British Journal of Anaesthesia, Vol 80, Issue 3 384-385, Copyright © 1998 by The Board of Management and Trustees of the British Journal of Anaesthesia
R. Greer, NJN. Harper and A. J. Pearson
We have compared tactile assessment of the train-of-four (TOF) count and
TOF ratio by nursing staff, with measurements made by a new
acceleromyographic monitor, the TOF-Watch. We assessed neuromuscular block
in 30 sedated intensive care patients receiving a continuous infusion of
atracurium. Five nurses made a tactile assessment of neuromuscular block in
each patient within a 5-min period. Each assessment was paired with a
blinded TOF-Watch measurement. The nurses were accurate in assessing twitch
count in 55% of measurements and they tended to overestimate the degree of
block using tactile assessment of TOF ratio.
SHORT COMMUNICATION
Neuromuscular monitoring by intensive care nurses: comparison of acceleromyography and tactile assessment
Intensive Care Unit, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester M13 9WL
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