Anaesthesia and intensive care
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Aug 1991
Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialDoes propofol have an anti-emetic effect? A prospective study of the anti-emetic effect of propofol following laparoscopy.
In order to investigate the putative anti-emetic effect of propofol, 53 patients undergoing gynaecological laparoscopy were given a standard anaesthetic including induction with thiopentone. At the end of surgery, the patients received either a sub-anaesthetic does of propofol or an equivalent volume of normal saline. There was no difference in the incidence of nausea and vomiting between the propofol and control group. It is concluded that low-dose propofol does not have an anti-emetic effect.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Aug 1991
Level of consciousness on arrival in the recovery room and the development of early respiratory morbidity.
An audit review of 16,065 patients undergoing operative procedures under general anaesthesia was carried out to examine the relationship between early postoperative respiratory complications and the level of consciousness of patients on arrival in the recovery room. In patients aged over ten years, the incidence of respiratory complications was significantly (P less than 0.005) related to the level of consciousness independent of ASA grade or age. Since the level of consciousness of patients arriving in the recovery room could be modified by changes to anaesthetic practice it is concluded that a significant reduction in respiratory complications might be possible if anaesthetists used general anaesthetic techniques which returned patients awake to the recovery room.