Anesthesiology
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Comparative Study
Intraoperative echocardiography for evaluation of congenital heart defects in infants and children.
To determine the accuracy, utility, and limitations of intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in infants and children, we performed prebypass and postbypass TEE in 90 children undergoing surgical repair of congenital heart lesions, comparing the results to those obtained using intraoperative epicardial echocardiography and pre- and postoperative precordial echocardiography. Patients ranged in age from 4 days to 21 yr (mean 4.1 yr) and in weight from 3 to 68 kg (mean 15.4 kg). Prebypass, we obtained high-quality, two-dimensional TEE images in 86 patients, with correction of the preoperative precordial diagnosis in 3 and confirmation of the preoperative diagnosis in the rest. ⋯ Regurgitant lesions (n = 30) were identified and their severity evaluated in all patients by both TEE and epicardial imaging. Obstructive lesions (n = 33), excluding those involving the right ventricular outflow tract, were well defined by both echocardiographic approaches. Postbypass, we obtained high-quality, two-dimensional, color and Doppler TEE images in 86 patients and epicardial images in 78 patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Epidural clonidine after cesarean section. Appropriate dose and effect of prior local anesthetic.
Epidurally administered clonidine represents a new approach to postcesarean section pain therapy, yet the appropriate bolus dose and infusion to provide effective pain relief have not been defined. In addition, whether 2-chloroprocaine, a commonly used local anesthetic for intraoperative anesthesia, interferes with clonidine's analgesia, as it does with that of opioids, has not been examined. In this study, using a randomized, blinded design, 63 women received either bupivacaine or 2-chloroprocaine for epidural anesthesia for cesarean section and then received, upon request for analgesia in the recovery room, epidural clonidine 400 micrograms or 800 micrograms bolus, each followed by a 24-h infusion of 40 micrograms/h, or an equivalent volume bolus and infusion of saline. ⋯ Clonidine did not alter resolution of residual local anesthetic sensory blockade, as measured by 2- or 4-segment regression following either local anesthetic, but did prolong duration of motor blockade in women receiving bupivacaine. Clonidine produced small decreases in heart rate and blood pressure. One patient received iv fluids for hypotension; one had asymptomatic bradycardia resolving without therapy; and one had mild hypoxemia with snoring during clonidine-induced sedation, responding to supplemental oxygen.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Does epidural administration of butorphanol offer any clinical advantage over the intravenous route? A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
The differential effects of intravenous versus epidural administration of short-acting, lipid-soluble opioids is controversial. This study was undertaken to compare these two routes of administration using the mixed agonist-antagonist opioid, butorphanol. Forty-five women undergoing elective cesarean delivery at term under epidural lidocaine anesthesia were randomized to receive a single bolus of either epidural or intravenous butorphanol 2 mg or saline control for postoperative analgesia. ⋯ Analgesia was quantitated using a visual analogue scale and subsequent PCA morphine requirements. The interval from study drug injection until first request for PCA use was equivalent for the intravenous and epidural groups (89 +/- 9 and 83 +/- 8 min, respectively) and significantly longer than in control group (39 +/- 4 min, P less than 0.001, intravenous and epidural vs. control). Analgesia was equivalent in the intravenous and epidural groups at all observation points, and pain scores were significantly lower than control for the first 120 min after study drug injection.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Claims against anesthesiologists for eye injuries were analyzed as part of the ASA Closed Claims Project. Eye injury occurred in 3% of all claims in the database (71 of 2,046). The payment frequency for eye injury claims was higher than that for non-eye injury claims (70% vs. 56%; P less than or equal to 0.05). ⋯ The median payment for claim involving movement was 10 times greater than for non-movement claims ($90,000 vs. $9,000; P less than or equal to 0.01). Anesthesiologist reviewers deemed the care rendered in the general anesthesia "movement" claims as meeting standards in only 19% of claims. From the perspective of patient safety, as well as risk management, these data suggest two specific needs: research directed at better understanding of the etiology of corneal abrasion and clinical strategies designed to assure patient immobility during ophthalmic surgery.