Anesthesiology
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Comparative Study
Spinal versus epidural anesthesia for cesarean section in severely preeclamptic patients: a retrospective survey.
Selection of spinal anesthesia for severely preeclamptic patients requiring cesarean section is controversial. Significant maternal hypotension is believed to be more likely with spinal compared with epidural anesthesia. The purpose of this study was to assess, in a large retrospective clinical series, the blood pressure effects of spinal and epidural anesthesia in severely preeclamptic patients requiring cesarean section. ⋯ Although we cannot exclude the possibility that the spinal and epidural anesthesia groups were dissimilar, the magnitudes of maternal blood pressure declines were similar after spinal or epidural anesthesia in this series of severely preeclamptic patients receiving cesarean section. Maternal and fetal outcomes also were similar.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Sevoflurane-induced reduction of hypoxic drive is sex-independent.
Although the mu-opioid agonist morphine affects ventilatory control in men and women in different ways, no data exist regarding the influence of sex on the ventilatory effects of inhalational anesthetics. The authors compared the effect of sevoflurane on the ventilatory response to isocapnic hypoxia in healthy young men and women. ⋯ In contrast to morphine, the influence of a low dose of the inhalational anesthetic sevoflurane on the ventilatory response to hypoxia is independent of sex.
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Determinants of myocardial blood flow distribution include metabolic, myogenic, endothelial, and neurohumoral control mechanisms. The authors studied the effect of sevoflurane and desflurane on the myogenic and endothelial mechanisms. ⋯ Sevoflurane maintains myogenic and endothelial determinants of myocardial blood flow distribution. Conversely, desflurane attenuates endothelium-dependent flow-induced dilation while mildly enhancing myogenic constriction.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Women emerge from general anesthesia with propofol/alfentanil/nitrous oxide faster than men.
Recovery from general anesthesia is governed by pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic factors. Gender has not previously been recognized as a factor influencing the time to emergence from general anesthesia. ⋯ Gender appears to be an important variable in recovery from general anesthesia. These findings may explain the increased reported incidence of awareness in women (three times more frequent) and support the need to include gender as a variable in pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies of anesthetic drugs.