Construction and Evaluation of a Realistic Low-Cost Model for Training in Chest-Tube Insertion.

INTRODUCTION: Emergency thoracostomy is applied in life-threatening situations. Simulation plays a pivotal role in training in invasive techniques used mainly in stressful situations. Currently available commercial simulation models for thoracostomy have various drawbacks. METHODS: We designed a thoracostomy phantom from discarded hospital materials and pigskin with underlying flesh. The phantom can be used alone for developing technical skills or mounted on an actor in simulation scenarios. Medical students, intensive care unit (ICU) and emergency department teams, and thoracostomy experts evaluated its technical fidelity and usefulness for achieving learning objectives in workshops. RESULTS: The materials used to construct the phantom cost €47. A total of 12 experts in chest-tube placement and 73 workshop participants (12 ICU physicians and nurses, 20 emergency physicians and nurses, and 41 fourth-year medical students) evaluated the model. All groups rated the model's usefulness and the sensation of perforating the pleura highly. Experts rated the air release after pleura perforation lower than other groups. Lung reexpansion was the lowest rated item in all groups. Ratings of the appearance and feel of the model correlated strongly among all groups and experts. The ICU professionals rated the resistance encountered in introducing the chest drain lower than the other groups. CONCLUSIONS: This low-cost, reusable, transportable, and highly realistic model is an attractive alternative to commercial models for training in chest-tube insertion skills.

Evaluation of the insertion parameters and complications of the i-gel Plus airway device for maintaining patent airway during planned procedures under general anaesthesia: a protocol for a prospective multicentre cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: Supraglottic airway devices represent a less invasive method of airway management than tracheal intubation during general anaesthesia. Their continued development is focused mainly on improvements in the insertion success rate and minimalisation of perioperative and postoperative complications. The i-gel Plus is a novel, anatomically preshaped supraglottic airway device which achieves a perilaryngeal seal due to a non-inflatable cuff made of a soft thermoplastic elastomer. The purpose of this cohort study is to assess the success rate of the i-gel Plus use during elective procedures under general anaesthesia, its intraoperative performance, and the degree of postoperative complications. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a multicentre, prospective, interventional cohort study. The enrolment will take place in seven centres in four European countries. We plan to enrol 2000 adult patients in total, who are scheduled for elective surgery under general anaesthesia, and with an indication for use of a supraglottic airway device for management of their airway. The study is projected to run over a period of 18 months. The primary outcome of the study is the total success rate of the i-gel Plus insertion in terms of successful ventilation and oxygenation through the device. Secondary outcomes include perioperative parameters, such as insertion time, seal/leak pressures, number of insertion attempts and postoperative adverse events and complications. Postoperative follow-up will be performed at 1 hour, 24 hours in all patients, and for selected patients at 3 and 6 months. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The cohort study has received the following ethical approvals: General University Hospital Prague, University Hospital Olomouc, University Military Hospital Prague, University Hospital Barcelona, University Hospital Lodz, Antrim Area Hospital, Craigavon Area Hospital, Office for Research Ethics Committees Northern Ireland. The results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at relevant anaesthesia conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN86233693;Pre-results.

Severe and morbid obesity and transfusional risk in total knee arthroplasty: An observational study.

BACKGROUND: Severe and morbid obesity (Class II -III) represents a challenge for successful knee surgery. There isn't consensus on what influence body mass index has on blood loss and on red blood cell (RBC) transfusion during total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The objective was to determine blood loss and transfusion needs in severe and morbid obese patients undertaking TKA. METHODS: We recorded retrospectively all patients undergoing TKA. Obesity was assessed according to WHO guidelines. Perioperative haemoglobin and treatments for its optimisation were recorded. Blood losses were estimated from specific formulae for lost red-cell mass and percentage of lost blood volume. RESULTS: 922 patients were included: 35.90% were obese Class I and 18.76% obese Class II - III. Estimated blood volume was 4390  ±â€¯â€¯470 ml, 4736  ±â€¯â€¯423 ml and 5030 ±â€¯464 ml among non-obese, obese Class I and obese Class II-III, respectively (P < 0.001). The global estimated blood volume (EBV) lost was 1502  ±â€¯â€¯680 ml without differences between the three groups. However, the percentage of lost blood volume was lower in obese Class II -III (29.65%) than in non-obese (33.55%) and obese Class I (30.97%) (P < 0.005). Transfusion rates were 12.7%, 12.1% and 6.4% for non-obese, obese Class I and Class II -III, respectively (P = 0.062). A negative transfusion risk was predicted for Class II -III patients. CONCLUSIONS: Severely and morbidly obese patients did not show greater blood loss nor higher RBC transfusion needs after primary TKA than non-obese and obese Class I patients. This could be because obese Class II -III patients had higher EBV but similar RBC losses.

Simulación para formar en la competencia de valoración preanestésica: diseño común para residentes de primer año de anestesiología y enfermeras de anestesia / Simulation for training the competence pre-anesthetic assessment: a common design for first year anesthesia residents and anesthesia nurses

Introducción. La valoración preanestésica (VP) es una competencia compleja que debe adquirir el residente de anestesia tempranamente. La incorporación de enfermería especializada en la VP ha demostrado ser segura y eficaz. No existen recomendaciones para el entrenamiento en VP. La simulación puede ser una metodología apropiada para acortar el tiempo de adquisición de la competencia. Objetivo. Describir detalladamente el diseño y aplicación de un taller de simulación para formar residentes de anestesiología y enfermeras posgraduadas en la competencia VP. Sujetos y métodos. Taller de dos horas de duración con casos clínicos en formato video y ejecutados mediante técnica de role-playing. Los componentes fueron dos videos de grabación propia (el primero, de una VP con errores, y el otro, con una VP correctamente realizada), una plantilla para que cada alumno valorara en los videos los componentes técnicos y no técnicos de las competencias de la VP y una encuesta de satisfacción para alumnos e instructores. En el grupo de residentes se añadieron tres escenarios de VP de pacientes complejos. Resultados. Se analizaron las encuestas de los 10 residentes de dos promociones y de 60 enfermeras. La satisfacción de los dos tipos de alumnos y de los instructores sobre el aprendizaje fue muy alta. En el caso de las enfermeras, más del 85% de las alumnas de las promociones que recibieron el taller superaron la estación VP de la evaluación clínica objetiva estructurada (ECOE) frente a sólo el 20% de la promoción anterior. Conclusiones. El taller de VP con formato video y role-playing permite entrenar la competencia VP a residentes de anestesia y enfermeras posgraduadas, mejorando el rendimiento de éstas en la ECOE

Introduction. Preoperative anesthetic assessment (PA) is a complex competence that anesthesia residents should acquire early in their training. Participation of specialized nurses in the PA is increasing since it is safe and efficacious. There is not an established curriculum in PA. Simulation may be an adequate methodology to train PA. Aim. To describe in detail the design and application of a simulation workshop for training residents and postgraduate nurses in the competence PA. Subjects and methods. Workshop of 2 hours duration, with clinical cases combining videotapes and role-playing. Workshop components were two homemade videos, one with a PA with errors and the other one with a correct PA, a checklist in which each participant assesses technical and non-technical components of the PA and a satisfaction survey for students and instructors. Three simulation scenarios of PA in complex patients were added for residents. Results. 10 residents and 60 nurses participating in the workshop were surveyed. Satisfaction with the methodology applied was high for students and instructors. The percentage of passing the PA station of the final objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) of two promotions of nurses that had participated in the workshop was over 85% compared with only 20% of the previous promotion. Conclusions. A simulation workshop based on videos and role-playing allows to train the competence PA in anesthesia residents and postgraduate nurses, improving the performance of the latter in the OSC

Acute coronary artery vasospasm associated with misoprostol for termination of pregnancy.

Prostaglandin E(1) analogues, gemeprost and misoprostol, are the most widely used drugs for medical termination of pregnancy within the first two trimesters of pregnancy. Gemeprost has been reported to be associated with acute cardiovascular accidents in a few cases, but no adverse cardiovascular events have been reported with misoprostol. For this reason, misoprostol has been considered a potentially safer drug and is widely recommended as a first-choice drug in combination with mifepristone. We report a case of a 32-year-old woman with active smoking and obesity, who developed an episode of transient acute coronary artery vasospasm following the administration of intravaginal misoprostol. This report illustrates that misoprostol can also be associated with acute coronary events, although it remains to be evaluated whether the risk is similar or lower to gemeprost.