Anaesthesia and intensive care
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We present a case of acute lithium intoxication in a 51-year-old woman on chronic lithium therapy. Her serum lithium level was 10.6 mmol/l 13 hours after ingestion and 5.8 mmol/l at 24 hours. ⋯ Clinical features of toxicity are more important than a spot lithium level. A combination of clinical toxicity, the duration of exposure and a serial profile of serum lithium levels should guide dialytic therapy for removal of lithium.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Feb 2002
Clinical TrialBispectral index in assessment of adequacy of general anaesthesia for lower segment caesarean section.
Awareness among parturients during general anaesthesia for caesarean section, though now uncommon, remains a concern for obstetric anaesthetists. We examined the adequacy of our general anaesthetic technique for avoiding explicit awareness by determining the depth of anaesthesia using Bispectral Index (BIS) monitoring. Twenty ASA1 parturients having general anaesthesia for lower segment caesarean section were studied. ⋯ No patient experienced intraoperative dreams, recall or awareness. Our current general anaesthetic technique appeared inadequate to reliably produce BIS values of less than 60 that are associated with a low risk of awareness. However, no patients experienced explicit awareness.