Anaesthesia
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Dose-response and time-course of the effect of rocuronium bromide during sevoflurane anaesthesia.
To evaluate the influence of sevoflurane on the dose-response relationship and on the time-course of the effect of rocuronium, 60 adult patients undergoing elective plastic surgery were randomly allocated to either the control or the sevoflurane group. Anaesthesia was maintained with 60% nitrous oxide in oxygen and thiopentone in the control group and with 60% nitrous oxide in oxygen and an end-tidal concentration of 1.75% sevoflurane in the sevoflurane group. Neuromuscular function was assessed mechanomyographically with train-of-four stimulation at the wrist every 12s and the percentage depression of the first twitch of the train-of-four was used as the study parameter. ⋯ The effective doses of rocuronium required to produce 50%, 90% and 95% twitch depression in the sevoflurane group were decreased by 30.5%, 26.7% and 25.2%, respectively, compared to the control group. Following the administration of a total dose of rocuronium of 400 micrograms.kg-1, the duration of action of, and the recovery from, rocuronium were both significantly prolonged by sevoflurane. There were significant differences in the duration of peak effect, clinical duration, recovery index and the total duration of action between the control and the sevoflurane groups.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Pain on injection of propofol. A comparison of cold propofol with propofol premixed with lignocaine.
Propofol is frequently associated with pain on injection. Previous studies have suggested that chilling of the propofol decreases pain significantly. This prospective, randomised, double-blind trial was designed to assess the effectiveness of cold propofol compared with propofol premixed with lignocaine in minimising pain on injection. ⋯ The results of this study show that cold propofol is associated with a very high incidence of injection pain while lignocaine 0.1 mg.kg-1 premixed with propofol significantly decreases the incidence of pain (p < 0.001). Increasing the dosage of lignocaine above 0.1 mg.kg-1, however, does not significantly decrease the incidence of pain further. The addition of lignocaine also significantly decreases the incidence of excitatory side-effects.
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We studied the influence of the timing of injection of bupivacaine into the vas deferens on the intensity and duration of scrotal pain following vasectomy. Forty-two patients undergoing vasectomy under general anaesthesia were randomly allocated to have the operation performed on either the left or the right side first. On the first side to be operated upon, 5 ml bupivacaine 0.5% was infiltrated along the line of the scrotal incision. ⋯ Median [interquartile range] visual analogue pain scores on the first side to be operated upon were significantly lower than on the second side on day 1 (7 [1.5-19] vs. 11 [2.5-47]) (p < 0.01) and day 7 (0 [0-8.5] vs. 0 [0-18.8]) (p < 0.05) postoperatively. The median [interquartile range] duration of postoperative discomfort was less on the first side operated upon than on the second (3 [1-7] vs. 6 [2-7]) (p < 0.01). Although statistically significant differences occurred between the treatment groups, the actual differences were small and may not be clinically significant.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Airway auscultation. A new method of confirming tracheal intubation.
Unrecognised accidental oesophageal intubation remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality in anaesthetic practice. We have evaluated a new method of distinguishing tracheal from oesophageal intubation using a simple adaptation of an ordinary stethoscope which is inserted into the patient end of the breathing system. We call this technique 'airway auscultation'. ⋯ In contrast, when the tube is in the oesophagus either squeaks or a flatus-like noise is heard or else there is no sound. In 100 healthy adults two observers rapidly identified 99 intubations correctly in a randomised single-blind trial. We recommend further widespread evaluation of this device as it appears to be an effective, simple and rapid method of detecting oesophageal intubation and confirming tracheal intubation which may be of particular use in situations where capnography is not available.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Interaction of vecuronium and atracurium during halothane anaesthesia in children.
The combination of vecuronium and atracurium was studied in 60 children of ASA physical status 1 or 2. In part I, the dose-response relationships were determined in 30 children who were randomly assigned to receive a single bolus of 0.02, 0.025 or 0.03 mg kg-1 of vecuronium or 0.075, 0.01 or 0.0125 mg.kg-1 of atracurium. The evoked electromyogram of the adductor pollicis brevis muscle to train-of-four stimulation was monitored. ⋯ We conclude that the dose-response relationships of vecuronium and atracurium in children undergoing halothane anaesthesia are not parallel and the neuromuscular effects of vecuronium and atracurium are neither additive nor synergistic. While vecuronium has a shorter duration of action than atracurium, this feature is not apparent when it is combined with atracurium in equipotent doses. Recovery is rapid and not prolonged when these two drugs are combined.