Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthésie
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Observational Study
Cerebral tissue oxygen saturation values in volunteers and patients in the lateral decubitus and beach chair positions: a prospective observational study.
The objective of this study was to describe changes in cerebral tissue oxygen saturation (SctO2) due to changes in body position in healthy volunteers and in patients undergoing surgery under general anesthesia in the beach chair position (BCP) and lateral decubitus position (LDP). ⋯ More than 55% of patients undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery in the BCP experience cerebral desaturation events. In volunteers without anesthesia, no desaturation events were observed. The clinical importance of these findings needs further investigation.
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Postoperative epidural analgesia for major upper abdominal and thoracic surgery can provide significant benefits, including superior analgesia and reduced pulmonary dysfunction. Nevertheless, epidural analgesia may also be associated with decreased muscle strength, sympathetic tone, and proprioception that could possibly contribute to falls. The purpose of this retrospective case-control study was to search a large national database in order to investigate the possible relationship between postoperative epidural analgesia and the rate of inpatient falls. ⋯ Our study suggests that postoperative epidural analgesia for patients undergoing major upper abdominal and thoracic surgery is not associated with an increased risk of inpatient falls.
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Case Reports
Failed caudal block due to physiologic changes associated with a cerebrospinal fluid leak: a case report.
The sum of the volumes of brain tissue, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and intracranial blood remain constant. This tenet of the Monroe-Kellie hypothesis is most often considered in the setting of intracranial hypertension, but it can also be applied in the setting of CSF volume depletion. We used this hypothesis to explain a case of failed caudal block in a patient with an iatrogenic CSF leak. ⋯ The possible mechanism of this failed caudal block was high systemic absorption of anesthetic given the epidural venous plexus engorgement thus leaving less anesthetic acting within the CSF and on the exiting spinal nerves. Decreased CSF flow in the thecal sac might also have contributed, as might dilution of the remaining local anesthetic caused by large amounts of leaking CSF within the epidural space.
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Letter Randomized Controlled Trial
Efficacy of a simple scavenging system for long-term critical care sedation using volatile agent-based anesthesia.