British journal of anaesthesia
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Unconscious learning during surgery with propofol anaesthesia.
Learning during anaesthesia has been demonstrated, but little is known about the circumstances under which it may occur. This study investigated the hypothesis that learning during anaesthesia occurs during, but not before, surgical stimulation. ⋯ Learning during anaesthesia seems more likely to occur during rather than before surgical stimulation at comparable anaesthetic depth. We hypothesize that surgical stimulation facilitates learning during anaesthesia, independently of its effects on anaesthetic depth.
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Ilio-inguinal nerve block is commonly used in children to provide analgesia after surgery in the groin. Several case reports and clinical studies have described leg weakness after this technique and suggest that it may caused by inadvertent femoral nerve block. No prospective studies describing the incidence of this complication have been published. ⋯ Leg weakness consistent with a femoral nerve block occurs after ilio-inguinal nerve block in approximately one in nine children.
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Some of the cellular targets affected by volatile anaesthetics (e.g. halothane) which contribute to the negative inotropic effects of these agents are also affected during the progression of diabetic cardiomyopathy. A previous report suggested that halothane inhibited contraction to a lesser extent in papillary muscle from diabetic animals and so the aim of this study was to investigate possible mechanisms underlying this effect. ⋯ In contrast to a previous report, we could find no evidence of amelioration of the negative inotropic effect of halothane in myocytes from the STZ-induced diabetic rat. Contractility, the cytosolic Ca(2+) transient, SR Ca(2+) content and myofilament Ca(2+) sensitivity were qualitatively similar in control and STZ myocytes and were all depressed to the same extent by halothane.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Comparison of articaine and bupivacaine/lidocaine for sub-Tenon's anaesthesia in cataract extraction.
Articaine is the most widely used local anaesthetic for dental anaesthesia in Germany, Italy and The Netherlands and has recently been introduced and licensed for dental use in the UK. We have previously shown articaine to be superior to a standard mixture of bupivacaine 0.5%/lidocaine 2% for peribulbar anaesthesia. Sub-Tenon's anaesthesia arguably provides a safer method of anaesthetic delivery for cataract surgery. A blunt cannula is used in this technique, thus greatly reducing the risk of globe perforation, intrathecal injection and sight-threatening periocular haemorrhage. ⋯ Articaine 2% is safe and effective for sub-Tenon's anaesthesia and is a suitable alternative to the traditional bupivacaine 0.5%/lidocaine 2% mixture.