Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Apr 2008
Case ReportsSealing of a tracheoesophageal fistula using a Sengstaken-Blakemore tube for mechanical ventilation during general anesthesia.
A 78-yr-old man was admitted to our hospital because of repeated episodes of pneumonia. Both fiberoptic bronchoscopy and esophagoscopy revealed a large tracheoesophageal fistula and protrusion of the metal stent from the esophagus into the trachea. ⋯ Anesthetic management is difficult because of the care needed to prevent aspiration of esophageal contents and diversion of oxygen through the fistula into the stomach from the trachea when patients are under mechanical ventilation. Our method of sealing a large tracheoesophageal fistula with a Sengstaken-Blakemore tube was performed successfully.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Apr 2008
Randomized Controlled TrialA novel vibrotactile display to improve the performance of anesthesiologists in a simulated critical incident.
Current methods of information transfer in the operating room between monitor and anesthesiologist rely on visual and auditory modalities. These modalities can easily become overloaded in a high cognitive workload situation, such as in a critical incident. The use of vibrotactile communication has been shown to improve information transfer in other high cognitive workload environments such as aviation. We designed a novel waist-mounted vibrotactile display to be worn by the anesthesiologist to test if a vibrotactile display could improve the clinical response time to begin treating a simulated case of anaphylaxis when compared with a group using traditional information displays. In addition, we evaluated differences in situational awareness (SA) between the two groups. ⋯ Our study provides evidence that vibrotactile communication can reduce response time to critical incidents.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Apr 2008
Meta AnalysisDoes tight heart rate control improve beta-blocker efficacy? An updated analysis of the noncardiac surgical randomized trials.
Recent meta-analyses assessing the efficacy of perioperative beta-blockade trials have failed to show a reduction in postoperative morbidity and mortality. Tight control of heart rate (HR) has been suggested to improve these outcomes. Meta-analyses have not considered the influence of tight HR control on the efficacy of perioperative beta-blockade. ⋯ The trials that achieve the most effective control of HR are associated with a reduced incidence of postoperative MI, suggesting that effective control of HR is important for achieving cardioprotection. Second, this analysis demonstrates that administration of beta-blockers does not reliably decrease HRs in all patients, and may be associated with increased side effects. Judicious use of combination therapy with other drugs may be necessary to achieve effective postoperative control of HR.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Apr 2008
Randomized Controlled TrialChronic phantom limb pain: the effects of calcitonin, ketamine, and their combination on pain and sensory thresholds.
Calcitonin was effective in a study of acute phantom limb pain, but it was not studied in the chronic phase. The overall literature on N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonists is equivocal. We tested the hypothesis that calcitonin, ketamine, and their combination are effective in treating chronic phantom limb pain. Our secondary aim was to improve our understanding of the mechanisms of action of the investigated drugs using quantitative sensory testing. ⋯ Our results question the usefulness of calcitonin in chronic phantom limb pain and stress the potential interest of N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonists. Sensory assessments indicated that peripheral mechanisms are unlikely important determinants of phantom limb pain. Ketamine, but not calcitonin, affects central sensitization processes that are probably involved in the pathophysiology of phantom limb pain.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Apr 2008
ReviewAntifibrinolytic therapy in surgery for congenital heart disease.
The efficacy of the serine protease inhibitor, aprotinin, and the lysine analogs, epsilon-aminocaproic acid and tranexamic acid, in reducing bleeding and transfusion in adults undergoing cardiac surgery is well established. Although children undergoing cardiac surgery are clearly at high risk for bleeding and transfusion, the risks and benefits of this therapy for the pediatric population are less well understood. There is a reasonable body of literature examining antifibrinolytic therapy in congenital heart surgery, but the large variability in patients studied, procedures, methods, and dosing schemes makes a quantitative analysis of this literature impractical. ⋯ There is not enough evidence to draw any conclusions about the safety of these drugs in children, although it appears that the risk of anaphylaxis with aprotinin in children may be less than in adults. Dosing schemes used for these drugs have been variable and not always based on sound pharmacologic principles, despite available pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data. Further research should be directed toward establishing safety, evaluating the relative efficacy of the two classes of drugs, proving benefit in specific patient groups, and better defining effective dosing schemes.