Anesthesia and analgesia
-
Anesthesia and analgesia · Apr 2008
Randomized Controlled TrialThe effects of oral ondansetron disintegrating tablets for prevention of at-home emesis in pediatric patients after ear-nose-throat surgery.
Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy are associated with a frequent incidence of vomiting, both in the hospital and at home. We evaluated the effects of oral ondansetron disintegrating tablets (ODT) on the incidence of at-home emesis in children undergoing tonsillectomy with and without adenoidectomy and with and without bilateral myringotomy and tube insertion. ⋯ At-home use of ODT may prevent emesis in children during the first 3 days after tonsillectomy in children. Patients who require rescue after prophylactic treatment for nausea and vomiting in the hospital may not respond to prophylactic ondansatron ODT at home.
-
Anesthesia and analgesia · Apr 2008
Randomized Controlled TrialThe effects of intravenous granisetron on the sensory and motor blockade produced by intrathecal bupivacaine.
We hypothesized that pretreatment with i.v. granisetron would affect the sensory and motor components of spinal blockade through 5-HT(3) receptor blockade. ⋯ We concluded that i.v. granisetron facilitated a faster recovery of sensory block after bupivacaine subarachnoid anesthesia.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Anesthesia and analgesia · Apr 2008
Randomized Controlled TrialStimulating catheters for continuous femoral nerve blockade after total knee arthroplasty: a randomized, controlled, double-blinded trial.
Continuous femoral nerve blockade (CFNB) is often used for postoperative analgesia after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). CFNB can be instituted using a variety of techniques. Stimulating catheters (SC) have the advantage of confirming placement of the catheter close to the nerve during advancement. ⋯ In this study, blind catheter advancement was as reliable as a SC technique for establishing and maintaining CFNB for postoperative analgesia as a part of multimodal analgesia technique after TKA.