Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Aug 2003
Anesthesia-related mortality and morbidity over a 5-year period in 2,363,038 patients in Japan.
Statistical data of mortality and morbidity related to anesthesia have not been reported in Japan since World War II. The need to comprehensively examine the events of cardiac arrest as well as mortality prompted the first national study in Japan. ⋯ The rates in Japan of cardiac arrest and death during anesthesia and surgery due to all etiologies as well as those totally attributable to anesthesia are comparable to those of other developed countries.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Aug 2003
Case ReportsCardiac arrest after interscalene brachial plexus block with ropivacaine and lidocaine.
Serious adverse reactions to ropivacaine and lidocaine are rare. In this report, we describe a case of sudden cardiac arrest after an interscalene brachial plexus block with a mixture of 150 mg of ropivacaine and 360 mg of lidocaine in a previously healthy, 34-year-old, 97-kg man. ⋯ He eventually made a good recovery. We conclude that although ropivacaine and lidocaine are often considered relatively safe local anesthetics, serious cardiovascular complications can occur after the use of these drugs.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Aug 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialAbsence of explicit and implicit memory in unconscious patients using a TCI of propofol.
Episodes of implicit memory have been described during propofol anaesthesia. It remains unclear whether implicit memory is caused by short periods of awareness or occurs in an unconscious subject. ⋯ In our group of young ASA I/II patients, in the absence of any noxious stimulus, no implicit or explicit memory was found when the calculated concentration of propofol using a Diprifusor was maintained at the level associated with LOC.
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Pneumocephalus is a rare complication of epidural block. We report a case of pneumocephalus complicating an epidural blood patch performed 3 days after unintentional dural puncture. Pneumocephalus may occur during an epidural blood patch procedure, even if the epidural needle tip is within the epidural space.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Mar 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical TrialDoes anaesthesia cause postoperative cognitive dysfunction? A randomised study of regional versus general anaesthesia in 438 elderly patients.
Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a common complication after cardiac and major non-cardiac surgery with general anaesthesia in the elderly. We hypothesized that the incidence of POCD would be less with regional anaesthesia rather than general. ⋯ No significant difference was found in the incidence of cognitive dysfunction 3 months after either general or regional anaesthesia in elderly patients. Thus, there seems to be no causative relationship between general anaesthesia and long-term POCD. Regional anaesthesia may decrease mortality and the incidence of POCD early after surgery.