Anesthesiology
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Lung function under high thoracic segmental epidural anesthesia with ropivacaine or bupivacaine in patients with severe obstructive pulmonary disease undergoing breast surgery.
Because general anesthesia with tracheal intubation can elicit life-threatening bronchospasm in patients with bronchial hyperreactivity, epidural anesthesia is often preferred. However, segmental high thoracic epidural anesthesia (sTEA) causes pulmonary sympathetic and respiratory motor blockade. Whether it can be safely used for chest wall surgery as a primary anesthetic technique in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma is unclear. Furthermore, ropivacaine supposedly evokes less motor blockade than bupivacaine and might minimize side effects. To test the feasibility of the technique and the hypotheses that (1) sTEA with ropivacaine or bupivacaine does not change lung function and (2) there is no difference between sTEA with ropivacaine or bupivacaine, the authors studied 20 patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (forced expiratory volume in 1 s [FEV1] = 52.1 +/- 17.3% of predicted [mean +/- SD]) or asthma who were undergoing breast surgery. ⋯ Despite sympathetic blockade, sTEA does not increase airway obstruction and evokes only a small decrease in FEV1 as a sign of mild respiratory motor blockade with no difference between ropivacaine and bupivacaine. Therefore, sTEA can be used in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma undergoing chest wall surgery as an alternative technique to general anesthesia.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Beneficial effects of short-term vasopressin infusion during severe septic shock.
Septic shock is associated with vasopressin deficiency and a hypersensitivity to its exogenous administration. The goal of the current study was to determine whether short-term vasopressin infusion in patients experiencing severe septic shock has a vasopressor sparing effect while maintaining hemodynamic stability and adequate end-organ perfusion. ⋯ The authors conclude that short-term vasopressin infusion spared conventional vasopressor use and improved some measures of renal function in patients with severe septic shock.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Impact of shorter-acting neuromuscular blocking agents on fast-track recovery of the cardiac surgical patient.
Residual paralysis associated with the use of long-acting muscle relaxants can delay recovery from anesthesia and surgery. The authors tested the hypothesis that use of shorter-acting neuromuscular blocking agents is associated with reductions in tracheal extubation times and intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay in patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. ⋯ The use of shorter-acting neuromuscular blocking agents in patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass is associated with reductions in tracheal extubation times and symptoms of residual paresis.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Cesarean delivery: a randomized trial of epidural analgesia versus intravenous meperidine analgesia during labor in nulliparous women.
Controversy concerning increased cesarean births as a result of epidural analgesia for relief of labor pain has been attributed, in large part, to difficulties interpreting published studies because of design flaws. In this study, the authors compared epidural analgesia to intravenous meperidine analgesia using patient-controlled devices during labor to evaluate the effects of labor epidural analgesia, primarily on the rate of cesarean deliveries while minimizing limitations attributable to study design. ⋯ Epidural analgesia compared with intravenous meperidine analgesia during labor does not increase cesarean deliveries in nulliparous women.