Anesthesiology
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Suppression of shivering during hypothermia using a novel drug combination in healthy volunteers.
Hypothermia may be beneficial in stroke victims; however, it provokes vigorous shivering. Buspirone and dexmedetomidine each linearly reduce the shivering threshold with minimal sedation and no respiratory depression. This study tested the hypotheses that the combination of buspirone and dexmedetomidine would (1) synergistically reduce the shivering threshold, (2) synergistically reduce the gain and maximum intensity of shivering, and (3) produce sufficient inhibition to permit cooling to 34 degrees C without excessive hypotension or sedation. ⋯ The combination of buspirone and dexmedetomidine additively reduced the shivering threshold. Thus, supplementing dexmedetomidine with buspirone blocks shivering and causes only minimal sedation.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
LMA-ProSeal for elective postoperative care on the intensive care unit: a prospective, randomized trial.
Compared to an endotracheal tube, laryngeal mask airways are known to cause less hemodynamic alteration during the extubation phase of routine perioperative airway management. This study aims to examine the hypothesis that the LMA-ProSeal (PLMA, The Laryngeal Mask Company Limited, St. Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands) is an adequate tool for elective postoperative care in the intensive care unit (ICU) and potentially associated with less hemodynamic alteration during extubation in the ICU environment compared to an endotracheal tube. ⋯ Removal of the PLMA after recovery from anesthesia was associated with less cardiovascular change compared to the endotracheal tube. Ventilation was possible without reported adverse events during the entire trial. Elective endotracheal tube replacement by the PLMA may be a useful procedure in selected patients.
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Comparative Study
Effects of sevoflurane and propofol on the nociceptive withdrawal reflex and on the H reflex.
The predominant target of anesthetics to suppress movement responses to noxious stimuli is located in the spinal cord. Although volatile anesthetics appear to produce immobility by actions on the ventral rather than the dorsal horn, the site of action of propofol remains unclear. ⋯ Probably because of the polysynaptic relay, the attenuation of the withdrawal reflex exceeds the attenuation of the H reflex. Sevoflurane produces a larger inhibitory effect on the H reflex than propofol, which confirms that the ventral horn is a more important target for volatile anesthetics, whereas effects of propofol on this site of action are rather limited. Our findings indirectly suggest for propofol a relatively stronger effect within the dorsal horn.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Ultrasound assessment of gastric content and volume.
Aspiration of gastric contents can be a serious perioperative complication, attributing up to 9% of all anesthesia-related deaths. However, there is currently no practical, noninvasive bedside test to determine gastric content and volume in the perioperative period. ⋯ Our preliminary results suggest that bedside two-dimensional ultrasonography can be a useful noninvasive tool to determine gastric content and volume.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Cervical spine motion: a fluoroscopic comparison of the AirTraq Laryngoscope versus the Macintosh laryngoscope.
The optimal technique to intubate the trachea in patients presenting with a potential or documented cervical spine (C-spine) injury remains unresolved. Using continuous fluoroscopic video assessment, C-spine motion during laryngoscopy with an AirTraq Laryngoscope (King Medical Systems, Newark, DE) was compared to that with intubation using a Macintosh blade. ⋯ For patients in whom C-spine movement is undesirable, use of the AirTraq Laryngoscope may be useful to limit movement without an increase in the duration of intubation.