Anesthesiology
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Efficacy of continuous insufflation of oxygen combined with active cardiac compression-decompression during out-of-hospital cardiorespiratory arrest.
During experimental cardiac arrest, continuous insufflation of air or oxygen (CIO) through microcannulas inserted into the inner wall of a modified intubation tube and generating a permanent positive intrathoracic pressure, combined with external cardiac massage, has previously been shown to be as effective as intermittent positive pressure ventilation (IPPV). ⋯ Continuous insufflation of air or oxygen alone through a multichannel open tube was as effective as IPPV during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. A significantly greater elimination of carbon dioxide and a better level of oxygenation in the group previously treated with CIO probably reflected better lung mechanics.
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Multiport epidural catheters are popular; however, the reliability of the air test has not been evaluated with this catheter design. The authors determined the effectiveness of aspirating for blood and the air test in detecting intravascular multiorifice epidural catheters. ⋯ The authors obtained false-negative results with both catheter aspiration and the air test. Fractionating the local anesthetic dose is important when using multiorifice epidural catheters.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Port-access minimally invasive cardiac surgery increases surgical complexity, increases operating room time, and facilitates early postoperative hospital discharge.
Proposed advantages of port-access cardiac surgery have yet to be substantiated. The authors retrospectively compared patients undergoing port-access cardiac surgery with a matched group undergoing conventional cardiac surgery. ⋯ This retrospective analysis revealed that port-access cardiac surgery increases surgical complexity, increases operating room time, has no effect on earlier postoperative extubation or decreased incidence of atrial fibrillation or intensive care unit time, and may facilitate postoperative hospital discharge (primarily in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting). Properly designed prospective investigation is necessary to ascertain whether port-access cardiac surgery truly offers any benefits over conventional cardiac surgery.
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Clinical Trial
Pain relief in complex regional pain syndrome due to spinal cord stimulation does not depend on vasodilation.
Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is known to relieve pain in patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and, in general, to cause vasodilation. The vasodilatory effect of SCS is hypothesized to be secondary to inhibition of sympathetically mediated vasoconstriction, or through antidromic impulses resulting in release of vasoactive substances. The aim of the present study was to assess whether pain relief in CRPS after SCS is, in fact, dependent on vasodilation. In addition, we tried to determine which of the potential mechanisms may cause the vasodilatory effect that is generally found after SCS. ⋯ The current study failed to show that SCS influences skin microcirculation in patients with CRPS and a low sympathetic tone. Therefore, we may conclude that pain relief in CRPS due to SCS is possible without vasodilation. Because sympathetic activity was greatly decreased in our patients, these results support the hypothesis that the vasodilation that is normally found with SCS is due to an inhibitory effect on sympathetically maintained vasoconstriction.