ABSTRACT
The Universal Anaesthesia Machine has been developed as a complete anaesthesia workstation for use in low- and middle-income countries, where the provision of safe general anaesthesia is often compromised by unreliable supply of electricity and anaesthetic gases. We performed a functional and clinical assessment of this anaesthetic machine, with particular reference to novel features and functioning in the intended environment. The Universal Anaesthesia Machine was found to be reliable, safe and consistent across a range of tests during targeted functional testing.
Subject(s)
Anesthesiology/instrumentation , Adolescent , Anesthesia, General/instrumentation , Anesthetics, Inhalation/chemistry , Child , Child, Preschool , Developing Countries , Electric Power Supplies , Equipment Failure , Female , Global Health , Humans , Infant , Male , Oxygen/administration & dosage , Poverty , Respiration, ArtificialABSTRACT
A case of unexpected difficult laryngoscopy in a patient with gross hydrocephalus and generalized hypertonus is described. The 30-month-old girl had no antecedent history of such difficulty, having had two recent uneventful anaesthetics. We suggest that the reason for our inability to open the patient's mouth was a result of contracture of the temporalis muscle. The patient was managed using a laryngeal mask airway with controlled ventilation.
