Anesthesia and analgesia
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Our goal in this study was to develop a robotic intubation system and to conduct a feasibility pilot study on the use of a robotic intubation system for endotracheal intubations. The Kepler Intubation System was developed, consisting of a remote control center (joystick and intubation cockpit) linked to a standard videolaryngoscope via a robotic arm. Ninety intubations were performed by the Kepler Intubation System on an airway trainer mannequin by a single operator. ⋯ Both the direct and indirect view groups had a negative slope, denoting that each successive trial required less time. The semiautomated group had a slope of 0 and a low SD of 1 second, illustrating the high reproducibility of automated intubations. We concluded that a robotic intubation system has been developed that can allow remote intubations within 40 to 60 seconds.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Mar 2012
Comparative StudyThe analgesic activity of intrathecal tianeptine, an atypical antidepressant, in a rat model of inflammatory pain.
Tianeptine is an atypical antidepressant that exhibits structural similarities to the tricyclic antidepressants but has distinct neurochemical properties. We evaluated the antinociceptive activity of tianeptine and its mechanism of action regarding serotonergic and adrenergic transmission at the spinal level. ⋯ Intrathecally administered tianeptine effectively relieved inflammatory pain in rats. The serotonergic system is related to the activity of tianeptine for facilitated pain at the spinal level. Adrenergic transmission is also involved in tianeptine-induced analgesia for both facilitated and acute pain. The combination of tianeptine and cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor may provide additional benefits for the management of inflammatory pain.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Mar 2012
Comparative StudyMinimum alveolar concentration of sevoflurane in rabbits with liver fibrosis.
Sevoflurane is widely used in patients undergoing surgical procedures, which could affect both the liver function and hepatic blood flow. However, the effects of liver fibrosis on minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of sevoflurane are still unclear. Therefore, we designed this study to determine the MAC of sevoflurane in rabbits with liver fibrosis. ⋯ The MAC of sevoflurane decreased significantly in rabbits with liver fibrosis.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Mar 2012
PT-SAFE: a software tool for development and annunciation of medical audible alarms.
Recent reports by The Joint Commission as well as the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation have indicated that medical audible alarm effectiveness needs to be improved. Several recent studies have explored various approaches to improving the audible alarms, motivating the authors to develop real-time software capable of comparing such alarms. We sought to devise software that would allow for the development of a variety of audible alarm designs that could also integrate into existing operating room equipment configurations. The software is meant to be used as a tool for alarm researchers to quickly evaluate novel alarm designs. ⋯ These results suggest that this software tool provides a foundation for rapidly staging multiple audible alarm sets from the laboratory to a simulation environment for the purpose of evaluating novel alarm designs, thus producing valuable findings for medical audible alarm standardization.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Mar 2012
Comparative StudyDorsal root ganglion application of muscimol prevents hyperalgesia and stimulates myelin protein expression after sciatic nerve injury in rats.
Peripheral nerve injuries may result in debilitating pain that is poorly responsive to conventional treatment. Neuropathic pain induced by peripheral nerve injury is caused, in part, by ectopic discharges from the injury site or the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) resulting in enhanced central input and central hyperexcitability. A heterogeneous family of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)(A) channels is important in quieting neuronal excitability. We have recently reported that in vivo modulation of GABAergic neurons in DRG can alter the course of neuropathic pain development after peripheral nerve injury. It seems that direct application of a potent GABA(A) agonist, muscimol, to the ipsilateral DRG prevents the development of hyperalgesia in rats subjected to a sciatic nerve crush injury. In addition to potentially curtailing hyperexcitability, GABAergic stimulation upregulated expression of peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22), a key component of the basal lamina. PMP22 expression correlates with peripheral myelin formation and nerve regeneration. ⋯ The DRG could be a promising therapeutic target in nerve regeneration and pain alleviation after crush injury of a myelinated peripheral nerve.