Browsing by Subject "Beds"

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    Newborns should be receiving premedication before elective intubation
    (2014) Raban, Moegammad Shukri; Joolay, Yaseen; Horn, Alan Richard; Harrison, Michael Charles
    BACKGROUND: Intubation is a common neonatal procedure. Premedication is accepted as a standard of care, but its use is not universal and wide variations exist in practice. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate current practices for premedication use prior to elective neonatal intubation in South Africa (SA). METHOD: We invited 481 clinicians to participate in a cross-sectional web-based survey. RESULTS: We received responses from 28.3% of the clinicians surveyed; 54.1% were from the private sector and 45.9% from the state sector. Most respondents worked in medium-sized neonatal units with six to ten beds. Most paediatricians (76.0%) worked in the private sector, and 78.6% of neonatologists in the state sector. Premedication was practised by 71.9% of the respondents, but only 38.5% of neonatal units had a written policy. Sedatives were used for premedication by 63.2% of the respondents. Midazolam (41.5%), morphine (34.0%) and ketamine (20.8%) were most commonly used. Muscle relaxants and atropine were not routinely administered. Suxamethonium was the muscle relaxant of choice. Varied combinations of agents or single agents were used. Midazolam used alone was the preferred option. CONCLUSION: This first survey of premedication for neonatal intubation in SA revealed variations in practice, with a minority of clinicians following a written policy. The findings can be used to benchmark practice and inform the design of local collaborative trials aimed at determining optimal premedication prior to neonatal intubation. The survey demonstrates clinicians' reluctance to participate in surveys, suggesting a need for a national collaborative network to obtain representative data.
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    The effects of a single treatment of an acaricide, Acarosan, and a detergent, Metsan, on Der p 1 allergen levels in the carpets and mattresses of asthmatic children
    (1994) Manjra, A; Berman, D; Toerien, A; Weinberg, E G; Potter, P C
    Baseline levels of the house-dust mite allergen, Der p 1, were measured on the carpets and mattresses of 60 pure-mite-sensitive asthmatic children in the Cape Peninsula, by means of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). High levels of mite allergens were recorded (range 2-50 micrograms Der p 1/g dust). In order to investigate the efficacy of the application of acaricides to carpets and bedding, 3 groups of 20 children were studied. Carpets and mattresses in group A were treated with a detergent, Metsan (Snowchem), and in group B with Metsan combined with the acaricide, Acarosan (Noristan). Group C was a control group in which no treatment was applied. The level of airway hyperreactivity (PC20) to histamine was measured at the beginning of the study and again 3 months after acaricide treatment. Significant reductions in carpet Der p 1 levels were achieved in group A (22.83 v. 13.26 micrograms Der p 1/g dust; P = 0.04) and group B (21.76 v. 13.26 micrograms Der p 1/g dust; P = 0.01), but mite levels were not reduced in any of the mattresses treated. There was also no improvement in airway hyperreactivity in any of the groups. This study clearly demonstrates that at present it is not possible to reduce Der p 1 antigen levels in mattresses in the Cape Peninsula with the available acaricides, even when one of these is combined with a detergent solution. Until strategies are developed which will significantly reduce Der p 1 levels in the bedding of sensitive individuals, a reduction in ongoing airway inflammation and airway hyperreactivity cannot be expected.