Biomedical subjects

Mary E Shirk Marienau

Publications and source records attributed to Mary E Shirk Marienau.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2007

A prospective study on anesthesia machine fault identification.

BACKGROUND: Although few studies have been performed recently, several have suggested that some practitioners are not well able to detect preset anesthesia machine faults. METHODS: We performed a prospective study to determine whether there is a correlation between duration of anesthesia practice and the ability to detect anesthesia machine faults. Our hypothesis was that more anesthesia practice would increase the ability to detect anesthesia machine faults. This study was performed during a nationally attended anesthesia meeting held at a large academic medical center, where 87 anesthesia providers were observed performing anesthesia machine checkouts. The participants were asked to individually check out an anesthesia machine with an unspecified number of preset faults. The primary outcome measures were the written listing of faults detected during an anesthesia machine checkout. RESULTS: Of the five faults preset into the test machine, participants with 0-2 yr experience detected a mean of 3.7 faults, participants with 2-7 yr experience detected a mean of 3.6 faults, and participants with more than 7 yr experience detected a mean of 2.3 faults (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our prospective study demonstrated that anesthesia machine checkout continues to be a problem.

Anesthesiology↗

PubMed2005

Update for nurse anesthetists--anesthetic considerations for patients with amyloidosis.

Amyloidosis is a rare disease process that results in the deposition of insoluble, fibrous amyloid proteins in extracellular spaces and tissues. Amyloid fibrils can be deposited locally or may involve every organ system of the body. Advancements in the treatment for amyloidosis allow longer survival, and patients are being seen in our operating rooms for diagnostic, interventional, and curative purposes. Amyloidosis has numerous implications for anesthesia providers due to the possibility of systemic involvement. This course describes 2 cases of amyloidosis and discusses the types of amyloidosis and their anesthetic implications.

Amyloidosis↗

PubMed2004

Childhood airway manifestations of lymphangioma: a case report.

Lymphangioma is a congenital malformation of the lymphatic system, often involving areas of the head and neck. The involved structures may include enlarged tongue and lips, swelling of the floor of the mouth, and direct involvement of the upper respiratory tract. The definitive treatment for lymphangioma is surgery, often during the first years of life. Despite surgical removal, lymphangioma may persist. Anesthetic concerns include bleeding, difficulty visualizing the airway, extrinsic and intrinsic pressure on the airway causing distortion, and enlarged upper respiratory structures, including the lips, tongue, and epiglottis. This is a case report of a 9-year-old patient with lymphangioma who had impacted teeth and a suspected odontogenic cyst. There seems to be little information on the optimal anesthetic management for this age group. The challenges with airway management, including bleeding, laryngospasm, and a difficult intubation, are outlined. Awareness of potential airway involvement and possible complications is necessary to provide a safe anesthetic to a patient with lymphangioma. A review of the literature, airway management techniques, and current airway equipment will be discussed.

Age Factors↗