Cahiers d'anesthésiologie
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Epidural opioids for caesarean section are routinely used by many anaesthesists. Combined epidural injection of a local anaesthetic and an opioid provides a more rapid onset of profound analgesia. No side effects are observed in either the mother or the neonate with epidural "microdoses" of sufentanil or fentanyl, but the postoperative analgesia is of short duration. ⋯ Good postoperative analgesia can be obtained with intrathecal morphine or patient-controlled analgesia. Using other techniques depends on care and surveillance facilities. Opiates by spinal or intravenous route are not dangerous for breast-fed newborns.
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Isolated lower limb injuries are very common; difficulties for emergency anaesthesia may come from full stomach and drug interferences. The outcome of geriatric-fractured hip is influenced neither by a preoperative delay shorter than 48 hours, nor by the choice of anaesthetic technique; Nevertheless the use of acrylic cement is associated with an increased early mortality rate in hemiarthroplasties. ⋯ Spinal anaesthesia using 0.5% plain bupivacaine produces a block quickly achieved, not influenced by posture, allowing surgical installation and procedures. Postoperative analgesia using local anaesthetics may obscure symptoms of compartment syndrome which occasionally complicate tibial and femoral nailing.
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Combined spinal epidural (CSE) analgesia for labour is usually performed with sufentanil (or fentanyl) which provides powerful and fast onset pain relief (< or = 5 min). Dose reduction of sufentanil from 10 to 5 micrograms may be recommended and has little influence on the 1.5-2 hours of analgesia usually obtained. This mean duration of action may be prolonged by half an hour with the addition of a low dose of bupivacaine (< or = 2.5 mg). ⋯ Major improvement will be to prolong the excellent pain relief provided by intrathecal analgesia throughout the whole labour. This will require prolonging substantially the intrathecal analgesia duration and/ or influencing positively the epidural analgesia used afterwards. However, women prefer CSE technique to standard epidurals because of faster onset, less motor block, and feelings of greater self-control.
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Cahiers d'anesthésiologie · Jan 1996
Case Reports[Anesthetic problems of epidermolysis bullosa dystrophica. Apropos of a case].
Epidermolysis bullosa is a group of hereditary diseases of the skin that may also involve mucous membranes, particularly of the oropharynx and oesophagus. The common primary feature is the formation of blisters following even trivial trauma. During the management of anaesthesia, it is critical that trauma to the skin and mucous membranes be avoided or minimized in these patients. We report the case of a 3-year-old child who had two surgeries and discuss the anaesthetic implications of this disease.
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The use of intraparenchymatous ICP sensor is becoming increasingly popular at the expense of the traditional intraventricular catheter method, in spite of the impossibility, with the former technic, to correct a possible zero drift. The decision to initiate or discontinue ICP monitoring is essentially based upon whether suggestive aspects of raised ICP are or not present on CT-scan. The degree of basal cisterns effacement is particularly informative. ⋯ Preceding the rise of ICP, there exists a compensation phase during which a progressive decrease of intracranial compliance is the important event. Even more earlier, posttraumatic cellular metabolic dysfunctions are to-day objectives for a neurochemical monitoring. Therefore a special technical and human environment has became mandatory to take a real benefit from ICP monitoring.