ABSTRACT
The position adopted during sleep by 52 pregnant women and 31 age-matched nonpregnant control subjects was studied. The pregnant group were all beyond the 30th week of gestation. In the pregnant group, 40 (77%) adopted a left tilt, 11 (21%) a right tilt and one (2%) was supine. In the control group, eight (26%) adopted a left tilt, 10 (32%) a right tilt, 12 (39%) were supine and one (3%) was prone. Closer analysis of the position adopted by the pregnant group showed: 33 adopted a full left 90 degrees tilt, five a left 60 degrees tilt, two a left 30 degrees tilt, 11 adopted a full 90 degrees right tilt and only one was supine. There was a significant difference between the sleeping positions of the pregnant and the control groups (p < 0.001). The majority of the pregnant group adopted a sleeping position that reduced the likelihood of aortocaval compression syndrome.
Subject(s)
Posture/physiology , Sleep/physiology , Female , Humans , Pregnancy , Pregnancy Complications/physiopathology , Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular/prevention & control , Pregnancy Trimester, Third , Supine Position/physiologyABSTRACT
The findings of a comparative study of cost awareness amongst particular groups of health service staff are reported. The study is a repeat of that undertaken in 1987 by Fairbrass and Chaffe. The findings are compared to assess how awareness of the cost of anaesthetic drugs, fluids and disposables has changed as a result of the publicity since 1987. Without prior warning, the study group were asked to estimate the cost of twenty-eight items. The results show that their degree of accuracy remains poor. Overall the tendency was to overestimate costs, whilst a small number of expensive items such as volatile agents were consistently underpriced. The results show that, over the last three years, there has been no significant change in the knowledge of cost awareness. At a time when the effective use of scarce resources is being emphasised, a staff programme of continuing cost awareness training is recommended.
Subject(s)
Anesthetics/economics , Attitude of Health Personnel , Medical Staff, Hospital/psychology , Nursing Staff, Hospital/psychology , Operating Room Technicians/psychology , Surgical Equipment/economics , Anesthesiology/economics , Anesthesiology/instrumentation , Awareness , Costs and Cost Analysis , Drug Costs , England , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Humans , Intensive Care Units/economics , Medical Staff, Hospital/economics , Medical Staff, Hospital/statistics & numerical data , Nursing Staff, Hospital/economics , Nursing Staff, Hospital/statistics & numerical data , Operating Room Technicians/economics , Operating Room Technicians/statistics & numerical data , Operating Rooms/economicsABSTRACT
Two years' experience of anaesthesia for percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty in children is presented and the problems associated with this procedure are discussed.
Subject(s)
Anesthesia, General , Aortic Valve Stenosis/therapy , Catheterization , Pulmonary Valve Stenosis/therapy , Adolescent , Adult , Child , Child, Preschool , Humans , Infant , Intraoperative Complications/etiology , Postoperative Complications/etiology , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
Five different brands of pH indicator paper were used by 20 anaesthetists to test four buffer solutions. There were significantly fewer correct answers with two papers than with the other three. The worst paper in the study (Whatman full range) gave only 20% correct answers, compared with 92.5% from the best (Merck).