Anesthesiology
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Effect of antiemetic therapy on recovery and hospital discharge time. A double-blind assessment of ondansetron, droperidol, and placebo in pediatric patients undergoing ambulatory surgery.
Postoperative nausea and vomiting continue to be a significant problem for pediatric ambulatory surgery patients. Although ondansetron has been demonstrated to be effective in the prophylactic treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting (surrogate end point) no one has demonstrated a benefit of antiemetic therapy on patient recovery, postanesthesia care unit length of stay, and hospital length of stay (nonsurrogate end points). In a double-blind manner, the effects of ondansetron, droperidol, and placebo on the incidence of emesis, postanesthesia care unit stay, and hospital discharge time were evaluated in children undergoing dental surgery. ⋯ Ondansetron is an effective prophylactic antiemetic agent for children undergoing dental surgery. Compared with droperidol, ondansetron decreases the length of hospital stay, but compared to placebo, there were no differences in the patient recovery parameters.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Dose-response curves of inhaled nitric oxide with and without intravenous almitrine in nitric oxide-responding patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Inhaled nitric oxide, a selective pulmonary vasodilator, in combination with intravenous almitrine, a selective pulmonary vasoconstrictor, markedly improves arterial oxygenation in 50-60% of patients with acute lung injury. The goal of this study was to assess dose response of inhaled nitric oxide with and without almitrine in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome responding to nitric oxide. ⋯ In 6 patients with early acute respiratory distress syndrome and highly responsive to inhaled nitrix oxide, the administration of intravenous almitrine at a concentration of 16 micrograms.kg-1.min-1 induced an additional increase in Pao2. Dose response of nitric oxide was not changed by the administration of almitrine and a plateau effect was observed at inspiratory nitric oxide concentrations of 1.5 ppm.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Atracurium versus vecuronium in asthmatic patients. A blinded, randomized comparison of adverse events.
To determine which of atracurium or vecuronium is associated with fewer adverse cardiovascular and pulmonary events in high-risk patients, the authors administered these drugs to patients with known asthma. ⋯ The authors conclude that, in patients with asthma, adverse cardiovascular events are more common with atracurium than with vecuronium.
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Comparative Study
Intrathecal amitriptyline. Antinociceptive interactions with intravenous morphine and intrathecal clonidine, neostigmine, and carbamylcholine in rats.
Systemically administered opioids induce analgesia in part by spinal noradrenergic, serotonergic, and cholinergic mechanisms. The current study tested whether antinociception from systemically administered opioids could therefore be enhanced by intrathecal injection of a monoamine reuptake inhibitor to potentiate the action of spinally released norepinephrine and serotonin (amitriptyline) and intrathecal injection of a cholinesterase inhibitor to potentiate the action of spinally released acetylcholine (neostigmine). ⋯ These data suggest that intrathecal doses of amitriptyline resulting in potentiation of intravenous morphine antinociception may not be adequate to block muscarinic receptors, because they did not affect carbamylcholine-induced antinociception. These results further support the relevance of spinal monoamine reuptake and cholinesterase inhibition to synergistically enhance analgesia from systemic opioids.