Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Mar 2010
Pre-operative fasting: a nationwide survey of German anaesthesia departments.
Shorter pre-operative fasting improves clinical outcome without an increased risk. Since October 2004, German Anaesthesiology Societies have officially recommended a fast of 2 h for clear fluids and 6 h for solid food before elective surgery. We conducted a nationwide survey to evaluate the current clinical practice in Germany. ⋯ Despite the apparent understanding of the benefits from reduced pre-operative fasting, full implementation of the guidelines remains poor in German anaesthesiology departments.
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The use of neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) is widespread in anesthetic practice; little is known about the current use of these drugs in Italy. This survey was conducted to obtain information about the most commonly used clinical tests and the train-of-four (TOF) ratios that are considered as being reliable for assessing recovery from neuromuscular blockade at the end of anesthesia and the estimated occurrence rates of post-operative paralysis in Italian hospitals. ⋯ Most Italian anesthetists assess the recovery from neuromuscular blockade only by clinical signs. There is poor awareness about the inability of such techniques to indicate even a significant amount of residual neuromuscular block. A more extensive use of quantitative instrumental monitoring is required for the more rational use of NMBAs.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Mar 2010
Randomized Controlled TrialIntrathecal sufentanil decreases the median effective dose (ED50) of intrathecal hyperbaric ropivacaine for caesarean delivery.
The addition of opioid to local anaesthetics has become a well-accepted practice of spinal anaesthesia for caesarean delivery. Successful caesarean delivery anaesthesia has been reported with the use of a low dose of intrathecal hyperbaric ropivacaine coadministered with sufentanil. This prospective, double-blinded study determined the median effective dose (ED50) of intrathecal hyperbaric ropivacaine with and without sufentanil for caesarean delivery, to quantify the sparing effect of sufentanil on the ED50 of intrathecal hyperbaric ropivacaine. ⋯ Intrathecal sufentanil 5 microg produced a 28% reduction of ED50 of intrathecal hyperbaric ropivacaine for caesarean delivery.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Mar 2010
Comparative StudyEffects of xenon on ischemic spinal cord injury in rabbits: a comparison with propofol.
Xenon has been shown to reduce cellular injury after cerebral ischemia. However, the neuroprotective effects of xenon on ischemic spinal cord are unknown. The authors compared the effects of xenon and propofol on spinal cord injury following spinal cord ischemia in rabbits. ⋯ The results indicated that 70% of xenon has no additional neuroprotective effects on ischemic spinal cord injury in rabbits compared with propofol.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Mar 2010
Effects of surfactant replacement on alveolar overdistension and plasma cytokines in ventilator-induced lung injury.
Overdistension of the lung causes ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) accompanied by surfactant abnormalities and inflammatory changes. We investigated the effects of surfactant replacement on overdistension of the terminal airspaces and plasma cytokine levels in VILI. ⋯ In rats with VILI, surfactant replacement reversed overdistension of the terminal airspaces that may induce barotrauma, but not upregulation of MIP-2, IL-6, and IL-10 within 2 h.