Anaesthesia and intensive care
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Pethidine is an effective epidural opioid for the treatment of acute pain. Its use has been well described in Australian and New Zealand practice, particularly in the field of obstetric anaesthesia. ⋯ Because of its intermediate lipid solubility, pethidine may have advantages over many other epidural opioids. However, potential for accumulation of norpethidine limits its use to relatively short durations of treatment.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Jun 1998
Case ReportsCardiac arrest associated with sulprostone use during caesarean section.
Sulprostone, a synthetic prostaglandin with potent uterotonic action, has been shown to have a low complication rate in a large series. We present a case in which a bolus intravenous injection of sulprostone 30 micrograms was administered to treat postpartum haemorrhage during caesarean section. ⋯ Post resuscitation there was no myocardial infarction and she had complete neurological recovery. We postulate that the bolus of sulprostone resulted in possible coronary spasm that resulted in cardiac arrest.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Jun 1998
Case ReportsCentral regional anaesthesia in a patient with Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome.
A 27-year-old female with Klippel-Trenaunay Syndrome presented for reconstructive surgery of the deep venous system of the right leg. Contrast enhanced dynamic computed tomography was performed to exclude the presence of arteriovenous malformation of the lumbosacral spine. A combined spinal-epidural technique supplemented with light general anaesthesia was performed. The patient's condition was stable throughout the three hours of surgery and postoperative analgesia was maintained successfully for three days.