Patient 1A 43-year old male patient with a long history of schizoid personality disorder, suffering from dysphagia, underwent a radiographic contrast study with barium sulphate. The patient aspirated a large amount of the radiographic

SummaryWe present a woman in her first pregnancy, with known aortic stenosis prior to conception, who successfully underwent regional anaesthesia for an elective Caesarean section using a subarachnoid microcatheter. The anaesthetic management of patients with aortic stenosis requiring noncardiac surgery is a complex and contentious matter, particularly when the situation is compounded by the physiological changes accompanying pregnancy and delivery. This is the first reported use of a subarachnoid microcatheter in such a patient. The choice of technique is discussed and compared with other options for providing anaesthesia. Patients with aortic stenosis are at risk of increased morbidity and mortality when undergoing anaesthesia [1]. Their compensatory left ventricular hypertrophy renders them vulnerable to ischaemia and they are difficult to resuscitate [2]. The added stress of the physiological changes of pregnancy and delivery can result in an unstable situation with maternal mortality being quoted as 17% and a perinatal mortality of 32% [3]. The choice of anaesthetic should be appropriate to the well-being of both mother and fetus. There are very few reports in the literature regarding the anaesthetic management of patients with aortic stenosis requiring delivery by Caesarean section [4][5][6][7] and the successful use of a subarachnoid microcatheter for this procedure has not been previously reported. Case historyA 21-year-old Asian primigravida, known to have aortic stenosis, presented for an elective Caesarean section at 36 weeks gestation. Prior to conception she had been under review by a cardiologist and at this time she had no cardiac-related symptoms and was otherwise fit and well. She was noted to have an ejection systolic murmur graded 4/6 and a pressure gradient across the valve, estimated by echocardiography, of 48 mmHg. Her electrocardiograph (ECG) was normal.Her pregnancy had progressed uneventfully and, when reviewed by the cardiologist at 16 weeks gestation, she was normotensive, in sinus rhythm and there had been a slight increase in her pressure gradient to 57 mmHg. The echocardiograph showed good left ventricular function with no significant hypertrophy. The decision was made by her consultant obstetrician to deliver the baby by Caesarean section at 36 weeks gestation and she was referred for an anaesthetic opinion.Twenty-four hours prior to surgery she was found to be fit and well, in sinus rhythm, normotensive and with no signs or symptoms of cardiac failure. After a full discussion with the patient and having explained the advantages and disadvantages of both general and regional anaesthesia it was decided to employ a regional anaesthetic technique. It was felt that the use of a spinal microcatheter would allow precise titration of local anaesthetic to effect and thereby minimise physiological changes.Following an overnight fast and routine gastric acid prophylaxis, the patient was transferred to the delivery suite anaesthetic room. A 14 gauge peripheral cannula was inserted under local...

Background The morbidity and mortality from severe sepsis depends largely on how quickly and comprehensively evidencebased therapies are administered. As such, a huge opportunity exists. However, optimal care requires not only factual knowledge, but also numerous practical strategies including the ability to recognize a disease, to identify impending crises, to communicate effectively, to run a team, to work under stress and to simultaneously coordinate multiple tasks. Medical simulation offers a way to practice these essential crisis management skills, and without any risk to patients. Methods Following a didactic lecture on the key components of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines, we trained 20 emergency medicine residents on a portable Laerdal Patient Simulator. Pre-programmed sepsis scenarios were developed following a needs assessment and modified Delphi technique. To maximize realism, this was performed in the acute care area of the Emergency Department and included a pre-briefed respiratory therapist and nurse. We videotaped resident performance and provided nonpunitive feedback, focusing on the comprehensiveness of therapy (for example, whether broad-spectrum antibiotics were given) and crisis resource management strategies (for example, whether help was asked for and tasks were appropriately allocated). Results Evaluation using a five-point Likert scale demonstrated that participants found this very useful (4.5/5), that lessons were complementary and supplementary to those learned from lectures (4.5/5) and that medical simulation was realistic (4/5). In addition, despite prior sepsis lectures, comparison of pre-tests and posttests showed that more emergency medicine residents would: administer broad-spectrum antibiotics as soon as possible following hypotension (14/20 pre-test, compared with 16/20 posttest), administer low-dose corticosteroids for those with refractory shock (10/20 pre-test, compared with 13/20 post-test), and would favour norepinephrine as a vasopressor (8/20 pre-test, compared with 12/20 post-test). Participants specifically valued the chance to observe and practice crisis resource management skills, which they felt had not been previously addressed (19/20). Conclusion Medical simulation appears to be an effective way to change both knowledge and behaviours in the treatment of severe sepsis. Many education and licensing boards also expect trainees to become not only content experts, but also effective communicators, collaborators, resource managers and advocates. These laudable goals are difficult to capture with traditional lectures but are comparably easy using medical simulation. We hope others will consider medical simulation as a complementary teaching and quality-assurance strategy in the fight against sepsis. Background The incidence of sepsis or systemic inflammatory response syndrome in both developing countries as well as in the developed countries is rising despite the extensive research in understanding the molecular basis of sepsis pathogenesis. Sepsis is currently...

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