Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · May 2005
The quantitative distinction between train-of-four "counts of 2" and posttetanic "counts of 2" evidenced by a stable paralysis/stable infusion rate method in anesthetized patients receiving mivacurium.
In this study we quantitatively evaluated, by a stable paralysis/stable infusion rate method, the difference between two standardized paralysis levels--train-of-four (TOF) count of 2 responses and posttetanic count (PTC) of 2. Ten ASA physical status I-II consenting adult patients scheduled for elective surgery were anesthetized (sufentanil/propofol), tracheally intubated, mechanically normoventilated with a fixed O(2)/air mixture, and normothermic; oropharynx and thenar temperatures were maintained above 36 degrees and 32.5 degrees C, respectively. ⋯ Infusion rates observed were: TOF count 2-6 (2-11) and PTC 2-17 (3-18) microg . kg(-1) . min(-1) (P < 0.001; Wilcoxon's paired comparison test). Under the present conditions, obtaining and maintaining a PTC of 2 requires MIV infusion rates far in excess of the "standard" recommendations mentioned in the literature for MIV infusion management.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · May 2005
Tactical decision making for selective expansion of operating room resources incorporating financial criteria and uncertainty in subspecialties' future workloads.
We considered the allocation of operating room (OR) time at facilities where the strategic decision had been made to increase the number of ORs. Allocation occurs in two stages: a long-term tactical stage followed by short-term operational stage. Tactical decisions, approximately 1 yr in advance, determine what specialized equipment and expertise will be needed. ⋯ Once the new ORs open, operational decision-making based on OR efficiency is used to fill the OR time and adjust staffing. Surgeons who were not allocated additional time at the tactical stage are provided increased OR time through operational adjustments based on their actual workload. In a case study from a tertiary hospital, future demand estimates were needed for only 15% of surgeons, illustrating the practicality of these methods for use in tactical OR allocation decisions.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · May 2005
The monoamine-mediated antiallodynic effects of intrathecally administered milnacipran, a serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, in a rat model of neuropathic pain.
Antidepressants are often used to treat neuropathic pain. In the present study, we determined the antiallodynic effects of selective monoamine reuptake inhibitors in the spinal cord in a rat model of neuropathic pain. Mechanical allodynia was produced by tight ligation of the left L5 and L6 spinal nerves and determined by applying von Frey filaments to the left hindpaw. ⋯ Antiallodynic effects were not produced by intrathecal administration of paroxetine (10 to 100 microg) or maprotiline (10 to 100 microg). These findings suggest that simultaneous inhibition of serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake in the spinal cord is essential to mediate antiallodynic effects. Milnacipran might be effective for suppression of neuropathic pain.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · May 2005
Is transcutaneous electrical stimulation a realistic surrogate for genuine surgical stimulation during spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery?
Several studies have investigated differential block during spinal anesthesia using transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TES) applied to patient's skin. These TES stimuli are claimed to be a surrogate for surgical stimulation, but TES has never been shown to be a realistic surrogate for a surgical stimulus during regional anesthesia. We investigated whether patients could appreciate nonpainful TES at the same time as they were undergoing painless cesarean delivery surgery. ⋯ During surgery, all the women were totally pain free but we noted that the level of block to TES was variable: in 30% of women, TES could be felt at the T10 dermatome or more caudally. The first appreciation of touch was consistently at T6 or above. The fact that a nonpainful TES stimulus could be appreciated within the dermatomes directly involved in transmitting surgical stimuli, at a time when the patients were totally pain free, suggests that TES at the tested levels is of little value as a surrogate surgical stimulus.