The role of adrenaline in the management of obstetric spinal hypotension during caesarean section: a systematic review
Obstetric spinal hypotension is a common anaesthetic problem with important attendant maternal outcomes. In South Africa, hypotension prior to delivery of the baby was a major morbidity in 25% of maternal deaths. Traditionally, pharmacological management of obstetric spinal hypotension has been focused on the use of ephedrine. Over the last two decades, there has been a significant shift to the use of phenylephrine infusions as the preferred method of prevention and treatment.
External oblique intercostal plane block versus subcostal transversus abdominisplane block for pain control in supraumbilical surgeries: a randomised controlled clinical trial
Supraumbilical surgical incisions, such as subcostal laparotomy, can cause severe postoperative pain, significant respiration impairment, and prolonged recovery. Integrating these open procedures into the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) programme requires identifying suitable analgesic alternatives to provide optimal pain control and avoid delayed functional recovery.
An evaluation of anaesthetic waste generation at a Johannesburg academic hospital
Increasing evidence links climate change and environmental decline to a direct threat to public health. It threatens the basic needs to sustain health: clean air and water, adequate and sustainable food sources, and secure shelter. Those residing in low-income countries are likely to suffer the most from climate change’s economic and environmental effects.
Environmentally sustainable anaesthesia in a developing country – a narrative review
Climate change is one of the leading threats to humanity’s long term sustainability. Although not often considered a significant contributor to emissions, the healthcare sector is one of the largest producers of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, one of the leading drivers of climate change.1 According to the 2019 and 2020 reports of The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change, the healthcare sector contributes around 4.6% of global carbon emissions, which is gradually rising in first-world countries. The global average temperature has risen by degrees Celsius since preindustrial times. These reports have estimated that globally, around 296 000 deaths have occurred since 2018 due to extremes in heat. Children of today will experience a world where global warming and climate change will affect their health from infancy to old age.
Southern African Journal of Anaesthesia and Analgesia - July/August 2024 Vol 30 No 4