Articles: general-anesthesia.
-
The basic objectives of any anesthetic are to provide the patient with safe analgesia and amnesia and to provide the surgeon with adequate conditions to perform the surgical procedure. This article discusses the different routes through which these objectives may be met.
-
Anasthesiol Intensivmed Notfallmed Schmerzther · Apr 1993
Review[Indications for the use of human albumin in anesthesia and intensive care medicine].
The plasmatic albumin concentration (3.5-4.5 g/dl) represents about 60% of the total plasma protein. Only 25-40% of whole albumin belongs to the intravascular pool, the majority is distributed in the interstitial space especially of the skin. Main physiological effects of plasmatic albumin are the control of the plasmatic volume by preservation of the colloid oncotic pressure (COP) and the plasmatic transport including the binding of drugs. ⋯ For prevention of interstitial pulmonary oedema, a COP of 15-20 mmHg should be achieved. Up to now, no clinical study verified a positive effect of albumin substitution regarding outcome or incidence of complications in intensive-care patients. Thus, an albumin therapy to maintain a COP of 15-20 mmHg in intensive-care patients is only recommended if a capillary leak is unlikely and the dose limits of synthetic colloids are attained.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
-
Laparoscopic surgery minimises postoperative morbidity. Patient benefits include reduction in postoperative pain, better cosmetic result and quicker return to normal activities. Hospital stay is shortened resulting in a reduction in overall medical cost. ⋯ An appraisal of the potential problems is essential for optimal anaesthetic care of patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery. Appropriate anaesthetic techniques and monitoring facilitate surgery and allow early detection and reduction of complications. The need for rapid recovery and short hospital stay impose additional demands on the anaesthetist for skillful practice.
-
Minimal invasive, or more specifically laparoscopic surgery is now the standard procedure in an increasing number of surgical specialties. Inflating the abdomen with CO2 for long periods confronts the anesthesiologist with a number of problems that influence the choice of anesthetic and the monitoring deemed necessary. The increased intraabdominal pressure (IAP) and for some operations the extreme Trendelenburg position can disturb alveolar ventilation and compromise oxygenation. ⋯ Balanced anesthesia or total intravenous anesthesia is to be preferred, and the drugs employed should have rapid elimination kinetics with a short recovery time, since wound closure time is drastically reduced. Inhalational anesthesia alone may inhibit hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction thereby unduly increasing oxygen desaturation. The necessary degree of muscle relaxation still remains to be defined.
-
Review Case Reports
[Definitive transient monocular blindness caused by ocular compression during general anesthesia].
We present a case of irreversible monocular blindness caused by obstruction of the central retinal artery detected in a young patient without any previous history, when waking up from a surgical procedure performed under general anesthesia. Clinical and complementary investigations were not conclusive. ⋯ The fact that the patient was simultaneously submitted to a controlled low blood pressure may have worsened the effects of the compression. Reviewing the medical literature on the subject reveals that, although rare, such accidents do occur; they must be prevented by a constant surveillance when performing surgical procedures.