The asphyxial factor in anæsthesia : and other essays / by H. Bellamy Gardner.

  • Gardner, Harold Bellamy, 1869-
Date:
1901
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The asphyxial factor in anæsthesia : and other essays / by H. Bellamy Gardner. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Leeds Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Leeds Library.

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    The patient should always be placed in the horizontal position, preferably on his back, with the head low and turned to one side. Three portions of the patient's system should be examined before giving the anaesthetic—the upper air-passages, the lungs, and the circulation. First open the mouth and look inside it for loose teeth, in order that these may not be dislodged by the insertion of a gag or other subsequent manipula- tions. Any artificial teeth on small plates should be removed, but a complete upper or lower set is best left in place, because some respiratory obstruction is apt to arise during narcosis from the close approxi- mation of the tongue and palatal structures. Observe also whether nasal breathing is free, and listen to the respiration to detect tonsillar, laryngeal, or tracheal obstructions. Place your hands upon the patient's chest and tell him to breathe freely ; any impairment in mobility of the chest walls should put you on your guard for pathological conditions within the thorax, and you should, if these be suspected, listen carefully to the respiratory sounds, both in front and behind, with the stethoscope. If it be found that less than the equivalent of one lung is working properly, do not give a general anaesthetic at all.