Effect of induction-delivery and uterine-delivery on apgar scoring of the newborn.

Very short or prolonged induction-delivery interval (i.e. less than 5 minutes or more than 15 minutes) and uterine-delivery interval of more than 90 seconds has a definite effect on the apgar scoring of a newborn especially when general anaesthesia is administered as compared to regional anaesthesia for caesarean section.

Difficult intubation--when can we predict it?

Anaesthetists at times encounter difficult intubation in an apparently normal individual in spite of using the best possible positioning and most profound relaxation. This study was carried out to find out the most simple and easy measurement that may predict a difficult intubation. The study was conducted in three groups of patients of twenty each. The first group consisted of patients in whom intubation was easy. Second group consisted of anticipated difficult intubation. Cases in whom very difficult intubation was encountered were analyzed retrospectively and were included in third group. An attempt has been made to predict difficult intubation with the roentgenographic study of lateral view of mandible along with the measurement of distance from chin to thyroid cartilage. Of all the parameters, ratio of effective mandibular length to posterior mandibular depth and distance from chin to thyroid cartilage were found to be important to predict difficult intubation.

Comparative study of oral and intramuscular atropine sulphate as a premedicant in paediatric age group.

The use of atropine sulphate in the paediatric age group as a premedicant orally in a dosage of 0.02 mg/kg body weight 70 minutes prior to surgery was found to be as effective as atropine sulphate given intramuscularly 35 minutes prior to surgery in a dosage of 0.01 mg/kg body weight. This avoids the unpleasant memory of needle prick; The duration of effect as studied in the normal healthy children not subjected to surgery was found to be 2 1/2-3 hours.