Masui. The Japanese journal of anesthesiology
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Curare was clinically used in a patient with acute appendicitis by Griffith and Johnson in January 1942. From the day on, the development of new muscle relaxants went on in the world. ⋯ At present, pancuronium, vecuronium and rocuronium are routinely used in the world. In the future, we expect development of new muscle relaxants with rapid onset, intermediate duration of action, rapid recovery and without side effects.
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Neuromuscular blocking agents are used to facilitate tracheal intubation and surgical procedure in ambulatory anesthesia. However, the ideal neuromuscular blocking agents for ambulatory anesthesia are not yet available. The only depolarizing neuromuscular blocking agent, suxamethonium, is still widely used by its rapid onset and short duration of action producing excellent intubating conditions, in spite of its numerous adverse effects. ⋯ The use of neostigmine for reversal and the measurement of the TOF ratio during recovery are recommended after intermediate-acting neuromuscular blocking agents. Some studies have shown that tracheal intubation without neuromuscular agents may be associated with postoperative hoarseness and vocal cord injuries. Sugammadex will resolve many issues in using nondepolarizing neuromuscular agents in ambulatory anesthesia.
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In the intensive care unit (ICU), neuromuscular blocking agent (NMBA) is occasionally used with sedatives and/or analgesics, for the management of mechanically-ventilated critically ill patients. For its application in ICU, close attention should be paid on the side effects unlikely seen during operation because the basal conditions of ICU patients are more serious and its infusion period is likely to be long. There have been reports of the prolonged weakness after the long term use of NMBA. ⋯ Strategy should be focused on its prevention. For example, routine monitoring with peripheral nerve stimulation and titration to the minimum dose of requirement, are relevant and effective. The application of NMBA in ICU is reviewed and rocuronium recently placed on market is within the scope of this article.
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The Macintosh laryngoscope has been a gold standard for endotracheal intubation over 60 years. However, even with optimum technique used, the glottis can not be seen in 1-3% of the cases with Macintosh blade resulting in difficult intubation. ⋯ Recently, supported by advancement of optical technology, many intubation devices combined with endoscope, fiber optics or video system have become commercially available. These devices can visualize the vocal cord to facilitate intubation These new video/endoscopy assisted airway devices are introduced in this review.
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Theoretically, sciatic nerve block can be used alone or in combination with lumbar plexus block or femoral nerve block for anesthesia and/or analgesia of lower limb surgery. However, clinical use of sciatic nerve block was limited by technical difficulties in performing the block since techniques used relies only on surface anatomical landmarks. ⋯ In this article we describe the anatomy of the sciatic nerve, sonographic features, and technique of three major approaches including subgluteal, anterior, and popliteal approaches. The use of this technique for postoperative analgesia is also discussed.