OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of combined prophylactic ramosetron and total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) on postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), compared with sevoflurane anaesthesia without prophylactic antiemetics, in female patients undergoing thyroidectomy. METHODS Female patients were randomized between the sevoflurane group (anaesthesia maintained with sevoflurane) or TIVA ...

Patients are often unaware of the extensive duties of an anaesthetist and their significant contributions to patient management. This study aimed to evaluate current knowledge and perceptions of anaesthesia among an Irish patient population. 100 surgical patients completed multiple choice questionnaires which assessed patients knowledge of anaesthesia, the role of an anaesthetist and satisfacti...

BACKGROUND Sevoflurane has a lower blood:gas partition coefficient than isoflurane and thus should be associated with a more rapid recovery from anaesthesia. METHODS A review and meta-analysis were employed to examine the recovery profiles of adult patients following anaesthesia, comparing sevoflurane to isoflurane and sevoflurane to propofol. RESULTS There were significant differences in t...

Hip fracture surgery is common and the population at risk is generally elderly. There is no consensus of opinion regarding the safest form of anaesthesia for these patients. We performed a meta-analysis of 15 randomized trials that compare morbidity and mortality associated with general or regional anaesthesia for hip fracture patients. There was a reduced 1-month mortality and incidence of dee...

The need for mechanical ventilation during anaesthesia in the newborn and in infants has been strongly felt recently (Rees, 1958; Smith, 1959; Okemian, 1963). Very few ventilators suitable for paediatric anaesthesia are available (e.g. Bennett and Bird), and all are enormously expensive. The Engstrom ventilator has been successfully used for paediatric anaesthesia. The Starling pump, designed o...

The inception of spinal anaesthesia can be traced to James Leonard Corning, a New York neurologist who inadvertently administered cocaine spinal anaesthesia in 1885. In 1898 August Karl Gustav Bier, a German surgeon, pioneered the successful use of operative spinal anaesthesia in lower limb surgery. Early spinal anaesthesia was fraught with complications but through advances in aseptic techniqu...

Hip fractures are common, potentially devastating events for elderly patients. Hip fractures are usually treated in hospital with surgery so these patients will need anaesthesia. The impact of anaesthetic techniques in patients experiencing hip fracture is controversial. This study was conducted to compare the effects of two anaestehic techniques: unilateral spinal and general anaesthesia on ha...

BACKGROUND Several local anaesthetic techniques are available for cataract surgery. Recently, topical anaesthesia has gained in popularity. A randomized trial was designed to compare patient discomfort and intraoperative complications following routine cataract surgery under topical or sub-Tenon's anaesthesia. METHODS A randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled clinical trial of 210 patien...

OBJECTIVE The percentage use of regional anaesthesia (RA) and failure rate of RA for different grades of caesarean section (CS) has become a marker of quality for obstetric anaesthesia service. The objective of our prospective observational study is to find out the technique of anaesthesia used in different grades of CS, reasons for choosing general anaesthesia (GA) and failure rate of RA in ou...

K. Leslie1,2*, P. Myles4,5,7, P. Devereaux8,9,10, E. Williamson3,6, P. Rao-Melancini11, A. Forbes6, S. Xu12, P. Foex13, J. Pogue11, M. Arrieta14,15, G. Bryson16, J. Paul17, M. Paech18,19, R. Merchant20, P. Choi21,22, N. Badner23, P. Peyton24,25, J. Sear13 and H. Yang26 1 Department of Anaesthesia and Pain Management, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Australia 2 Department of Pharmacology an...