British journal of anaesthesia
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Comparative Study
Effect of doxapram on the rate of recovery from atracurium and vecuronium neuromuscular block.
We have studied the effect of doxapram on the rates of spontaneous and neostigmine-induced recovery from neuromuscular block with atracurium and vecuronium, by measurement of the time to recovery of T1 (first twitch in the train-of-four) from 25 to 75% of control (recovery index, RI). After each neuromuscular blocking drug, RI was measured without administering either doxapram or neostigmine (control group), or after administration of doxapram 1 mg kg-1, neostigmine 50 micrograms kg-1 or a combination of doxapram and neostigmine, in groups of 10 patients. RI was significantly longer after vecuronium in the presence of doxapram compared with control (20.1 min vs 14.6 min). There was no significant difference in the RI after atracurium in the presence of doxapram compared with control (12.5 min vs 11.8 min) or when neostigmine was administered with or without doxapram (2.4 min vs 2.4 min, respectively after vecuronium; 3.3 min vs 2.9 min, respectively, after atracurium).
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We have examined in sheep the efficiency of the Hemopump during ventricular fibrillation. Circulatory arrest was induced by electrical stimulation and maintained for 30 min. ⋯ During fibrillation, the Hemopump sustained a mean arterial pressure of about 60 mm Hg with a blood flow rate of about 2.3 litre min-1. These perfusion conditions were sufficient for maintenance of aerobic myocardial metabolism, but with a borderline circulatory supply to the total organism.