Journal of anesthesia
-
Journal of anesthesia · Oct 2011
Case ReportsEpidural anesthesia with intravenous dexmedetomidine sedation in the successful anesthetic management of MRI-guided focused ultrasound ablation of early prostatic cancer.
We report on five patients who underwent MRI-guided focused ultrasound ablation of prostatic cancer under epidural anesthesia with intravenous dexmedetomidine sedation. This pioneering procedure requires an immobile therapeutic field with adequate sedation and analgesia provided to the patients. ⋯ In combination with epidural anesthesia, dexmedetomidine was used to provide moderate levels of sedation without causing respiratory depression or hemodynamic instability, and was useful in preventing shivering. The pharmacological properties of dexmedetomidine contribute to make this technique safe and effective.
-
Journal of anesthesia · Oct 2011
Effects of propofol and pentobarbital on calcium concentration in presynaptic boutons on a rat hippocampal neuron.
Numerous reports suggest that intravenously administered (IV) anesthetics affect postsynaptic events in the central nervous system. However, there is little evidence about how general anesthetics influence the presynaptic processes. The level of presynaptic calcium (Ca(2+)) concentration ([Ca(2+)](pre)) regulates neurotransmitter release. In this study, we investigated the effects of anesthetic propofol IV and the barbiturate pentobarbital on neurotransmitter release by measuring [Ca(2+)](pre) in the presynaptic nerve terminals (boutons) on a dissociated single hippocampal rat neuron. ⋯ Propofol and pentobarbital may affect neurotransmitter release from the excitatory presynaptic nerve terminals due to inhibition of increase in [Ca(2+)](pre).