Anesthesiology
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Comparative Study
The threshold for thermoregulatory vasoconstriction during nitrous oxide/isoflurane anesthesia is lower in elderly than in young patients.
Thermoregulatory vasoconstriction minimizes further core hypothermia during anesthesia. Elderly patients become more hypothermic during surgery than do younger patients, and take longer to rewarm postoperatively. These data indicate that perianesthetic thermoregulatory responses may be especially impaired in the elderly. Accordingly, the authors tested the hypothesis that the thermoregulatory threshold for vasoconstriction during nitrous oxide/isoflurane anesthesia is reduced more in elderly than in young patients. ⋯ These data indicate that thermoregulatory responses in the elderly are initiated at temperatures approximately 1.2 degrees C less than that in younger patients. Thus, it is likely that elderly surgical patients become more hypothermic than do younger patients, at least in part, because they fail to trigger protective thermoregulatory responses.
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Comparative Study
Sympathetic hyperactivity during desflurane anesthesia in healthy volunteers. A comparison with isoflurane.
Desflurane has been reported to produce more tachycardia and hypertension on induction than isoflurane. The present study employed microneurography to determine whether these cardiovascular effects were related to sympathetic outflow. ⋯ Titration of desflurane following thiopental induction and increasing the concentration of desflurane from 1.0 to 1.5 MAC result in sympatho-excitation, hypertension and tachycardia in healthy, young volunteers. Until methods are determined to attenuate these responses, desflurane should be administered with great caution to patients who may be placed at risk by these responses.
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Sufentanil is an intravenous opioid often used as a component of anesthesia during neurosurgical procedures. However, the effects of sufentanil on intracranial pressure in patients with diminished intracranial compliance are not well established, and remain controversial. ⋯ The results of the current study indicate that caution should be exercised in the administration of sufentanil bolus to patients with abnormal intracranial elastance, particularly if ICP is significantly increased.
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Although computer-controlled infusion (CCI) of alfentanil has been shown to be effective intraoperatively, this technique has not been validated for postoperative use. Therefore, the authors examined the efficacy of this technique in providing postoperative pain relief. The study comprised both a validation of published pharmacokinetic data sets and the definition of the minimum effective analgesic concentrations after major orthopedic surgery. ⋯ Computer-controlled infusion of alfentanil provides adequate postoperative analgesia. The study demonstrated that pharmacokinetic data sets that are useful for intraoperative CCI of alfentanil are equally valid in the postoperative phase. Although required plasma concentrations of alfentanil are reasonably stable in time, interindividual variations are large, necessitating individual titration.
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Comparative Study
Comparative efficacy of antiarrhythmic agents in preventing halothane-epinephrine arrhythmias in rats.
Because the relative efficacy of antiarrhythmic agents on halothane-epinephrine arrhythmias has not been well characterized, this study was undertaken to comparatively evaluate the antiarrhythmic action of Na(+)-, K(+)- and Ca(2+)-channel blockers on epinephrine-induced ventricular arrhythmias during halothane anesthesia in rats. ⋯ It was concluded that agents with K(+)-channel blocking properties were the most effective in preventing halothane-epinephrine arrhythmias in rats.