British journal of anaesthesia
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Neuraxial blockade reduces the requirements for sedation and general anaesthesia. We investigated whether lidocaine spinal anaesthesia affected cortical activity as determined by EEG desynchronization that occurs following electrical stimulation of the midbrain reticular formation (MRF). ⋯ These results suggest that lidocaine spinal anaesthesia blocks ascending somatosensory transmission to mildly depress the excitability of reticulo-thalamo-cortical arousal mechanisms.
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Metallic tracheal stents have been used in the treatment of paediatric tracheomalacia for more than a decade. We describe a case in which critical airway obstruction occurred during removal of a welded tracheal stent using a rigid bronchoscope under general anaesthesia. Life-saving cardiopulmonary bypass was instituted urgently, and the welded stent was then removed successfully by directly opening the trachea.
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We report a case of awareness detected by the Alaris AEP Monitor, a device that measures anaesthesia by tracking changes of the waveform of the mid-latency auditory evoked potential.
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The motivation for this study was the current difficulty in estimating the total age-related MAC for a patient in a clinical setting. ⋯ The iso-MAC charts show clearly how patient age can be used to guide the choice of end-expired agent concentration. They also allow a consistent total MAC to be maintained when changing the inspired nitrous oxide concentration, thereby reducing the chance of inadvertent awareness, particularly at the extremes of age.