Der Anaesthesist
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Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is rare but beset with a high mortality rate. In recent years, however, a trend towards higher survival rates has been observed. High inspiratory oxygen concentrations, large tidal volumes, and high peak inspiratory airway pressures applied during mechanical ventilation have been identified as harmful to the lung and can contribute to the progression of ARDS. ⋯ Should these procedures fail to improve impaired gas exchange, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is an additional therapeutic option. None of these therapeutic procedures, however, has been tested against traditional standard treatment in a classical randomised controlled trial. The following review focuses on the latest insights into the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of ARDS.
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The current increase in the cost of health care must be considered as a severe threat to the prehospital emergency services system. Two examples have been selected--the patient with polytrauma and the patient in cardiac arrest--to demonstrate the dilemma between a need for objective data and the requirements of emergency patients. Study results obtained in trauma patients indicating that total prehospital time, including scene time, is correlated to patient outcome have led to the conclusion that at the scene treatment by emergency physicians may be dispensable. ⋯ Politicians require an improvement in the quality of the validation of emergency measures, although the instruments available for the investigation of these measures are known to be obsolete (experimental models, experimental design). Additionally, the financial support of research in emergency medicine suffers from being accourded low priority by public research funds such as the German Research Fund. However, in view of the rapid application of experimental results to daily practice it should be emphasized that patients also support research in emergency medicine via their direct financial contributions to the health insurance companies.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
[Sevoflurane or halothane in inhalational anesthesia induction in childhood. Anesthesia quality and fluoride level].
Due to its low blood:gas partition coefficient (0.69) and its neutral odor, sevoflurane (S) is suitable for inhalational induction of anaesthesia. At the moment halothane (H) is preferentially used for this purpose due to its non-irritating odor and the smoothness of anaesthetic action. However, experience is limited with the use of S in children, and concern exists about potential renal toxicity of its metabolite, i.e. fluoride. Therefore, we compared S and H in an open, randomized phase III trial. ⋯ Sevoflurane is an alternative to halothane in pediatric inhalational anaesthesia, with a comparable, low incidence of airway irritation and smoothness of induction. Because of the significantly faster induction and recovery it seems superior to halothane. With the fluoride levels measured, an impairment of renal function is unlikely.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
[Neuromuscular blockade after atracurium and alcuronium with propofol and thiopental].
Does propofol or thiopentone enhance the effect of nondepolarizing muscle relaxants? We evaluated the effects of propofol and thiopentone on the pharmacodynamics of atracurium and alcuronium in 43 surgical patients (ASA I and II) under general anaesthesia. ⋯ Propofol and thiopentone have no potentiating influence on the time course of action and the magnitude of relaxation with alcuronium and atracurium. Pharmacodynamics of nondepolarizing muscle relaxants do not seem to be influenced by these two hypnotics.
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Historical Article
[Artificial respiration with technical aids already 5000 years ago?].
Performed at the end of the mummification process, the "mouth-opening" ritual was a ceremony for the spiritual resurrection of the dead Pharaoh. The techniques used are astonishingly similar to modern emergency-room procedures. For example, the mouth-opening device was made of meteoric iron. ⋯ There are other signs of medically sound methods in the mouth-opening ritual. Symbolically, the mummy's teeth were extracted, the eyes opened with a special device, and gold capsules inserted, perhaps in the sense of a breathing tube. There is a possibility that this ritual contains a forgotten synopsis of knowledge gained empirically in connection with the Egyptian cult of royal resurrection.