Anesthesiology
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Continuous femoral nerve blocks: varying local anesthetic delivery method (bolus versus basal) to minimize quadriceps motor block while maintaining sensory block.
Whether the method of local anesthetic administration for continuous femoral nerve blocks--basal infusion versus repeated hourly bolus doses--influences block effects remains unknown. ⋯ This study did not find evidence to support the hypothesis that varying the method of local anesthetic administration--basal infusion versus repeated bolus doses--influences continuous femoral nerve block effects to a clinically significant degree.
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In models, isoflurane produces neural and behavioral deficits in vitro and in vivo. This study tested the hypothesis that neural stem cells are adversely affected by isoflurane such that it inhibits proliferation and kills these cells. ⋯ Isoflurane does not kill neural stem cells in vitro. At concentrations at and above the minimum alveolar concentrations required for general anesthesia (1.4 and 2.8%), isoflurane inhibits proliferation of these cells but has no such effect at a subminimum alveolar concentration (0.7%). These data imply that dosages of isoflurane at and above minimum alveolar concentrations may reduce the pool of neural stem cells in vivo but that lower dosages may be devoid of such effects.