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Biomedical subjects

P A MacIntyre

Publications and source records attributed to P A MacIntyre.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Delivery of local anaesthetic via a sternal catheter to reduce the pain caused by sternal fractures: first case series using the new technique.

Sternal fractures cause considerable pain, and a proportion of patients require admission for analgesia. Local anaesthetic techniques have been used to reduce the pain from chest wall injuries and may reduce complications from these injuries. The use of a local anaesthetic delivered via a sternal catheter over a fractured sternum has been described in a patient whose pain was inadequately controlled with opiates. This technique was recently offered to patients in the emergency department at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, Exeter, UK, and the experiences of patients and doctors are reported. Findings from this first case series suggest that the technique seems to be effective, well tolerated and acceptable to patients.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed2004

Epidural analgesia after spinal surgery via intervertebral foramen.

Patients undergoing major spinal surgery may experience significant postoperative pain. Epidural analgesia has previously been shown to be safe and effective and may confer some advantages over opioid-based postoperative analgesia. We discuss the case of a 47-yr-old female patient undergoing the prolonged anterior component of a lower thoracic/upper lumbar spine correction involving the stripping of the diaphragm from the lower thoracic spine and retraction of the left lower lobe of the lung. Despite initially planning opioid-based postoperative analgesia, a joint anaesthetic and surgical decision was made to use epidural analgesia in an attempt to avoid potential postoperative respiratory complications. Because of the surgical anatomy of the correction, the catheter was inserted via the T11 intervertebral foramen. A bolus of bupivacaine 0.25% intraoperatively with a postoperative infusion of bupivacaine 0.167% with diamorphine 0.1 mg ml(-1) provided excellent analgesia. The technique was associated with no postoperative complications.

Analgesia, Epidural↗
PubMed2004

Pain on medical wards in a district general hospital.

BACKGROUND: Little attention has been paid to pain on medical wards, with publications limited to the management of surgical patients. We wanted to establish the prevalence and severity of pain in the general medical setting, and how this compared with other clinical specialties. METHODS: All consenting adult in-patients were assessed daily for 5 days. Patients recorded the occurrence and severity of pain, and whether their pain was bearable. The pain team reviewed patients with unbearable pain. RESULTS: 1594 questionnaires were completed, representing 54% of the target population. 887 patients reported pain, 17% with pain scores over 6, and 10% with unbearable pain. The distribution of pain was similar for all ward types with 52% of patients on medical wards reporting pain. Of these, 20% reported severe pain and 12% unbearable pain. When patients with pain scores over 6 were analysed by consultant specialty, elderly care, general medicine, and general surgery scored highest. In each specialty 20-25% of patients with pain reported a pain score over 6. In patients reviewed by the pain team, reasons for poor analgesia included inadequate information, pain assessment, analgesic prescribing, and administration and patient reporting. CONCLUSION: Patients in all hospital specialities experience pain. Until the issue of pain management in medical patients is fully addressed the situation will not improve.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2000

Preliminary experience with the Doppler ultrasound guided vascular access needle in paediatric patients.

Percutaneous cannulation of the internal jugular vein (IJV) in infants and children may be technically difficult and can lead to complications. Various techniques exist to achieve successful cannulation and to reduce the rate of complications. We report the use of the Doppler ultrasound guided vascular access needle (the SMART needle) for IJV cannulation in 10 infants and young children (mean age 3.7 months) weighing less than 10 kg (mean weight 5.5 kg) who were to undergo cardiac surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children. Successful cannulation was achieved in six out of 10 patients with haematoma complicating the procedure in two patients. We believe this is the first reported use of this device for cannulation of the IJV in this patient group.

Body Weight↗
PubMed1999

Cervical spine movements during laryngoscopy. Comparison of the Macintosh and McCoy laryngoscope blades.

We studied cervical spine movement in 10 patients scheduled for elective surgery under general anaesthesia. Each patient was fitted with a rigid cervical collar before undergoing direct laryngoscopy for orotracheal intubation. Laryngoscopy was performed using the McCoy laryngoscope in the activated position and the standard Macintosh blade. Displacement of the cervical spine at laryngeal exposure was measured using lateral cervical spine X-rays. Flexion and extension movements of the cervical spine during the use of the two laryngoscope blades were compared. For each blade, the greatest degree of extension occurred at the joint between the first and second cervical vertebrae. There was no significant difference in cervical spine movement when the two blades were compared.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Sevoflurane for predicted difficult tracheal intubation.

Ten patients, predicted to pose a difficult intubation of the trachea, underwent inhalational induction of anaesthesia using sevoflurane. In all 10 cases the airway was secured successfully and the patient proceeded to have the planned operation. In six of the cases the anaesthetist experienced a problem during the induction but in no case did this present any real difficulties or lead to a critical incident. We feel that sevoflurane has a place for inhalational induction in this challenging group of patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

A lesson in investigation of the airway.

Tracheobronchography is not a new radiological investigation but is seldom used in ventilator dependent infants. It is a simple, safe and accurate investigation of the airways. Its potential in this group of patients is demonstrated in the case described.

Bronchography↗