Acousto-Optic Cerebral Blood Flow Monitoring During Induction of Anesthesia in Humans.

BACKGROUND: Past transcranial Doppler (TCD) studies have documented the effects of the sequence of anesthesia induction followed by intubation on cerebral blood flow (CBF) velocity. The purpose of this study was to determine whether acousto-optic CBF monitoring would detect changes in CBF which are known to occur with propofol and subsequent endotracheal intubation. METHODS: Seventy-two patients scheduled for elective non-intracranial surgery were evaluated. A Cerox 3215F (Ornim Medical) acousto-optic CBF monitor was used. The acousto-optic transducers were applied bifrontally prior to induction. Baseline cerebral flow index (CFI) values were obtained for at least 2 min prior to induction, set to a unitless value of 100. Subsequent relative changes in CFI from baseline were determined at the lowest value over 3 min after propofol injection but before laryngoscopy; and the highest value over 5 min after the start of laryngoscopy. CFI data were evaluated using Friedman's test. RESULTS: The median dose of propofol [interquartile range] given was 200 mg [160-250]. CFI decreased to 84 % of baseline after propofol and increased to 147 % of baseline after endotracheal intubation (both p < 0.001); MAP decreased after intravenous induction of anesthesia from 103 ± 15 to 86 ± 15 mmHg (p < 0.001) and then returned following endotracheal intubation to 104 ± 20 mmHg. CONCLUSIONS: Our data are congruent with previous observations made with TCD under similar experimental conditions. Such observations support the notion that acousto-optic monitoring yields valid real-time measures of changes in CBF in humans. Further validation against other quantitative measures of CBF would be appropriate.

Laypersons can successfully place supraglottic airways with 3 minutes of training. A comparison of four different devices in the manikin.

INTRODUCTION: Supraglottic airway devices have frequently been shown to facilitate airway management and are implemented in the ILCOR resuscitation algorithm. Limited data exists concerning laypersons without any medical or paramedical background. We hypothesized that even laymen would be able to operate supraglottic airway devices after a brief training session. METHODS: Four different supraglottic airway devices: Laryngeal Mask Classic (LMA), Laryngeal Tube (LT), Intubating Laryngeal Mask (FT) and CobraPLA (Cobra) were tested in 141 volunteers recruited in a technical university cafeteria and in a shopping mall. All volunteers received a brief standardized training session. Primary endpoint was the time required to definitive insertion. In a short questionnaire applicants were asked to assess the devices and to answer some general questions about BLS. RESULTS: The longest time to insertion was observed for Cobra (31.9 ± 27.9 s, range: 9-120, p < 0.0001; all means ± standard deviation). There was no significant difference between the insertion times of the other three devices. Fewest insertion attempts were needed for the FT (1.07 ± 0.26), followed by the LMA (1.23 ± 0.52, p > 0.05), the LT (1.36 ± 0.61, p < 0.05) and the Cobra (1.45 ± 0.7, p < 0.0001). Ventilation was achieved on the first attempt significantly more often with the FT (p < 0.001) compared to the other devices. Nearly 90% of the participants were in favor of implementing supraglottic airway devices in first aid algorithms and classes. CONCLUSION: Laypersons are able to operate supraglottic airway devices in manikin with minimal instruction. Ventilation was achieved with all devices tested after a reasonable time and with a high success rate of > 95%. The use of supraglottic airway devices in first aid and BLS algorithms should be considered.