Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Aug 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialEphedrine fails to accelerate the onset of neuromuscular block by vecuronium.
The onset time of neuromuscular blocking drugs is partially determined by circulatory factors, including muscle blood flow and cardiac output. We thus tested the hypothesis that a bolus of ephedrine accelerates the onset of vecuronium neuromuscular block by increasing cardiac output. A prospective, randomized study was conducted in 53 patients scheduled for elective surgery. After the induction of anesthesia, the ulnar nerve was stimulated supramaximally every 10 s, and the evoked twitch response of the adductor pollicis was recorded with accelerometry. Patients were maintained under anesthesia with continuous infusion of propofol for 10 min and then randomly assigned to ephedrine 210 microg/kg (n = 27) or an equivalent volume of saline (n = 26). The test solution was given 1 min before the administration of 0.1 mg/kg of vecuronium. Cardiac output was monitored with impedance cardiography. Ephedrine, but not saline, increased cardiac index (17%; P = 0.003). Nonetheless, the onset of 90% neuromuscular block was virtually identical in the patients given ephedrine (183 +/- 41 s) and saline (181 +/- 47 s). There was no correlation between cardiac index and onset of the blockade. We conclude that the onset of the vecuronium-induced neuromuscular block is primarily determined by factors other than cardiac output. The combination of ephedrine and vecuronium thus cannot be substituted for rapid-acting nondepolarizing muscle relaxants. ⋯ Ephedrine increased cardiac index but failed to speed onset of neuromuscular block with vecuronium. We conclude that ephedrine administration does not shorten the onset time of vecuronium.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Aug 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialThe effect of mixing lidocaine with propofol on the dose of propofol required for induction of anesthesia.
Lidocaine is used to reduce pain associated with propofol injection, either mixed with propofol or preceding it as a separate injection. The addition of lidocaine to propofol causes destabilization of the emulsion and reduces anesthetic potency in rats and humans. We conducted a randomized double-blinded study on 67 patients to assess the effect of mixing lidocaine with propofol on the dose of propofol required for the induction of anesthesia. Patients in Group S (n = 32) received IV lidocaine 0.2 mg/kg followed by an infusion of propofol whereas those in Group M (n = 35) received IV normal saline (placebo) followed by an infusion of a freshly prepared mixture of propofol 1%/lidocaine 1% in 10:1 volume ratio. The infusion was stopped when the subjects lost consciousness, as detected by the syringe-drop method. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in the mean (95% confidence interval) doses of propofol required for loss of consciousness: 2.0 (1.8-2.2) mg/kg for Group S versus 1.9 (1.7-2.0) mg/kg for Group M (P = 0.206). Mixing 20 mg of lidocaine with 200 mg of propofol is unlikely to affect the dose of propofol required for the induction of anesthesia. ⋯ Adding lidocaine to propofol destabilizes the propofol emulsion. A randomized double-blinded trial found no statistically significant difference in the doses of propofol required for the induction of anesthesia whether administered as a freshly prepared propofol 1%/lidocaine 1% 10:1 mixture or as a separate injection after a dose of lidocaine.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Aug 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialThe effect of small dose fentanyl on the emergence characteristics of pediatric patients after sevoflurane anesthesia without surgery.
We designed this study to measure the effect of a small dose of IV fentanyl on the emergence characteristics of pediatric patients undergoing sevoflurane anesthesia without any surgical intervention. Thirty-two ASA physical status I or II pediatric outpatients receiving sevoflurane anesthesia for magnetic resonance imaging scans were enrolled and assigned in a random and double-blinded manner to receive either placebo (saline) or 1 micro g/kg IV fentanyl 10 min before discontinuation of their anesthetic. The primary outcome measure was the percentage of patients with emergence agitation. We also evaluated the duration of agitation and time to meet hospital discharge criteria. Patients who received fentanyl had a decreased incidence of agitation (12% versus 56%) when compared with placebo. There was no significant difference in time to meet hospital discharge criteria. We conclude that the addition of a small dose of fentanyl to inhaled sevoflurane anesthesia decreases the incidence of emergence agitation independent of pain control effects. ⋯ The addition of a small dose of fentanyl given to patients undergoing nonsurgical sevoflurane anesthesia resulted in a significant decrease in emergence agitation in a prospective, randomized, and controlled trial involving pediatric patients.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Aug 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialA comparison of the costs and efficacy of ondansetron and dolasetron in the prophylaxis of postoperative vomiting in pediatric patients undergoing ambulatory surgery.
Postoperative vomiting (POV) after ambulatory surgery remains a major problem. We designed this study to determine the smallest dose of dolasetron equivalent to the Food and Drug Administration approved dose of ondansetron 100 micro g/kg IV, for the prophylaxis of POV in children undergoing surgery. In this double-blinded controlled study, 204 healthy ASA I-II children aged 2-12 yr, undergoing superficial ambulatory (day-case) surgery, were randomized to receive either ondansetron 100 micro g/kg IV, or dolasetron 45, 175, 350, or 700 micro g/kg IV during a standardized perioperative regimen. The primary end-point was the incidence of complete response, defined as the absence of POV symptoms. Costs were calculated from the perspective of the hospital using a previously described model. The incidence of early (0-6 h) and 24-h emesis was more frequent in the dolasetron 45 micro g/kg group compared with the dolasetron 350 and 700 micro g/kg groups and with the ondansetron group. Repeated POV occurred more often when dolasetron was used in a dose <350 micro g/kg. There were no significant differences in emesis rates between the dolasetron 175, 350, and 700 micro g/kg groups or between these groups and the ondansetron 100 micro g/kg group. The smallest dose of dolasetron with acceptable equivalent efficacy and patient satisfaction scores to ondansetron 100 micro g/kg was 350 micro g/kg. Institutional costs for managing POV were less with dolasetron 350 micro g/kg than with ondansetron. ⋯ This randomized double-blinded dose-ranging study concluded that dolasetron, 350 micro g/kg IV, was the smallest dose that provided acceptable equivalent efficacy and patient satisfaction scores to ondansetron, 100 micro g/kg IV, for the prophylaxis of postoperative vomiting in children undergoing outpatient surgery. However, with this dose, the costs to the institution for managing postoperative vomiting were less.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Aug 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical TrialDiaspirin-crosslinked hemoglobin reduces blood transfusion in noncardiac surgery: a multicenter, randomized, controlled, double-blinded trial.
In this randomized, prospective, double-blinded clinical trial, we sought to investigate whether diaspirin-crosslinked hemoglobin (DCLHb) can reduce the perioperative use of allogeneic blood transfusion. One-hundred-eighty-one elective surgical patients were enrolled at 19 clinical sites from 1996 to 1998. Selection criteria included anticipated transfusion of 2-4 blood units, aortic repair, and major joint or abdomino-pelvic surgery. Once a decision to transfuse had been made, patients received initially up to 3 250-mL infusions of 10% DCLHb (n = 92) or 3 U of packed red blood cells (PRBCs) (n = 89). DCLHb was infused during a 36-h perioperative window. On the day of surgery, 58 of 92 (64%; confidence interval [CI], 54%-74%) DCLHb-treated patients received no allogeneic PRBC transfusions. On Day 1, this number was 44 of 92 (48%; CI, 37%-58%) and decreased further until Day 7, when it was 21 of 92 (23%; CI, 15%-33%). During the 7-day period, 2 (1-4) units of PRBC per patient were used in the DCLHb group compared with 3 (2-4) units in the control patients (P = 0.002; medians and 25th and 75th percentiles). Mortality (4% and 3%, respectively) and incidence of suffering at least one serious adverse event (21% and 15%, respectively) were similar in DCLHb and PRBC groups. The incidence of jaundice, urinary side effects, and pancreatitis were more frequent in DCLHb patients. The study was terminated early because of safety concerns. Whereas the side-effect profile of modified hemoglobin solutions needs to be improved, our data show that hemoglobin solutions can be effective at reducing exposure to allogeneic blood for elective surgery. ⋯ In a randomized, double-blinded red blood cell controlled, multicenter trial, diaspirin-crosslinked hemoglobin spared allogeneic transfusion in 23% of patients undergoing elective noncardiac surgery. The observed side-effect profile indicates a need for improvement in hemoglobin development.