Yonsei medical journal
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Yonsei medical journal · Dec 2005
Randomized Controlled TrialThe effect of pretreatment with thiopental on reducing pain induced by rocuronium injection.
We examined whether pretreatment with a small dose of thiopental was effective in reducing pain induced by the intravenous injection of rocuronium. Withdrawal movement was used to assess pain reduction. Ninety patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups: patients in the control group were pretreated with 2 mL saline, and those in the thiopental group were pretreated with 2 mL (50 mg) thiopental. ⋯ Withdrawal movement was assessed using a four-grade scale: no movement, movement limited to the wrist, to the elbow or to the shoulder. The frequency of withdrawal movement in the group pretreated with thiopental was lower than in the control group (34 vs. 13, p < 0.05). We concluded that pretreatment with 2 mL (50 mg) thiopental is effective in reducing pain caused by the intravenous injection of rocuronium.
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Yonsei medical journal · Dec 2005
Case ReportsA case of intolerance to warfarin dosing in an intermediate metabolizer of CYP2C9.
We report a case of intolerance to warfarin dosing due to impaired drug metabolism in a patient heterozygous for the CYP2C9*3 allele. A 30-year-old woman with an artificial cardiac pacemaker was taking warfarin to prevent thromboembolism. ⋯ Genotyping for CYP2C9 revealed that this patient was an intermediate metabolizer with genotype CYP2C9*1/*3. This case suggests the clinical usefulness of pharmacogenetic testing for individualized dosage adjustments of warfarin.
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Yonsei medical journal · Dec 2005
Case ReportsAbdominal epilepsy and foreign body in the abdomen--dilemma in diagnosis of abdominal pain.
There are many medical causes of abdominal pain; abdominal epilepsy is one of the rarer causes. It is a form of temporal lobe epilepsy presenting with abdominal aura. Temporal lobe epilepsy is often idiopathic, however it may be associated with mesial temporal lobe sclerosis, dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors and other benign tumors, arterio-venous malformations, gliomas, neuronal migration defects or gliotic damage as a result of encephalitis. ⋯ On evaluation she was found to have an intra-abdominal foreign body (needle). Nevertheless, the presence of this entity was insufficient to explain her episodes of unconsciousness. On detailed analysis of her medical history and after appropriate investigations, she was diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy which was treated with appropriate medications, and which resulted in her pain being relieved.
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Yonsei medical journal · Oct 2005
Case ReportsA case of Chromobacterium infection after car accident in Korea.
Chromobacterium violaceum is a gram negative straight rod, 0.8-1.2 by 2.5 to 6.0 m, which is motile by one polar flagella and one to four lateral flagella. The organism inhabits soil and water and is often found in semitropical and tropical climates. Infections in humans are rare. ⋯ He had an open wound in the left tibial area from which C. violaceum was isolated. The strain was resistant to ampicillin, tobramycin, ampicillin/sulbactam, ceftriaxone and cefepime, but was susceptible to amikacin, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and piperacillin/tazobactam. The patient was treated successfully by debridement, cephapirin sodium and astromicine sulfate.
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Yonsei medical journal · Oct 2005
The relationship of the anthropometric variables to the infusion rate of rocuronium in the elderly.
We have determined the infusion rates of rocuronium in the elderly and young adult patients during sevoflurane and nitrous oxide anesthesia. The correlation of some anthropometric predictors with infusion rate of rocuronium was also investigated for both elderly and young adult. Participating patients were assigned to one of two groups: 1) young adult patients aged 20 to 50 years (n = 30); 2) elderly patients aged over 65 years (n = 30). ⋯ The infusion rate in elderly patients was significantly less compared with that in young adult patients (p < 0.05). In elderly patients, no anthropometric predictor was related to the infusion rate of rocuronium. This suggests that the infusion rate of rocuronium for an elderly patient needs to be individualized by monitoring neuromuscular transmission to avoid excessive dose.