Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Mar 2009
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyManual versus target-controlled infusion remifentanil administration in spontaneously breathing patients.
The combination of propofol-remifentanil for procedural deep sedation in spontaneously breathing patients is characterized by the frequent incidence of side effects, especially respiratory depression. These side effects may be due to either the drug combination or the drug delivery technique. Target-controlled infusion (TCI) might optimize drug delivery. In this prospective, randomized, double-blind study in patients undergoing elective colonoscopy, we thus tried to answer two questions: first, if adding remifentanil to propofol surpasses the disadvantages of the combination of these two products, and second, if administration of remifentanil via TCI decreases the incidence of side effects, compared to manually controlled administration. ⋯ The combination of remifentanil and propofol for deep sedation in spontaneously breathing patients, offered better conditions for colonoscopy than propofol used as a single drug. Remifentanil administered via TCI resulted in a decrease in propofol dosing and in a lower incidence in apnea and respiratory depression (TCI n = 7, MCI n = 16, P < 0.05), compared to manually controlled administration of remifentanil.
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Cardiopulmonary resuscitation can restore spontaneous circulation in up to 50% of patients suffering from cardiac arrest. However, most of these patients still die during the postresuscitation period. Mortality is largely due to neuronal injury after global cerebral ischemia. ⋯ In addition to therapeutic hypothermia, various other therapeutic options are currently being investigated experimentally and/or clinically. These include thrombolytic therapy, specific infusion regimens, or antiapoptotic drugs. In this article, we review both the pathophysiological background and the efficacy of different measures that might be useful for cerebral resuscitation.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Mar 2009
Case ReportsSevere methemoglobinemia detected by pulse oximetry.
An elderly surgical patient acquired a life-threatening methemoglobinemia as a result of topical benzocaine spray to the oropharynx in preparation for awake endotracheal intubation. A new multiwavelength pulse oximeter, the Masimo Rad-57, detected this methemoglobinemia an hour before it was confirmed by laboratory CO-oximetry. ⋯ The new pulse oximeter gave continuous readings of methemoglobin level at the bedside, whereas the laboratory values were delayed by up to an hour. This case demonstrates the clinical application of a multiwavelength pulse oximeter in the diagnosis and treatment of a life-threatening dyshemoglobinemia.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Mar 2009
Multicenter Study Clinical TrialThe effect of residual neuromuscular blockade on the speed of reversal with sugammadex.
Sugammadex is a modified gamma cyclodextrin compound which encapsulates rocuronium resulting in rapid reversal of residual neuromuscular blockade. We performed a post hoc analysis of data from a multicenter study designed to mimic standard clinical practice which would test the hypothesis that the presence (versus the absence) of a twitch response to neuromuscular stimulation at the time of reversal drug administration would influence the speed and completeness of the reversal effect of sugammadex. ⋯ Reversal of rocuronium-induced neuromuscular blockade by sugammadex was influenced by the degree of residual blockade at the time the reversal drug was administered. Despite the wide variability, reversal of the TOF ratio to 0.9 occurred < or = 5 min in more than 80% of the patients regardless of the number of twitches at the time of reversal drug administration.