Journal of anesthesia
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Journal of anesthesia · Mar 1994
Anesthesia mortality and morbidity in Japan: A study of lawsuit cases.
To date, there have been no systematic studies on anesthetic accidents in Japan. This study was conducted to clarify the present status of anesthetic accidents by sending a questionnaire to a group of plaintiff's lawyers specializing in medical malpractice. At present, because of manpower shortages, anesthesia is provided by either anesthesia specialists (anesthesiologists) or non-anesthesiologist physicians in Japan. ⋯ Of particular note was a large number of deaths from cardiac arrest and hypotension in spinal anesthesia administered by non-anesthesiologists. The results clearly showed that non-anesthesiologists had a substantial incidence of mortality cases among accidents compared with anesthesiologists. Human error was the most frequent cause, but a lack and/or a grave omission of intraoperative monitors was found in non-anesthesiologist-related cases.
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Journal of anesthesia · Mar 1994
Effects of a forced-air system (Bair Hugger, OR-type) on intraoperative temperature in patients with open abdominal surgery.
Intraoperative hypothermia is difficult to avoid and may present a significant clinical risk during the early postoperative phase. We evaluated a forced-air system [Bair Hugger, OR-type (BH)] for warming intraoperative patients with open abdominal surgery. Twenty patients received BH warming [BH(+) group] and another 20 patients, who served as controls, did not [BH(-) group]. ⋯ Rectal and fingertip temperatures in the BH(+) group were significantly higher than those in the BH(-) group, and central-peripheral temperature gradients in the BH(+) group were significantly smaller than those in the BH(-) group during the study, except at 180 min. No shivering occurred in either group. Therefore, BH is an effective warming device during open abdominal surgery.
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Journal of anesthesia · Mar 1994
Intravenous magnesium sulfate as a preanesthetic medication: A double-blind study on its effects on hemodynamic stabilization at the time of tracheal intubation.
The effects of magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) as a preanesthetic medication were studied with regard to whether it can sedate or relieve a patient who is scheduled to undergo surgery, and whether it can control the hemodynamic response to tracheal intubation. Twenty adult patients in ASA status 1-2 undergoing elective surgery were studied. ⋯ The changes in mean arterial pressure (MAP) and rate pressure product (RPP) after the intubation were significantly suppressed in magnesium-treated patients, but a sedative effect was not observed. Therefore, MgSO4 was useful as a preanesthetic medication in suppressing the hemodynamic response associated with tracheal intubation.
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Journal of anesthesia · Mar 1994
Local cerebral blood flow measured by stable xenon CT during fentanyl-diazepam anesthesia.
We assessed the local cerebral blood flow (LCBF) in 40 patients under fentanyl-diazepam anesthesia. The measurement of LCBF was made using 50%-70% stable xenon with 20 min of inhalation interval and a shuttle method for computed tomography imaging. All patients were anesthetized with 5.95±1.76 μg·kg-1 fentanyl and 0.22±0.07 mg·kg-1 diazepam under mechanical ventilation during CBF measurement. ⋯ The cerebral carbon dioxide reactivity, expressed as percentage change in LCBF per unit change in arterial carbon dioxide partial pressure, was 5.39±1.07, and there were no significant differences of reactivity among regions studied. In conclusion, we showed reference values of LCBF and carbon dioxide reactivity, measured by stable xenon-enhanced computed tomography, in patients under fentanyl-diazepam anesthesia. Carbon dioxide reactivity was preserved in all regions including gray matter, white matter, and basal ganglia.
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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.