Anaesthesia in a developing country. A review of anaesthesia in Lesotho based on a recent survey

The background to the anaesthesia being practised in Lesotho, a developing country in southern Africa is described. The results of a recent survey covering the anaesthetic apparatus and techniques currently employed in the country's sixteen district hospitals are discussed, and consideration is given to possible anaesthetic developments for the future.     

10. Further developments with single structure vapour pumping groups

A pumping group with an additional liquid nitrogen cooled baffle or plate primarily to cryopump water vapour arising from the system is described. Reasons for using this variant are given and its performance compared with the simpler pumping group. The performance for air and other gases when charged with polyphenyl ether fluid is contrasted to those obtained with perfluoro polyether fluids with particular reference to their pumping stability for air, hydrogen and helium. Mass spectra of the residual atmosphere when using both polyphenyl ether and perfluoro polyether in both the watercooled and liquid nitrogen trapped versions are given. Comparative spectra of the watercooled version and a turbomolecular pump is also included. The choice of a fluid for specific applications is discussed taking into account its performance in the pump, chemical stability and other relevant factors. Applications in which this type of pumping group has been used successfully are discussed.     

An investigation into the low-frequency dielectric response of polyethylene glycols

The dielectric response of a series of polyethylene glycols (PEGs) in the molecular weight range 3400–20 000 has been studied using low-frequency dielectric spectroscopy. In the molten state, a Maxwell-Wagner response was seen, indicating a conducting bulk in series with a barrier layer of high capacitance. The high-frequency conductance was shown to be activated, with a higher activation energy being seen for PEG 3400 than for the other three molecular weight samples, all of which possessed similar values. On solidification, the samples showed spectra which corresponded to a high-frequency response of comparatively small magnitude with a larger response being observed as the frequency was lowered. The low-frequency conductance decreased with chain length, although no other relationship was found between the components of the dielectric response and the molecular weight.     

Vertebral artery dissection

Vertebral artery dissections (VADs) following a variety of minor traumatic mechanisms have been previously reported. This article reports 2 cases of VAD with delayed recognition following motor vehicle collisions (MVCs). The first VAD patient developed major neurologic abnormalities 28 hours after an MVC. The second VAD patient presented with 3 weeks of neck and head pain beginning 8 weeks after an MVC and subsequent chiropractic manipulation. The anatomy and pathophysiology of VAD are reviewed. Early ED recognition prior to the onset of major neurologic deficits (e.g., paresis, dysarthria, ataxia, or altered mental status) is emphasized. An algorithm for the ED management of the entity is suggested.