Der Anaesthesist
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Review Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
[Medical therapy for coronary heart disease. Perioperative relevance].
The aim of our review is to summarize relevant data on the perioperative use of anti-ischaemic drugs in patients at risk for or with proven coronary heart disease. ⋯ Beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, nitrates, and possibly alpha 2-agonists lead to reduced rates of PMI and other cardiac complications in risk patients. Current anti-anginal medications, with the exception of anti-platelet agents, should be maintained to the day of surgery and continued as soon as possible thereafter. All of these drugs except anti-platelet agents may also be used intra-operatively, however, possible interactions with anaesthetic agents should be carefully considered.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
[Ketamine racemate versus S-(+)-ketamine with or without antagonism with physostigmine. A quantitative EEG study on volunteers].
The potency of S-(+)-ketamine is approximately double that of the racemic ketamine. This study was carried out to investigate the recovery of cerebral electrical function after a bolus of 1.3 mg/kg ketamine or 0.65 mg/kg S-(+)-ketamine and subsequent continuous application of 4 mg/kg h ketamine per h or 2 mg/kg S-(+)-ketamine, per h for 15 min. Furthermore, the centrally acting, cholinergic agonist physostigmine has been reported to antagonize ketamine and to shorten the recovery period. ⋯ The spectral edge frequency did not differ between measurement points, and is therefore not suitable for assessment of the depth of anaesthesia reached with ketamine/S-(+)-ketamine. The dose of physostigmine tested was probably too low to produce antagonism of S-(+)-ketamine. An increased dosage of physostigmine has yet to be studied, but is likely to cause a higher rate of side effects, such as nausea, vomiting and bradycardia, and possibly even tonic-clonic seizures.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
[The effect of different anesthetic procedures on hormone levels in women. Studies during an in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) program].
Different anaesthetic procedures that were used during an in vitro fertilisation and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) program have been analysed in order to determine their influence on plasma levels of estradiol, progesterone, prolactin, and beta-endorphin and results of IVF-ET. METHODS. Fifty-four patients awaiting transvaginal oocyte aspiration were randomised into three groups: (1) anaesthesia with ketamine as an induction agent and analgesic (n = 20); (2) general intubation anaesthesia using thiopentone for induction and enflurane for maintenance (n = 18); and (3) no anaesthesia (n = 16). ⋯ CONCLUSIONS. The increased prolactin and beta-endorphin plasma levels associated with ketamine and general anaesthesia reflect a significant alteration of the observed hormone levels. When anaesthesia is indicated, we try to avoid general intubation anaesthesia in favor of ketamine.
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The implementation of an experienced pre-hospital care emergency physician as an on the-scene medical command officer (MCO) within the emergency medical service (EMS) is an essential prerequisite to guarantee qualified medical supervision during mass-casuality incidents (MCI). The MCO has four basic functions. ⋯ Aside from extensive personal experience in pre-hospital care, the MCO needs special training to be qualified for this position. State EMS laws provide the legal basis for the MCO within the EMS system.
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Review
[Pharmacology and clinical results with peridural and intrathecal administration of ketamine].
The epidural and intrathecal administration of opioids has gained wide acceptance among anaesthesiologists during recent years. Ketamine, an anaesthetic agent with an unusual pharmacological profile, has also attracted some interest in this context, as in subanaesthetic doses it provides marked analgesia without inducing respiratory depression. Since the first publication on the epidural administration of ketamine in humans in 1982, various studies on the pharmacology, toxicology and clinical use of ketamine by the epidural and intrathecal routes have been published. ⋯ Unfortunately, all commercially available ketamine preparations contain disinfectant agents whose intrathecal administration is prohibited. Epidurally administered ketamine doses of 30 mg and more seem to provide adequate postoperative analgesia, while smaller doses might be effective in chronic pain syndromes. More studies investigating the neurotoxicity and clinical effects of ketamine on the spinal cord are needed before wider use of the substance by this route of administration can be recommended.