Aim.To determine the accuracy of the modified Mallampati test for predicting difficult tracheal intubation. Design. A cross-sectional, clinical, observational, non-blinded study. A quality analysis of anesthetic care. Setting. Operating theatres and department of anesthesiology in a university hospital. Material and methods. Following the local ethics committee approval and patients' informed consent to anesthesia, all adult patients (> 18 yrs) presenting for any type of non-emergency surgical procedures under general anesthesia requiring endotracheal intubation were enrolled. Prior to anesthesia, Samsoon and Young's modification of the Mallampati test (modified Mallampati test) was performed. Following induction, the anesthesiologist described the laryngoscopic view using the Cormack-Lehane scale. Classes 3 or 4 of the modified Mallampati test were considered a predictor of difficult intubation. Grades 3 or 4 of the Cormack-Lehane classification of the laryngoscopic view were defined as impaired glottic exposure. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, relative risk, likelihood ratio and accuracy of the modified Mallampati test were calculated on 2x2 contingency tables.Results. Of the total 1,518 patients enrolled, 48 had difficult intubation (3.2%). We failed to detect as many as 35.4% patients in whom glottis exposure during direct laryngoscopy was inadequate (sensitivity 0.646). Conclusion. When used as a single examination, the modified Mallampati test is of limited value in predicting difficult intubation.

Females were more sensitive than males to a single bolus dose of rocuronium. Under the study conditions described, the onset time was shorter and the clinical duration was increased in female patients. This suggests that the routine dose of rocuronium should be reduced in females compared to males. On the contrary, we could demonstrate no gender differences in the onset time or clinical duration of cisatracurium.

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Single injection PVB provided clinically relevant postoperative analgesia in children undergoing major renal surgery.

Aims.To compare the pharmacodynamics of 0.6 mg kg -1 rocuronium in young and older patients of both genders during total intravenous anesthesia.Methods. Following local ethics committee approval and informed consent, patients scheduled for surgery under total intravenous anesthesia (propofol/sufentanil) were divided into 4 study groups: 37 males aged 20-40, 40 males aged 60-75 yrs, 43 females aged 20-40 and 38 females aged 60-75 yrs. Neuromuscular block following rocuronium (0.6 mg kg -1 ) was monitored: train-of-four [TOF] stimulation of the ulnar nerve at 15-s intervals, EMG of the adductor pollicis muscle. The onset time (from application of rocuronium to maximum depression of T 1 ), clinical duration (from application to 25% recovery of T 1 ), and time to full spontaneous recovery (from application to TOF-ratio ≥ 0.9) were determined for each patient. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare differences between groups; P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results.