conclusions treatment strategies in acquired hemophilia are based on two major objectives. during the acute stage, effective control of bleeding is critical. the ultimate therapeutic goal during the subacute phase is the elimination of the inhibitors targeting factor viii. here, we present this case and will review current literature regarding therapeutic approaches to this rare condition in th...

This article explores approaches to the perioperative care of pregnant women. Considerations such as the anatomical and physiological changes that occur during pregnancy are addressed, as well as adaptations to perioperative care made necessary by these changes. The potential limitations, constraints and difficulties faced when planning and implementing care are discussed. Social, psychological...

Children are not just 'small adults'. They have specific physical, psychological and social requirements that must be identified and addressed to optimise their well-being in the perioperative period. The healthcare practitioner should be trained to understand the needs of the paediatric patient in hospital, including the ever increasing need to take into account cultural differences. Hospital ...

In the study of holistic perspectives in perioperative care the following article focuses on the care required for paediatric patients through the perioperative period. This incorporates an understanding of the anatomical, physiological and pharmacological differences from adult practice, acknowledging the most important principles of patient safety. The planning, implementation, equipment adap...

The optimal timing of the preanesthesia evaluation varies with the patient's comorbidities. As anesthesiologists assume a broader role in perioperative care, there may be opportunities to provide additional patient management beyond historical routine anesthesia services. This study was thus undertaken to survey our institutional perioperative clinicians regarding their perceptions of patient m...

Patient positioning is an integral part of perioperative care and yet it is an area of patient care which can easily be compromised as staff try to accommodate surgeons and work through busy operating lists. Inadequate padding and incorrect positioning can cause serious and long term injury and disability, and can result in litigation against perioperative nurses and ODPs.

The publication of To Err Is Human in the USA and An Organisation with a Memory in the UK more than a decade ago put patient safety firmly on the clinical and policy agenda. To date, however, progress in improving safety and outcomes of hospitalized patients has been slower than the authors of these reports had envisaged. Here, we first review and analyse some of the reasons for the lack of evi...

Most anesthesiologists will experience the perioperative death of a patient or a major perioperative catastrophe in the course of their careers. Anesthesia training, however, does not prepare individuals to handle the aftermath of such a stressful event. Multiple surveys have shown that the death of a patient has a major emotional impact on up to 75% of health care providers involved, regardles...