Anesthesiology
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Upper Airway Collapsibility during Dexmedetomidine and Propofol Sedation in Healthy Volunteers: A Nonblinded Randomized Crossover Study.
Dexmedetomidine is a sedative promoted as having minimal impact on ventilatory drive or upper airway muscle activity. However, a trial recently demonstrated impaired ventilatory drive and induction of apneas in sedated volunteers. The present study measured upper airway collapsibility during dexmedetomidine sedation and related it to propofol. ⋯ These observations suggest that dexmedetomidine sedation does not inherently protect against upper airway obstruction.
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Nitrous oxide can induce neurotoxicity. The authors hypothesized that exposure to nitrous oxide impairs axonal regeneration and functional recovery after central nervous system injury. ⋯ These data indicate that nitrous oxide can impair the ability of central nervous system neurons to regenerate axons after sharp and blunt trauma.
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Functional capacity assessment is a core component of current perioperative cardiovascular evaluation and management guidelines for noncardiac surgery. The authors investigated the ability of standardized physical function questions to predict whether participants engaged in moderate physical activity as measured by hip accelerometers. ⋯ Standardized physical function questions are highly sensitive but poorly specific to identify patients who achieve moderate physical activity. Additional strategies to evaluate functional capacity should be considered.