RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Healthcare professionals have a duty to maintain basic life support (BLS) skills. This study aims to evaluate medical students' factual knowledge of BLS and the training they receive. METHODS: A cross-sectional, closed-response questionnaire was distributed to the first- and fourth-year students studying at institutions in the United Kingdom. The paper questionnaire sought to quantify respondent's previous BLS training, factual knowledge of the BLS algorithm using five multiple choice questions (MCQs), and valuate their desire for further BLS training. Students received 1 point for each correctly identified answer to the 5 MCQ's. RESULTS: A total of 3,732 complete responses were received from 21 medical schools. Eighty percent (n=2,999) of students completed a BLS course as part of their undergraduate medical studies. There was a significant difference (P<0.001) in the percentage of the fourth-year students selecting the correct answer in all the MCQ's compared to the first-year students except in identifying the correct depth of compressions required during CPR (P=0.095). Overall 10.3% (95% CI 9.9% to 10.7%) of respondents correctly identified the answer to 5 MCQ's on BLS 9% of the first-year students (n=194) and 12% of the fourth-year students (n=190). On an institutional level the proportion of students answering all MCQ's correctly ranged from 2% to 54% at different universities. Eighty-one percent of students (n=3,031) wished for more BLS training in their curriculum. CONCLUSION: Factual knowledge of BLS is poor among medical students in the UK. There is a disparity in standards of knowledge across institutions and respondents indicating that they would like more training.
RESUMO
The use of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS), as in other surgical specialties, is an emerging concept in cardio-thoracic surgery but there is still a lack of effective protocols to reduce the burden of surgery on the patient, shorten the period of postoperative recovery, and reduce the likelihood of chronic pain developing. The use of local anaesthetic (LA) techniques, such as thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) and paravertebral blocks (PVB), as an adjunct to anaesthesia are considered key components, though there is little data for direct comparison of the techniques. This review aims to evaluate the role of LA techniques in a thoracic ERAS program through evidence from literature and considering aspects of clinical practice. We discuss how ERAS is adapting and evolving with the increasing use of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is thoracic surgery. It also examines the advantages of multimodal, opioid-sparing analgesia in the post-operative period to minimise the inflammatory response and improve functional recovery. LA techniques within ERAS protocols have the potential to hasten recovery when managed appropriately and to their full potential.
