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EditorÐAs a result of the increased prevalence of nvCJD within the UK population, there has been concern about the theoretical risk of transfer of prions during tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. Disposable instruments were widely introduced in 2001, but concerns regarding the safety of these instruments led to the return to reusable instruments in England. In Scotland, the use of disposable equi...

The purpose of this evidence-based project was to determine the perceptions of anesthesia providers regarding the use of disposable laryngoscope blades. Frequency of use, ease of use, and complications encountered when using the disposable blade were evaluated before and after an in-service program designed to increase the use of disposable blades. Participants completed an anonymous questionna...

There are many techniques of cataract extraction and many types of cataract knives have been devised to facilitate an ideal section. Ultrasharp diamond knives were introduced by Durham and Luntz (I968). Sharpness is essential whether the von Graefe knife, the keratome, or corneal scissors are used, and for this reason disposable cataract knives, keratomes, and Bard Parker blades are widely used...

BACKGROUND The emergence of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) prompted guidelines from the Department of Health that stress the use of disposable and protective equipment. This survey explores current methods of airway management for tonsillectomy in the UK and ascertains anaesthetists' current knowledge and opinions of the guidelines and of vCJD. METHODS Three hundred and five questio...

OBJECTIVES To determine what percentage of out-of-hospital laryngoscopes meet a predetermined minimal illumination criterion and what factors may be altered to improve illumination. METHODS This was an observational study of the illumination of laryngoscopes currently in use by the Emergency Health Services of Nova Scotia. Each laryngoscope was measured at baseline. This illumination was comp...