Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica
-
Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · May 2012
Prolonged attenuation of acetylcholine-induced phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 following sevoflurane exposure.
Volatile anaesthetics are known to affect cholinergic receptors. Perturbation of cholinergic signalling can cause cognitive deficits. In this study, we wanted to evaluate acetylcholine-induced intracellular signalling following sevoflurane exposure. ⋯ Sevoflurane exposure has differential effects on different intracellular signalling pathways. On one hand, we observed a prolonged attenuation of acetylcholine-induced ERK 1/2 phosphorylation that persisted even when sevoflurane concentrations close to detection level. On the other hand, basal AKT phosphorylation was increased twofold during sevoflurane exposure, with a rapid return to baseline levels after exposure. We speculate that the effects on acetylcholine-induced intracellular signalling observed in our in vitro model could be of relevance also for cholinergic signalling in vivo following sevoflurane exposure.
-
Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · May 2012
A clinical assessment tool for ultrasound-guided axillary brachial plexus block.
Competency in anesthesia traditionally has been determined subjectively in practice. Optimal training in procedural skills requires valid and reliable forms of assessment. The objective was to examine a procedure-specific clinical assessment tool for ultrasound-guided axillary brachial plexus block for inter-rater reliability and construct validity in a clinical setting. ⋯ The objective of task-specific checklist and global rating scale are reliable and valid measures of axillary block performance between different levels of expertise.
-
Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · May 2012
What mothers know, and want to know, about the complications of general anaesthesia.
Informed consent should be sought when performing anaesthesia on pregnant patients. There is no standard for consent for general anaesthesia on the delivery suite. This study was designed to assess post-partum women's awareness of the complications of general anaesthesia and the level of risk at which they felt these risks should be discussed. ⋯ Anaesthetists must be flexible when providing information to mothers about general anaesthesia and should provide more information to mothers if they wish it.