Journal of anesthesia
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We evaluated the incidence and severity of serum magnesium (Mg) abnormality along with other electrolyte and acid-base disturbances before and during the course of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in pediatric patients. Serum Mg, Na, K, ionized Ca, pH, and blood gas measurements were performed before and hourly during the course of OLT. Hypomagnesemia was frequently observed in children undergoing OLT. ⋯ However, hypernatremia, hypokalemia, a decrease in ionized Ca, and metabolic acidosis were commonly observed during the course of OLT. We conclude that electrolyte abnormalities, including hypomagnesemia and metabolic acidosis, commonly develop in children during the course of OLT. The frequent assessment of electrolytes, pH and blood gases is essential for the correction of these abnormalities during the course of OLT.
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Journal of anesthesia · Mar 1994
Evaluation of twitch responses obtained from abductor hallucis muscle as a monitor of neuromuscular blockade: Comparison with the results from adductor pollicis muscle.
The twitch responses evoked from the abductor hallucis muscle (AHM) and the adductor pollicis muscle (APM) were examined simultaneously in 20 anesthetized patients following a single bolus intravenous administration of 0.04 mg·kg-1 of vecuronium bromide. The mean onset time of vecuronium-induced depression of AHM twitch responses was significantly slower than that of APM twitch responses (4.9±1.5 minvs 3.7±1.2 min, mean±SD,P<0.001), and when the clinical duration times of vecuronium were compared, AHM twitch responses recovered more quickly than APM twitch responses (15.3±4.1 minvs 19.6±6.7 min,P<0.01), although there was no statistically significant difference in the spontaneous recovery time between AHM and APM (9.8±2.9 minvs 10.0±3.6 min). It is concluded that the twitch responses of AHM may be a useful monitor of neuromuscular blockade in anesthetized patients in whom setting the blockade monitor on the patient's arms is difficult, although monitoring of twitch response of AHM is less sensitive than that of APM in case of vecuronium administration.
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Journal of anesthesia · Mar 1994
Relief of intractable perineal pain by coccygeal nerve block in anterior sacrococcygeal ligament after surgery for rectal cancer.
Intractable perineal pain often appears in the anal region following abdominoperineal resection for the treatment of rectal cancer. In such cases, a subarachnoid block or transsacral block is generally used to control pain. However, these procedures sometimes cause complications such as dysuria or sensory paralysis of the pudendum. ⋯ Absolute alcohol was injected into this space. It is essential that the neurolytic agent remain localized in this space to avoid complications and to successfully block perineal pain. In all patients, we found that this method was extremely effective in blocking localized perineal pain without any complications.