Following reviews on the available evidence of the value of routine pre-operative testing in healthy or asymptomatic adults, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) produced guidance on the subject. [1] It covers tests that are often carried out when a patient is scheduled for elective surgery. They may be performed by a variety of health professionals, in different setting...

Liberal pre-operative fasting routines have been implemented in most countries. In general, clear fluids are allowed up to 2 h before anaesthesia, and light meals up to 6 h. The same recommendations apply for children and pregnant women not in labour. In children <6 months, most recommendations now allow breast- or formula milk feeding up to 4 h before anaesthesia. Recently, the concept of pre-...

UNLABELLED The aim of the present study was to investigate asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGP-R) status in tumor-bearing livers and early after their sectorial resection employing 99mTc-DTPA-galactosyl human serum albumin (99mTc-GSA) dynamic SPECT. METHODS Ten normal liver controls and 44 liver tumor patients who underwent sectorial hepatectomy were included in the study. 99mTc-GSA dynamic SPE...

Background The surgical treatment of bone tumours can result in large peri-operative blood loss, due to their large sizes and hypervascularity. Pre-operative embolisation has been successfully used to downgrade vascularity, thus reducing peri-operative blood loss and its associated complications. Methods Pre-operative embolisation was successfully undertaken on twenty-six patients with a vari...

Seventy-four patients with a pre-operative diagnosis of stomach or oesophageal cancer were entered into a randomized, controlled clinical trial to assess the value of a short course of pre-operative intravenous nutrition. The effectiveness of this treatment was assessed by the clinical course and monitored by means of immune and biochemical profiles. Pre-operative parenteral nutrition given ove...

Prolonged pre-operative fasting can be an unpleasant experience and result in serious medical complications. The Royal College of Nursing guidelines state a minimum fasting period of six hours for food and two hours for clear fluids, prior to elective anaesthesia or sedation in healthy patients. We audited the Moorfields South Pre-operative Assessment Unit fasting instruction policy to ensure i...

Primary ovarian pregnancy is one of the rarest varieties of ectopic pregnancies. Patients frequently present with abdominal pain and menstrual irregularities. Preoperative diagnosis is challenging but transvaginal sonography has often been helpful. A diagnostic delay may lead to rupture, secondary implantation or operative difficulties. Therefore, awareness of this rare condition is important i...

Sleep disordered breathing, especially obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), has a high and increasing prevalence. Depending on the apnoea and hypopnoea scoring criteria used, and depending on the sex and age of the subjects investigated, prevalence varies between 3% and 49% of the general population. These varying prevalences need to be reflected when considering screening for OSA. OSA is a cardiova...

AIM To explore the knowledge, past experience, perceptions and opinions of nurses working in surgical units at a local hospital with regard to pre-operative fasting times. METHOD A qualitative research design, using a grounded theory approach, was adopted. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with a sample of 15 staff nurses employed within five surgical units in one hospital. FINDING...

THE JOURNAL OF BONE AND JOINT SURGERY there is more extensive damage to the acetabulum or to the head of the femur. Discussion. The technique we use applies a corrective force directly to the femoral head enabling reduction to be controlled and achieved with minimal trauma. The position of flexion and adduction relaxes the iliofemoral ligament and allows the femoral head to pass the obstruction...