Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Sep 2011
ReviewIs ultrasound guidance advantageous for interventional pain management? A review of acute pain outcomes.
Ultrasound (US) guidance for peripheral nerve blockade has gained popularity worldwide. The reported benefits of real-time sonographic visualization compared with traditional nerve localization techniques generally apply to procedural and technical block-related outcomes whereas acute pain-related outcomes are featured less prominently. In this review, we evaluated the effect of US guidance compared with traditional nerve localization techniques for interventional management of acute pain and acute pain-related outcomes. ⋯ At present, there is insufficient evidence in the contemporary literature to define the effect of US guidance on acute pain and related outcomes compared with traditional nerve localization techniques for interventional acute pain management.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Sep 2011
Ultrasound gel-nerve contact: an experimental animal histologic study.
Ultrasound (US) regional nerve block requires the use of gel applied over the skin. With subsequent needle insertion, some of the gel may adhere either on the shaft or within the needle lumen and may be carried to the perineural structures or intraneurally. We performed this experimental animal study to investigate the effects of US gel contact on the nerve histologic structure. ⋯ Histologic features after perineural exposure to US gel are rather nonspecific and likely of no clinical significance. However, further studies are needed to determine the effect of US gel injection on intraneural tissues.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Sep 2011
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyLearning endotracheal intubation using a novel videolaryngoscope improves intubation skills of medical students.
Teaching endotracheal intubation to medical students is a task provided by many academic anesthesia departments. We tested the hypothesis that teaching with a novel videolaryngoscope improves students' intubation skills. ⋯ Education using a video system mounted into a traditional Macintosh blade improves intubation skills in medical students.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Sep 2011
Randomized Controlled TrialAn exploration of remifentanil-propofol combinations that lead to a loss of response to esophageal instrumentation, a loss of responsiveness, and/or onset of intolerable ventilatory depression.
Remifentanil and propofol are increasingly used for short-duration procedures in spontaneously breathing patients. In this setting, it is preferable to block the response to moderate stimuli while avoiding loss of responsiveness (LOR) and intolerable ventilatory depression (IVD). In this study, we explored selected effects of combinations of remifentanil-propofol effect-site concentrations (Ces) that lead to a loss of response to esophageal instrumentation (EI), LOR, and/or onset of IVD. A secondary aim was to use these observations to create response surface models for each effect measure. We hypothesized that (1) in a large percentage of volunteers, selected remifentanil and propofol Ces would allow EI but avoid LOR and IVD, and (2) the drug interaction for these effects would be synergistic. ⋯ Selected remifentanil-propofol concentration pairs, especially higher propofol-lower remifentanil concentration pairs, can block the response to EI while avoiding IVD in spontaneously breathing volunteers. It is, however, difficult to block the response to EI and avoid both LOR and IVD. It may be necessary to accept some discomfort and blunt rather than block the response to EI to consistently avoid LOR and IVD.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Sep 2011
Comparative Study Clinical TrialEvaluation of a new software version of the FloTrac/Vigileo (version 3.02) and a comparison with previous data in cirrhotic patients undergoing liver transplant surgery.
Reliable cardiac output monitoring is particularly useful in the cirrhotic patient undergoing liver transplant surgery, because cirrhosis of the liver is associated with a vasodilated and high output state, known as cirrhotic cardiomyopathy, that challenges the reliability of pulse contour cardiac output technology. The contractility of the ventricle in cirrhosis is impaired, which is tolerated even though the ejection fraction and cardiac output are elevated because of the low peripheral resistance. However, during surgery the cirrhotic patient can decompensate because of the physiological changes and stress of surgery. Recently, we showed that the FloTrac/Vigileo™ failed to perform in cirrhotic patients undergoing transplant surgery. In response, the company upgraded their software. Therefore, we have assessed the accuracy and reliability of this new third-generation (version 3.02) FloTrac/Vigileo algorithm software in the same setting. ⋯ The new software (version 3.02) provided substantial improvements over the previous versions with better overall precision and trending ability. Further algorithm refinements will increase this technology's reliability to be extensively used in the highly complex setting of cirrhotic patients undergoing liver transplantation.