Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Mar 2012
Venous flow dynamics during spinal block in normotensive and hypertensive elderly patients: a duplex ultrasonographic study.
Spinal block induces hyperkinetic change in lower extremity blood flow. We compared the venous flow dynamic responses to spinal block in normotensive and hypertensive elderly patients. ⋯ Blood pressure and flow dynamics in the popliteal vein showed similar changes during spinal anaesthesia in elderly patients taking antihypertensive medication and normotensive patients, despite differences in baseline values.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Mar 2012
Randomized Controlled TrialThe use of aortic occlusion balloon catheter without fluoroscopy for life-threatening post-partum haemorrhage.
This article describes the use of a balloon catheter introduced via the femoral artery into the abdominal aorta without the use of fluoroscopy to stabilize six patients with life-threatening post-partum haemorrhage. The femoral artery was localized blindly or with the use of ultrasound. ⋯ In these six cases, the procedures were carried out by interventional radiologists. However, this procedure can also be performed by anaesthesiologists or surgeons who are trained in vascular access techniques.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Mar 2012
Evaluation of sublingual microcirculatory blood flow in the critically ill.
The microcirculation regulates the supply of oxygen and nutrients to tissues. The sublingual region is frequently used as a window to microcirculation in critically ill patients. Numerous studies have reported impaired sublingual microcirculatory flow. We hypothesized that the quality of sidestream dark field imaging (SDF) recordings could be systematically analyzed to justify the monitoring of sublingual microcirculation in interventional studies or in clinical practice. ⋯ Our findings highlight the need of a comprehensive training period and reporting of data quality before findings with SDF imaging can be accepted as surrogate end points in interventional studies or as guidance in clinical practice.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Mar 2012
Comparative StudyThe severity of sevoflurane-induced malignant hyperthermia.
Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a potentially fatal complication of general anesthesia triggered by volatile anesthetics. In animal studies, sevoflurane has been reported to be a weak triggering agent. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical severity of sevoflurane-induced MH compared to isoflurane. ⋯ There were no clinically apparent differences between MH triggered by sevoflurane and isoflurane, and thus no evidence to support the postulate that sevoflurane is a weak or weaker MH triggering agent.