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Biomedical subjects

M W Ashby

Publications and source records attributed to M W Ashby.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

A modified sensor for pulse oximetry in children.

Pulse oximetry is a powerful tool for patient monitoring but there are practical problems with its application in small children. Standard probes may be too large to be used easily and dedicated paediatric probes may be awkward to apply. The authors describe a modification of the Nellcor 'Oxiband' probe which simplifies its use in children. The modified probe was compared in 27 children with the conventional 'clothes-peg' type of device and found to under-read by 1.5% with 95% confidence intervals of +/- 3.1%. This is comparable to the error of the 'Oxiband' probe in normal use of +/- 3% over the range of saturations 70-95%. It is concluded that the modified probe may safely be used in clinical practice.

Anesthesia, General↗

The prevalence of serological markers for hepatitis B virus infection amongst anaesthetists in the Oxford region.

A total of 125 anaesthetists from nine hospitals within the Oxford region were surveyed to study the prevalence of serological markers for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. No anaesthetists were positive for Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBsAg) and only four (3.2%) were positive for HBsAg antibody (anti-HBsAg). This result is in marked contrast to other studies and suggests that anaesthetists in the United Kingdom do not constitute a high risk population. The reasons for this are discussed.

Anesthesiology↗

Patient self-referral for kidney transplantation.

A total of 634 patients referred for transplantation was followed for up to 5 yrs, 149 being self-referred and 485 being referred by their physicians. The survival rates of those transplanted in both groups were compared to those not transplanted. The self-referred group increased their chances of receiving a transplant by 20% and did not increase their risk of mortality. These findings suggest that transplantation should be recommended to all patients with end-stage renal failure as the procedure of choice.

Adolescent↗