Anesthesiology
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Beta-adrenergic blockade accelerates conversion of postoperative supraventricular tachyarrhythmias.
Postoperative supraventricular tachyarrhythmia is a common complication of surgery. Because chemical cardioversion is often ineffective, ventricular rate control remains a principal goal of therapy. The authors hypothesized that patients with supraventricular tachyarrhythmia after major noncardiac surgery who receive intravenous beta-adrenergic blockade for ventricular rate control would experience conversion to sinus rhythm at a rate that differs from those receiving intravenous calcium channel blockade. ⋯ Among adenosine-resistant patients in the intensive care unit with atrial fibrillation after noncardiac surgery, intravenous esmolol produced a more rapid (2-h) conversion to sinus rhythm than did intravenous diltiazem.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Effects of mild perioperative hypothermia on cellular immune responses.
Unintentional perioperative hypothermia is a common complication of anesthesia and surgery associated with adverse effects on several systems, including impaired wound healing and more frequent wound infections. Mild hypothermia affects various immune functions. In the current study, the authors sought to determine whether immune alterations in the perioperative period might be induced, at least in part, by impaired thermoregulation during this period. ⋯ Mild perioperative hypothermia suppressed mitogen-induced activation of lymphocytes and reduced the production of certain cytokines, IL-1beta and IL-2, and in this way may contribute to the immune alterations observed in the perioperative period.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Intraoperative awareness in fast-track cardiac anesthesia.
Fast-track cardiac anesthesia, using low-dose narcotics combined with short-acting anesthetic and sedative agents, facilitates early tracheal extubation after cardiac surgery. The incidence of awareness with this anesthetic technique has not been investigated previously. The purpose of this study was to prospectively investigate the incidence of intraoperative awareness with explicit memory of events during fast-track cardiac anesthesia. ⋯ The authors report an incidence of awareness in fast-track cardiac anesthesia of 0.3%. This is the lowest incidence of awareness currently reported during cardiac surgery. This low incidence of awareness may be related to the use of a balanced anesthetic technique involving the continuous administration of volatile (isoflurane) or intravenous (propofol) anesthetic agents before, during, and after cardiopulmonary bypass.
-
Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Does norepinephrine modify the effects of inhaled nitric oxide in septic patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome?
Hypoxia-related pulmonary vasoconstriction enhanced by norepinephrine could be deleterious in patients with the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and sepsis. A prospective study compared the effects of nitric oxide on cardiorespiratory parameters, including the evaluation of right ventricular function in patients with ARDS and sepsis who were receiving or not receiving norepinephrine. ⋯ Norepinephrine did not influence the beneficial effects of inhaled nitric oxide administered to patients with ARDS and sepsis on oxygenation.
-
Clinical interest in xenon has been rekindled recently by new recycling systems that have decreased its relative cost. The cardiovascular effects of xenon were examined in isoflurane-anesthetized dogs before and after the development of rapid left ventricular (LV) pacing-induced cardiomyopathy. ⋯ The results indicate that xenon produces minimal cardiovascular actions in the presence of isoflurane in dogs with and without experimental dilated cardiomyopathy.