Anesthesiology
-
Comparative Study
Neuromuscular effects of rocuronium on the diaphragm and adductor pollicis muscles in anesthetized patients.
Rocuronium has properties that may make it suitable for rapid-sequence intubation. However, its neuromuscular effects have been studied only on the adductor pollicis. This study compares the neuromuscular effect of rocuronium on the diaphragm and adductor pollicis in humans. ⋯ The diaphragm is more resistant than the adductor pollicis to rocuronium, as shown by greater ED50 and ED95 and faster recovery of the twitch height. The intubating dose of 0.60 mg.kg-1 is close to the ED95 of 0.50 mg.kg-1 for the diaphragm.
-
The antinociceptive effects of somatostatin (SST) after intrathecal administration in rats and dogs and analgesic effects after intrathecal or epidural administration in humans were described previously. In this study, we seek to determine the efficacy of SST in cancer pain management and its potential neurotoxicity. ⋯ SST administered intrathecally and epidurally was an effective analgesic in patients with terminal cancer. Because the described neuropathologic changes could also be cancer-related or result from chemotherapy or radiation therapy we suggest that further judicious use of SST is justified in this category of patients, if their pain remains unrelieved despite large doses of opioid analgesics.
-
Comparative Study
Potentiation of the analgesic properties of fentanyl-like opioids with alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonists in rats.
Data on the analgesic properties of alpha 2 agonists and their interactions with opioids are conflicting. Experiments were conducted in rats to evaluate whether various available alpha 2 agonists can potentiate the analgesic properties of opioids and to determine the route of administration needed for optimal interaction. ⋯ The tested alpha 2 agonists can potentiate the analgesic properties of opioids, but they have no intrinsic antinociceptive effects on spinal reflexes on their own. The potentiating activities of the alpha 2 agonists could be measured both in terms of a reduction of the amount of opioid needed to reach a particular level of analgesia and in terms of a longer duration of analgesia with a fixed dose of the opioid. The potentiations were observed with various alpha 2 agonists and opioids and appeared independent of the routes of administration.