Spontaneous abortion rates after natural and assisted conception.

anaesthetics were admitted as day patients in all but two centres, thus avoiding unnecessary expense to the hospital and disruption to the patient.In most cases these anaesthetics were given by junior anaesthetists.Most non-anaesthetic staff did not starve their patients before giving Bier's blocks or intraVenous sedation.Cardiorespiratory arrest is a recognised problem with both these techniques, and the outcome is adversely affected by aspiration; thus starvation is advisable.As monitoring equipment was universally available it would seem sensible to use it.Reduction of Colles' fractures under local haematoma block avoids many of the problems associated with anaesthesia, but the price is increased pain to the patient during reduction, which may not be acceptable.3Despite our findings there were few important complications reported in the year preceding our study, and no hospitals had changed their method of anaesthesia in the light of the confidential enquiry into perioperative deaths.We therefore conclude that all of the above methods are safe and efficient but urge staff in accident departments to be vigilant over simple precautions to keep them so.I Ralis ZA.Epidemics of fractures during periods of snow and ice.Br Med 7 1986;293:484.2 Buck N, Devlin HB, Lunn JN.Report of a confidential enquiry into perioperative deaths.