British journal of anaesthesia
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Influence of the lumbar interspace chosen for injection on the spread of hyperbaric 0.5% bupivacaine.
Forty patients undergoing elective Caesarean section were allocated randomly to receive hyperbaric 0.5% bupivacaine 2.5 ml at either the L2-3 (n = 20) or L4-5 (n = 20) interspace. Spinal injection was performed with a 29-gauge needle in 38 patients and a 25-gauge needle in two. ⋯ One case of post-dural puncture headache was recorded after use of a 29-gauge needle. Overall, the choice of lumbar interspace influenced the rate of onset of analgesia, but not the final dermatomal level (mean and range) of analgesia achieved.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Reversal of benzodiazepine sedation with the antagonist flumazenil.
The effectiveness of the benzodiazepine antagonist, flumazenil, was evaluated in a randomized double-blind clinical study in which diazepam 0.2 mg kg-1 or midazolam 0.1 mg kg-1 was used for i.v. sedation. We studied 120 day-case patients undergoing gastroscopy and treated with either flumazenil 0.1-2 mg or placebo after the procedure. Psychometric assessment of four aspects of recovery over a 3-h period showed that flumazenil attenuated the sedative effects of the benzodiazepines, but did not antagonize the sedation completely. ⋯ Flumazenil did not attenuate the subjective experience of sedation as measured by visual analogue scales. These results indicate that sedation is multidimensional, differentially affecting the hierarchy of cognitive functions. In day-cases, antagonism of benzodiazepine sedation with flumazenil would not hasten the safe discharge of patients.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Effect of ketanserin on intraoperative blood loss during total hip arthroplasty in elderly patients under general anaesthesia.
We have studied the effect of ketanserin, a selective serotonin S2-receptor antagonist, on surgical bleeding in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study in elderly patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty. One group of patients (n = 9) received ketanserin 10 mg i.v. followed by an infusion of 0.075 mg kg-1 h-1. The second group (n = 8) received placebo. ⋯ In the ketanserin group, mean arterial pressures tended to be less than in the placebo group. Reductions in central venous pressure were similar in both groups. There were no complications in relation to the use of ketanserin.