Anesthesiology
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Hypotension due to vasodilatation after spinal anesthesia (SA) may be harmful. Heart rate variability, an indirect measure of autonomic control, may predict hypotension. ⋯ Heart rate variability analysis before SA may predict hypotension after SA with high sensitivity and specificity. LF/HF may be a tool to detect patients at high risk of hypotension due to SA. This indicates that the predictive value of LF/HF is superior to established predictors.
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The study aimed to determine predictive factors for postcesarean pain and analgesia using an assessment of pain threshold and suprathreshold thermal stimuli as well as degree of somatization and anxiety. ⋯ The authors' results suggest a meaningful combination of preoperative patient responses from physical and psychological tests yields a valid multifactorial predictive model for postoperative pain and analgesic requirement with significant improvements over individual predictive variables.
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On the basis of electroencephalographic analysis, several parameters have been proposed as a measure of the hypnotic component of anesthesia. All currently available indices have different time lags to react to a change in the level of anesthesia. The aim of this study was to determine the latency of three frequently used indices: the Cerebral State Index (Danmeter, Odense, Denmark), the Bispectral Index (Aspect Medical Systems Inc., Newton, MA), and the Narcotrend Index (MonitorTechnik, Bad Bramstedt, Germany). ⋯ The time delays of the tested indices may limit their value in prevention of recall of intraoperative events. Furthermore, different latencies for decreasing and increasing values may indicate a limitation of these monitors for pharmacodynamic studies.
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To support safe and effective use of propofol in nonventilated children after major surgery, a model for propofol pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics is described. ⋯ Propofol clearance is two times higher in nonventilated healthy children than reported in the literature for ventilated children and adults. Based on the model, the authors advise a propofol dose of 30 mg/h in a 10-kg infant to achieve values of 12-14 on the COMFORT-Behavior scale and 70-75 on the Bispectral Index during the night. Wide pharmacodynamic variability emphasizes the importance of dose titration.
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Noxious information through A delta and C afferent fibers is transmitted to substantia gelatinosa, a process that plays an important role in plastic changes of nociceptive processing in pathophysiological conditions. In this study, changes in properties of substantia gelatinosa neurons and their sensitivity to systemic administration of lidocaine after surgical incision were investigated using the in vivo patch-clamp technique. ⋯ The results suggest that (1) changes in properties of substantia gelatinosa neurons after incision vary depending on the classification of substantia gelatinosa neurons and (2) systemic administration of lidocaine can reverse increased responsiveness of substantia gelatinosa neurons after incision injury.