British journal of anaesthesia
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Twenty-three children (aged between 9 weeks and 11 yr) were given paracetamol suppositories 25 mg kg-1 every 6 h (maximum 5 days) after major surgery and serum and saliva concentrations were measured. There was a good correlation (r = 0.91, P < 0.05) between saliva and serum concentrations. A one-compartment linear model with first-order elimination and absorption and lag-time was fitted to the data (ADAPT II). ⋯ Mean (SD) time to reach 90% of the steady state concentration was 11.4 (8.6) h. Body weight, age and body surface area were well correlated (P < 0.05) with clearance and apparent volume of distribution. There was no evidence of accumulation leading to supratherapeutic concentrations during this dosing schedule for a mean of approximately 2-3 days.
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The cuffed pharyngeal tube (CPT) is a hand-made device designed to maintain upper airway patency during anaesthesia. Two cases of difficult intubation managed successfully using the new device are described. Insertion was easily achieved at the first attempt in each case. The incisor-tip distance of the CPT is 14 cm and the cuff is inflated with 60 ml of air in an average adult.
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We investigated the significance of pre-emptive analgesia using a well-known model of neuropathic pain in rats. Lignocaine, bupivacaine or saline was applied locally to the left L5-L6 spinal nerve before or 4 days after nerve injury. ⋯ However, this effect lasted only 24 h. Our study in rats questions the beneficial effect of a single dose of local anaesthetic as pre-emptive analgesia.