Anaesthesia
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
A randomised, controlled trial of rectus sheath bupivacaine and intrathecal bupivacaine, without or with intrathecal morphine, vs. intrathecal bupivacaine and morphine after caesarean section.
We recruited 144 women of whom 131 underwent scheduled caesarean section and were allocated to intrathecal bupivacaine without (46) or with (47) morphine and postoperative rectus sheath bupivacaine; or intrathecal bupivacaine with morphine and postoperative rectus sheath saline (38). We measured postoperative pain with a 10-point numeric rating scale. ⋯ The equivalent values for pain at rest were 160.8 (64.7), 85.8 (79.4) and 82.8 (74.3), respectively, p < 0.001. There was no difference between women who had intrathecal morphine with or without rectus sheath bupivacaine, p = 0.98.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Comparison of reversal with neostigmine of low-dose rocuronium vs. reversal with sugammadex of high-dose rocuronium for a short procedure.
Some short procedures require deep neuromuscular blockade, which needs to be reversed at the end of the procedure. Forty-four patients undergoing elective laryngeal micro-surgery were randomly allocated into two groups: rocuronium 0.45 mg.kg-1 with neostigmine (50 μg.kg-1 with glycopyrrolate 10 μg.kg-1 ) reversal (moderate block group) vs. rocuronium 0.90 mg.kg-1 with sugammadex (4 mg.kg-1 ) reversal (deep block group). ⋯ No difference was found in the incidence of postoperative sore throat. In laryngeal micro-surgery, the use of rocuronium 0.9 mg.kg-1 with sugammadex for reversal was associated with better surgical conditions and a shorter recovery time than rocuronium 0.45 mg.kg-1 with neostigmine.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
The effect of pre-operative methylprednisolone on early endothelial damage after total knee arthroplasty: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
We wished to evaluate whether inhibition of the systemic inflammatory response by a single pre-operative dose of methylprednisolone reduced markers of early endothelial damage after fast-track total knee arthroplasty. We randomly allocated 70 patients undergoing elective unilateral total knee arthroplasty (1:1) to receive either pre-operative intravenous methylprednisolone 125 mg (methylprednisolone group) or isotonic saline (control group). All procedures were performed under spinal anaesthesia without a tourniquet, using a standardised multimodal analgesic regime. ⋯ Finally, methylprednisolone reduced the C-reactive protein response 24 h postoperatively; 31.1 (1.1) mg.l-1 vs. 68.4 (1.1) mg.l-1 , p < 0.001. Pre-operative administration of methylprednisolone 125 mg reduced circulating markers of endothelial activation and damage, as well as the systemic inflammatory response (C-reactive protein) early after fast-track total knee arthroplasty. These findings may have a positive effect on surgical outcome, but require studies in major surgery.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Performance of the Minto model for the target-controlled infusion of remifentanil during cardiopulmonary bypass.
We studied the predictive performance of the Minto pharmacokinetic model during cardiopulmonary bypass in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Patients received remifentanil target-controlled infusion using the Minto model during total intravenous anaesthesia with propofol. From 56 patients, 275 arterial blood samples were drawn before, during and after bypass to determine the plasma concentration of remifentanil, and the predicted concentrations were recorded at each time. ⋯ Both were 148.4% during hypothermic circulatory arrest and measured concentrations were more than three times greater than predicted (26.9 (17.0) vs. 7.1 (1.6) ng.ml-1 ). The Minto model showed considerable bias but overall acceptable precision during bypass. The target concentration of remifentanil should be reduced when using the Minto model during hypothermic circulatory arrest.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
A randomised trial comparing real-time double-lumen endobronchial tube placement with the Disposcope(®) with conventional blind placement.
Double-lumen endobronchial tube placement is challenging. This study compared double-lumen tube placement with the Disposcope® , a wireless videostylet allowing real-time visualisation, with conventional blind placement. Patients undergoing elective thoracic surgery with normal airways requiring one-lung ventilation were randomly allocated into two groups (27 patients in each group). ⋯ In the Disposcope-assisted group, the double-lumen tube was inserted in the correct side in all patients (100.0%), whereas in the conventional group, the double-lumen tube was placed in the correct side in 25 (92.6%) patients and in the wrong side in 2 (7.4%) patients; the difference was not significant (p = 0.150). In the Disposcope-assisted group, the double-lumen tube was inserted to the optimal depth in 24 (88.9%) patients, whereas in the conventional group it was inserted to the optimal depth in one (4.0%) patient. The Disposcope increased the success rate of double-lumen tube placement, and shortened the total operation time when compared with standard placement with confirmation using fibreoptic bronchoscopy, and may replace the conventional method.