Anaesthetic Management of Surgical Emergencies

Anaesthesia for surgical procedures carries some risks. These risks are accentuated when the surgical operation is performed as an emergency procedure. The value of emergency in risk stratification underscores its relevance in clinical anaesthesia. Limited time for evaluation of patient; potential fluid/electrolyte imbalance; the `full stomach' situation and probable uncontrolled pain constitute major considerations in the administration of anaesthesia for emergency surgery. This expose seeks to discuss some of the clinical scenarios that are apt to emergency anaesthesia and in particular; the associated common clinical dilemmas

Pattern and outcome of admissions into the general Intensive Care Unit of a tertiary hospital in Nigeria

Background: It is not clear if the modality of patient admission into the Intensive Care Unit influences outcome. The Intensive Care Unit was audited to determine the pattern of admission; course of illness and management outcome. Methods: In a retrospective study covering the period January 1; 1994 to December 31; 2003; the master register of the Intensive Care Unit was examined. Parameters studied included demographic characteristics; diagnosis necessitating admission to intensive care unit; management; duration of stay in the unit and outcome. Results: There were 243 (57.6) unanticipated admissions and 179 (42.4) elective admissions within the period of study. The unanticipated admissions were more likely to be postsurgical than medical patients. (p 0.01). There was a significantly higher mortality rate for unanticipated admissions (37) than for elective admissions (17.3)(p