Anesthesiology
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Fetal and maternal effects of phenylephrine and ephedrine during spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery.
In our routine practice, we observed a reduced incidence of fetal acidosis (umbilical artery pH < 7.20) at cesarean delivery during spinal anesthesia when a combination of phenylephrine and ephedrine was used as first line vasopressor therapy, compared with using ephedrine alone. ⋯ Giving phenylephrine alone by infusion at cesarean delivery was associated with a lower incidence of fetal acidosis and maternal nausea and vomiting than giving ephedrine alone. There was no advantage to combining phenylephrine and ephedrine because it increased nausea and vomiting, and it did not further improve fetal blood gas values, compared with giving phenylephrine alone.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Mechanisms of postoperative pain: clinical indications for a contribution of central neuronal sensitization.
The relative importance of different nociceptive mechanisms for the intensity, duration, and character of postoperative pain is not well established. It has been suggested that sensitization of dorsal horn neurones may contribute to pain in the postoperative period. We hypothesized that wound hyperalgesia in postoperative patients and experimentally heat-induced secondary hyperalgesia share a common mechanism, sensitization of central neurones, and consequently, that the short-acting opioid remifentanil would have comparable effects on hyperalgesia in both conditions. ⋯ Although remifentanil is not a highly targeted "antihyperalgesic," these results support the hypothesis that both wound hyperalgesia in postoperative patients and experimentally heat-induced secondary hyperalgesia may share common mechanisms, and that central neuronal sensitization may contribute to some aspects of postoperative pain. Antihyperalgesic drugs should be further developed and evaluated in clinical trials of postoperative pain.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Non-steady state analysis of the pharmacokinetic interaction between propofol and remifentanil.
The pharmacokinetics of both propofol and remifentanil have been described extensively. Although they are commonly administered together for clinical anesthesia, their pharmacokinetic interaction has not been investigated so far. The purpose of the current investigation was to elucidate the nature and extent of pharmacokinetic interactions between propofol and remifentanil. ⋯ Coadministration of propofol decreases the bolus dose of remifentanil needed to achieve a certain plasma-effect compartment concentration but does not alter the respective maintenance infusion rates and recovery times to a clinically significant degree.
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Multicenter Study
Evaluation of anesthesia residents using mannequin-based simulation: a multiinstitutional study.
Anesthesia simulators can generate reproducible, standardized clinical scenarios for instruction and evaluation purposes. Valid and reliable simulated scenarios and grading systems must be developed to use simulation for evaluation of anesthesia residents. ⋯ Numerous management errors were identified in this study of anesthesia residents from 10 institutions. Further attention to these problems may benefit residency training since advanced residents continued to make these errors. Evaluation of anesthesia residents using mannequin-based simulators shows promise, adding a new dimension to current assessment methods. Further improvements are necessary in the simulation scenarios and grading criteria before mannequin-based simulation is used for accreditation purposes.