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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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.