Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Sep 2013
Review Meta AnalysisPerioperative torsade de pointes: a systematic review of published case reports.
Torsade de pointes is a rare but potentially fatal arrhythmia. More than 40 cases of perioperative torsade de pointes have been reported in the literature; however, the current evidence regarding this complication is very limited. To improve our understanding, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of all published case reports of perioperative torsade de pointes. ⋯ This systematic review identified several common risk factors for perioperative torsade de pointes. Given the nearly uniform presence of a substantial QTc interval prolongation at the time of a torsade de pointes episode, increased vigilance for perioperative QTc interval prolongation may be warranted.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Sep 2013
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyBrief report: pulmonary auscultation in the operating room: a prospective randomized blinded trial comparing electronic and conventional stethoscopes.
We compared the subjective quality of pulmonary auscultation between 2 acoustic stethoscopes (Holtex Ideal® and Littmann Cardiology III®) and an electronic stethoscope (Littmann 3200®) in the operating room. ⋯ An electronic stethoscope can provide a better quality of pulmonary auscultation than acoustic stethoscopes in the operating room, yet with a magnitude of improvement marginally higher than that provided with a high performance acoustic stethoscope. Whether this can translate into a clinically relevant benefit requires further studies.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Sep 2013
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyA randomized, double-blind comparison of licorice versus sugar-water gargle for prevention of postoperative sore throat and postextubation coughing.
One small study suggests that gargling with licorice before induction of anesthesia reduces the risk of postoperative sore throat. Double-lumen tubes are large and thus especially likely to provoke sore throats. We therefore tested the hypothesis that preoperative gargling with licorice solution prevents postoperative sore throat and postextubation coughing in patients intubated with double-lumen tubes. ⋯ Licorice gargling halved the incidence of sore throat. Preinduction gargling with licorice appears to be a simple way to prevent a common and bothersome complication.