Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jan 2006
Case ReportsFires in the operating room and intensive care unit: awareness is the key to prevention.
Recent recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to use alcohol-based substances for hand hygiene and skin antisepsis could introduce new fire hazards in the operating room (OR). This potential for an increase in the number of fires in the hospital setting with wide spread use of alcohol-based agents warrants heightened awareness of the risks and implementation of safety measures when using these agents. Here, we report a patient who, during a tracheostomy, sustained severe burns resulting from a fire in the OR. In this case, the use of an alcohol-based antiseptic was the major contributing factor to the surgical fire.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jan 2006
Comparative StudyOutcomes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and predictors of survival in patients undergoing coronary angiography including percutaneous coronary interventions.
We studied the outcome of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in patients undergoing coronary angiography (CA) and/or percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). Of 51,985 CA and PCI patients treated between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 2000, 114 required CPR. Records were reviewed for relationships between patient characteristics and various procedures and short-term survival. ⋯ In conclusion, the incidence of periprocedural CPR during diagnostic or interventional coronary procedures decreased after 1995. Patients who received CPR in the cardiac catheterization lab have a remarkably frequent survival to hospital discharge rate. Long-term survival of these patients is only minimally reduced.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jan 2006
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyDexamethasone added to lidocaine prolongs axillary brachial plexus blockade.
Different additives have been used to prolong regional blockade. We designed a prospective, randomized, double-blind study to evaluate the effect of dexamethasone added to lidocaine on the onset and duration of axillary brachial plexus block. Sixty patients scheduled for elective hand and forearm surgery under axillary brachial plexus block were randomly allocated to receive either 34 mL lidocaine 1.5% with 2 mL of isotonic saline chloride (control group, n = 30) or 34 mL lidocaine 1.5% with 2 mL of dexamethasone (8 mg) (dexamethasone group, n = 30). ⋯ The duration of surgery and the onset times of sensory and motor block were similar in the two groups. The duration of sensory (242 +/- 76 versus 98 +/- 33 min) and motor (310 +/- 81 versus 130 +/- 31 min) blockade were significantly longer in the dexamethasone than in the control group (P < 0.01). We conclude that the addition of dexamethasone to lidocaine 1.5% solution in axillary brachial plexus block prolongs the duration of sensory and motor blockade.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jan 2006
Meta Analysis Comparative StudyDoes continuous peripheral nerve block provide superior pain control to opioids? A meta-analysis.
Although most randomized clinical trials conclude that the addition of continuous peripheral nerve blockade (CPNB) decreases postoperative pain and opioid-related side effects when compared with opioids, studies have included relatively small numbers of patients and the majority failed to show statistical significance during all time periods for reduced pain or side effects. We identified studies primarily by searching Ovid Medline (1966-May 21, 2004) for terms related to postoperative analgesia with CPNB and opioids. Each article from the final search was reviewed and data were extracted from tables, text, or extrapolated from figures as needed. ⋯ Nausea/vomiting, sedation, and pruritus all occurred more commonly with opioid analgesia (P < 0.001). A reduction in opioid use was noted with perineural analgesia (P < 0.001). CPNB analgesia, regardless of catheter location, provided superior postoperative analgesia and fewer opioid-related side effects when compared with opioid analgesia.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jan 2006
Comparative StudyGender and recovery after general anesthesia combined with neuromuscular blocking drugs.
Previous studies suggest that women recover faster from general anesthesia than men, but it is unclear whether this is a result of a gender effect or differences in the pattern of drug administration or type of surgery. We performed a subset analysis comparing recovery characteristics from general anesthesia combined with neuromuscular blocking drugs of female and male patients, at risk of awareness, enrolled in a large trial testing the effectiveness of bispectral index (BIS) monitoring. We used multivariate statistical methods to adjust for differences in baseline characteristics, duration and extent of surgery, and anesthetic drug administration in 1079 patients (584 male, 495 female). ⋯ These differences persisted after multivariate adjustment (both P < or = 0.001). Gender has an independent effect on recovery times in patients undergoing general anesthesia combined with neuromuscular blocking drugs, with women recovering faster than men. Higher BIS values during maintenance of anesthesia in women, despite similar amounts of anesthetic drug administration, suggests that women are less sensitive to the hypnotic effect of anesthetic drugs than men and may help explain faster recovery times in women.