Hiroshima journal of medical sciences
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Hiroshima J. Med. Sci. · Dec 2003
Positive end-expiratory pressure depressed cardiovascular autonomic nervous system activity in acute brain damaged rabbits under general anesthesia.
Artificial ventilation with positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) is commonly applied for brain damaged patients. However, the effect of the ventilation on brain function, including cardiovascular autonomic nervous system (CANS) activity, is not well elucidated. In order to investigate the effect of 5 cmH2O PEEP on CANS activity in brain damaged rabbits under general anesthesia, we produced acute brain damage by intracranial balloon inflation. ⋯ After inflation with incremental volume of the balloon, log (HF) and log (LF) in group P were lower than in group Z in HRV analysis, and log (LF) in group P was lower than in group Z in SAPV analysis. Microsphere counting revealed that brain blood flow was reduced during the progression of brain damage and showed a significant difference after application of PEEP between the groups. We concluded that 5 cmH2O PEEP depressed CANS activity during the progression of brain damage in rabbits and that this was partly due to aggravated brain function induced by PEEP.
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Hiroshima J. Med. Sci. · Sep 2003
Trans-vertebral regional cooling for spinal cord protection during thoracoabdominal aortic surgery: an experimental study.
We developed a simple cooling method for spinal cord protection against ischemic injury during aortic surgery. The neuroprotective effects of our method were investigated using an animal study. Selective spinal hypothermia was produced by means of originally-designed cooling pads placed over the lower thoracic and lumbar vertebral column. ⋯ Histopathologic study revealed that ischemic injury of the lumbar cord was reduced in the animals undergoing hypothermia. Trans-vertebral regional cooling reduced ischemic spinal cord injury in a canine study. The current method is potentially feasible for clinical use, especially in view of its technical simplicity and few procedure-related complications.
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Hiroshima J. Med. Sci. · Jun 2003
Distance from the skin to the epidural space at the first lumbar interspace in a Japanese obstetric population.
We prospectively examined the distance from the skin to the epidural space (SE distance) in 95 Japanese parturient women who underwent epidural anesthesia at the L1-2 interspace, and studied the correlation between various physical factors and SE distance. The same anesthesiologist inserted the epidural tubing with the patient in the right lateral decubitus position. An epidural needle was introduced into the skin vertically via the midline approach. ⋯ The correlation of body weight with SE distance was the highest of the physical factors (r2 = 0.800, p = 0.0001), and a simple regression equation was formulated to aid in predicting SE distance: "SE distance (cm) = 0.05 x body weight (kg) + 0.36". This formula will be a useful clinical guide for administering epidural anesthesia in Japanese parturient women. In conclusion, the SE distance in most Japanese parturient women is between 3 and 4 cm at the L1-2 interspace and this value is most closely correlated with their body weight.
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Hiroshima J. Med. Sci. · Dec 2002
Use of the laryngeal mask airway in combination with regional anesthesia facilitates induction and emergence from general anesthesia in patients undergoing colorectal surgery.
The laryngeal mask airway (LMA) is selected as an alternative to the endotracheal tube (ETT) when rapid recovery from general anesthesia is considered. However, the clinical significance of this airway for abdominal surgery is unclear. Thus, we evaluated whether the LMA, in combination with regional anesthesia, facilitates the induction of and emergence from general anesthesia in patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery. ⋯ Intervals from the end of surgery until the removal of the airway or the decision to exit the operating room in the LMA/CSEA group were shorter than those in the ETT/EA group. No practical sign of aspiration pneumonia and/or atelectasis was found in patients in either group. Under the circumstance of regional anesthesia being requested for post-surgical pain management, we concluded that the LMA facilitated the emergence from as well as the induction of anesthesia without any practical complication when used for patients in colorectal surgery.
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Hiroshima J. Med. Sci. · Jun 2002
Comparative StudyComparative study of noninvasive cerebrovascular monitoring methods in cardiac surgery.
Unfavorable incidents during cardiac operations due to inadequate cerebral perfusion can be avoided by the utilization of noninvasive blood flow monitoring methods. The purpose of this study was to evaluate monitoring systems for cebrovascular perfusion. We compared currently available blood flow monitoring devices including transcranial Doppler (TCD), central retinal artery color Doppler (CRAD) and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). ⋯ The CRAD-Vmax was significantly lower in Group 2 (5.2+/-2.4 cm/s versus 3.0+/-0.4 cm/s, p<0.001). However, there was no significant difference in the TCD-Vmax between these two groups. Thus, CRAD may be superior to TCD in detecting insufficiency of cerebral blood flow correlating to rSO2, and could be used as the first choice monitoring system of cerebral blood flow during cardiac surgery.