDLINE and EMBASE databases of three-dimensional printing in anaesthesia. We identified eight relevant articles. Due to the paucity of studies, we also completed a narrative review of the applications of three-dimensional printing pertinent to anaesthetic practice that our department are currently exploring, and suggest potential future uses for this technology relevant to our speciality.

A randomised controlled trial of peri-operative lidocaine infusions for open radical prostatectomy.

We allocated 76 men scheduled for radical retropubic prostatectomy to peri-operative lidocaine 2% or saline 0.9%: a pre-operative 0.075 ml.kg(-1) intravenous bolus; an intra-operative intravenous infusion at 0.075 ml.kg(-1) .h(-1) ; and 24 hours' postoperative subcutaneous infusion at 0.075 ml.kg(-1) .h(-1) . Lidocaine reduced the postoperative hospital stay by a mean (95% CI) of 1.3 (0.3-2.4) days, p = 0.017, from a mean (SD) of 4.6 (3.2) days with saline. There were no significant differences in pain at rest or on coughing at 24 h. [corrected]. Lidocaine reduced 24-h morphine consumption by a mean (95% CI) of 13.9 (2.2-25.7) mg, p = 0.021, from a mean (SD) of 52.3 (26.9) mg with saline. There were no differences in other outcomes.