Anesthesiology
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Noninvasive cardiac output measurement using partial carbon dioxide rebreathing is less accurate at settings of reduced minute ventilation and when spontaneous breathing is present.
Although evaluation of cardiac output by the partial carbon dioxide rebreathing technique is as accurate as thermodilution techniques under controlled mechanical ventilation, it is less accurate at low tidal volume. It is not clear whether reduced accuracy is due to low tidal volume or low minute ventilation. The effect of spontaneous breathing on the accuracy of partial carbon dioxide rebreathing measurement has not been fully investigated. The objectives of the current study were to investigate whether tidal volume or minute ventilation is the dominant factor for the accuracy, and the accuracy of the technique when spontaneous breathing effort is present. ⋯ During controlled mechanical ventilation, minute ventilation rather than tidal volume affected the accuracy of cardiac output measurement using the partial carbon dioxide rebreathing technique. When spontaneous breathing is present, the carbon dioxide rebreathing technique is less accurate and increases spontaneous tidal volume and respiratory rate.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
The effects of hydration on core temperature in pediatric surgical patients.
Reduced vascular volume might influence body temperature by diverting heat flow from peripheral tissues to the central organs. We therefore tested the hypothesis that mild hypovolemia helps to prevent intraoperative hypothermia in pediatric patients. ⋯ Conservative fluid management, which decreased body weight by only 1%, prevented reduction in core body temperature, presumably by reducing dissipation of metabolic heat from the core thermal compartment to peripheral tissues.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Impact of bispectral index monitoring on fast tracking of gynecologic patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery.
The need for increasing operating room efficiency has led to various initiatives, one of which is the elimination of mandatory admission to the phase I recovery area postoperatively, also referred to as fast tracking of ambulatory surgery patients. This Institutional Review Board-approved study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Bispectral Index (BIS) monitoring on the ability of patients to successfully bypass the phase I recovery area following gynecologic laparoscopy during general anesthesia. ⋯ With a standardized anesthetic regimen and a strict discharge scoring system, BIS monitoring does not have a significant effect on the ability to fast track outpatients.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Local anesthetic requirements are greater in dystocia than in normal labor.
Dystocia is characterized by abnormal progress of labor and is a common contemporary indication for cesarean delivery in the United States. There has been considerable controversy as to whether epidural analgesia causes dysfunctional labor leading to cesarean delivery for dystocia. The minimum local analgesic concentration (MLAC) is a clinical model used to determine the relative potencies of local anesthetics in the first stage of labor. In this article, the authors report a prospective study determining the MLAC of bupivacaine in early labor of parturients who eventually delivered either vaginally or via cesarean section. ⋯ These data suggest that an increased local anesthetic requirement for epidural labor analgesia is associated with more intense pain related to dystocia. Women in early, clinically normal labor but who later develop dystocia require more local anesthetic and, by inference, are experiencing more severe pain than women who deliver vaginally. This association should be considered when studying the relation between the method of labor analgesia and the course of labor.
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Women are at higher risk for stroke after cardiac surgery than men. Prior analysis of risk profiles for perioperative stroke that have mostly combined data from women and men may fail to identify gender-specific risks. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether patient gender impacts adjusted risk for stroke after cardiac surgery. ⋯ These data show that prior stroke before surgery is strongly and independently associated with susceptibility for stroke after cardiac surgery, particularly for men. Other risk factors for perioperative stroke, though, do not appear to be influenced by patient gender.