Anaesthesia and intensive care
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Thiopentone and pentobarbitone reduce the time constant of decay of miniature end-plate currents when applied in anaesthetic concentrations to the neuromuscular junction. Such an effect at central synapses would lead to failure of synaptic transmission in the central nervous system and may reflect a common mode of action of many anaesthetic drugs.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · May 1976
Cerebral arterio-venous oxygen difference: a bedside test for cerebral death.
A bedside test is described which compares the patients cerebral arterio-venous oxygen difference with a predicted norm at various levels of arterial CO2 tension. In patients in coma depasse this difference is reduced and is unresponsive to variations in arterial carbon dioxide tension. The test also confirms lack of respiratory efforts in the presence of adequate carbon dioxide tension.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · May 1976
Reactions to rapid infusion of stable plasma protein solution during large volume plasma exchange.
Five per cent heat treated stable plasma protein solution (SPPS) has been rapidly infused into 25 patients, as fluid replacement during large volume plasmapheresis. Reactions were produced in 20 patients. ⋯ These observations support earlier reports of hypotension due to rapid SPPS infusion, and document the occurrence of subjective symptoms which may be the harbingers of a hypotensive reaction. In view of the known presence of a bradykinin-like substance in some heat treated plasma protein solutions, hypotension during SPPS infusion should be interpreted with caution in the light of these findings.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Nov 1975
Historical ArticleThe Geoffrey Kaye museum collection of portable ether inhalers.
A collection of twenty nine portable "hold in hand" ether inhalers is housed in the Geoffrey Kaye Museum. These inhalers are briefly described together with some historical notes.