Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Dec 2008
Cardiac medications are not associated with clinically important preoperative electrolyte disturbances in children presenting for cardiac surgery.
Preoperative laboratory examination of patients undergoing elective surgical procedures has been routinely performed for decades. Although there is a large body of literature concerning the appropriate preoperative assessment of adult patients, corresponding literature for the pediatric population is not as well defined. Children and young adults with cardiac disease are a particularly vulnerable subset of patients who often undergo an extensive battery of preoperative laboratory testing. We examined the serum chemistry profiles for children with cardiac disease presenting for outpatient surgery. The investigation aims to define the effectiveness of preoperative electrolyte determination in this population of children and young adults. ⋯ Preoperative electrolyte disturbances in children and young adults presenting for cardiac surgery are uncommon. The concern of hypokalemia or hypomagnesemia important in the adult population taking cardiac medications was not identified in the pediatric population. These data do not support the need for routine preoperative electrolyte evaluation in children taking cardiac medications.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Dec 2008
Case ReportsReversal of opioid-induced gastric dysfunction in a critically ill burn patient after methylnaltrexone.
Peripheral-acting mu opiate receptor antagonists have been extensively studied for the treatment of opiate-induced constipation in advanced illness for the prophylaxis of postoperative ileus. We document the first intensive care patient to receive methylnaltrexone in an attempt to facilitate enteral nutrition. Gastric residuals markedly decreased and enteral feeding increased after administration of i.v. methylnaltrexone. The patient's ileus resolved coincident with the first injection.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Dec 2008
Preparation of the Dräger Fabius anesthesia machine for the malignant-hyperthermia susceptible patient.
Anesthesia machines must be flushed of halogenated anesthetics before use in patients susceptible to malignant hyperthermia. We studied the kinetics of sevoflurane clearance in the Dräger Fabius anesthesia machine and compared them to a conventional anesthesia machine (Dräger Narkomed GS). ⋯ Preparation of the Dräger Fabius anesthesia machine using conventional flushing techniques required almost 10 times as long as an older, conventional anesthesia machine. If a prolonged flush is impractical or impossible, we describe a procedure using an activated charcoal filter inserted on the inspiratory limb of the breathing circuit which can effectively scrub residual sevoflurane to a concentration < 5 ppm within 10 min. This procedure includes an initial 5 min flush without the activated charcoal filter followed by a 5 min flush with the charcoal filter, after which the machine is ready for use in the malignant hyperthermia-susceptible patient. The charcoal filter must remain on the machine for the remainder of the anesthetic, and the fresh gas flow should be maintained > or = 10 L/min for the first 5 min, and > or = 2 L/min thereafter.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Dec 2008
Use of ProSeal laryngeal mask airway in 2114 adult patients: a prospective study.
There have been numerous studies published on the ProSeal laryngeal mask airway (PLMA). However, few have investigated its utility in a large practice setting. We sought to gather comprehensive data about the characteristics, efficacy, and safety of its use by a representative group of anesthesiologists working at a teaching center. ⋯ This study demonstrates that airway management using the PLMA is safe and effective in a general practice setting. The results support the assumption that a correctly positioned PLMA can protect from pulmonary aspiration of regurgitate gastric fluid. The data also support use of the PLMA for the management of the difficult airway.