Anesthesia and analgesia
-
Anesthesia and analgesia · Dec 1996
Detection of intraoperative segmental wall-motion abnormalities by transesophageal echocardiography: the incremental value of additional cross sections in the transverse and longitudinal planes.
Because biplane and multiplane transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) are more complex and expensive than single-plane TEE, we performed this study to determine whether the use of multiple single-plane (transverse) cross sections is as reliable for detection of left ventricular segmental wall-motion abnormalities (SWMA) as biplane TEE. We used biplane TEE to acquire nine standard cross sections of the left ventricle in 41 consecutive adults undergoing cardiac or vascular surgery. Six of these cross sections were in the transverse plane (i.e., achievable with single-plane TEE) and three in the longitudinal plane (i.e., achievable only with biplane or multiplane TEE). ⋯ Seventeen percent of all SWMA detected in this study were in the midpapillary transverse-plane cross section, an additional 48% in other transverse-plane cross sections, and 35% exclusively in the longitudinal-plane cross sections. Thus, most (65%), but not all, SWMA were in cross sections achievable with single-plane TEE. We conclude that the MP-T cross section should be the foundation for assessment of segmental function, but additional cross sections in the transverse and longitudinal planes are required for detection of the majority of segmental wall-motion abnormalities.
-
Anesthesia and analgesia · Dec 1996
ReviewCurrent understanding of patients' attitudes toward and preparation for anesthesia: a review.
A number of issues relating to patient education in anesthesia have been addressed in this review and, based upon the available data, some questions can be answered clearly. It is apparent both that a large minority of the American, British, and Australian public is under the misconception that anesthesiologists are not physicians and that the role of the anesthesiologist, both in and out of the operating room, is not fully understood. Many surgical patients, particularly younger ones, have fears about the anesthetic that are distinct from their fears about the surgery, the most common of them relating to waking up prematurely or not at all. ⋯ Advances in surgical diagnosis and treatment and critical care have depended upon the development of anesthesia as a specialty. Our ability to continue to develop may depend upon our success in educating the public, politicians, and other health care professionals about what we do. The evaluation of educational methods for disseminating information about anesthesia thus may be important in determining the very future of our specialty and the quality of surgical and pain therapy that patients will receive.
-
Anesthesia and analgesia · Dec 1996
Comparative StudyThe effects of long-term prone positioning in patients with trauma-induced adult respiratory distress syndrome.
Prone positioning improves gas exchange in some patients with adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), but the effects of repeated, long-term prone positioning (20 h duration) have never been evaluated systemically. We therefore investigated 20 patients with ARDS after multiple trauma (Injury Severity Score [ISS] 27.3 +/- 10, ARDS score 2.84 +/- 0.42). Patients who fulfilled the entry criteria (bilateral diffuse infiltrates, severe hypoxemia, pulmonary artery occlusion pressure [PAOP] < 18 mm Hg, and PaO2/fraction of inspired oxygen [FIO2] < 200 mm Hg at inverse ratio ventilation with positive end-expiratory pressure [PEEP] > 8 mm Hg for more than 24 h) were turned to the prone position at noon and were turned back to the supine position at 8:00 AM on the next day. ⋯ Short periods in the supine position were necessary to allow for nursing care, medical evaluation, and interventions such as placement of central lines. No position-dependent changes of systemic hemodynamic variables were observed. We conclude that, in trauma patients with ARDS undergoing long-term positioning treatment, lung function improves significantly during prone position compared to short phases of conventional supine position during which the beneficial effects are partly lost.
-
Anesthesia and analgesia · Dec 1996
Comparative StudyPreoperative anxiety and fear: a comparison of assessments by patients and anesthesia and surgery residents.
We sought to compare self-assessment of preoperative anxiety levels and selection of worst fears by surgical patients with the assessments made by the anesthesia and surgery residents providing intraoperative care for those patients. One hundred inpatients at a Veterans Affairs hospital (Group 1) and 45 patients at a University hospital (Group 2) were asked to complete a brief questionnaire; the residents were asked to complete the same questionnaire. Group 1 results showed that median patient visual analog scale (VAS) scores were lower for anxiety about anesthesia compared to surgery (16 vs 22, P < or = 0.05). ⋯ The fear chosen with the greatest frequency by Group 2 patients was "pain after the operation". Sixty percent of anesthesia residents matched their patients' fear choice (P < or = 0.001). This study indicates a variable ability of anesthesia and surgery residents to predict patient anxiety and fear which may be due, in part, to difficulty in understanding a Veterans Affairs hospital patient population.
-
Anesthesia and analgesia · Dec 1996
Biphasic drug absorption from the epidural space of the dog may limit the utility of a slow release medium molecular weight hyaluronic acid-lidocaine ionic complex formulation.
Previous epidural studies conducted in rabbits have described a viscous lidocaine-hyaluronate formulation (L-HA) that prolonged the duration of sensory blockade twofold and decreased the rate of drug absorption fourfold relative to a solution formulation. As further evaluation of the L-HA formulation required studies in a larger animal that more closely reflected the characteristic absorption kinetics observed in humans, a conscious dog model was used to functionally and kinetically evaluate the viscous formulation relative to lidocaine solution. In terms of the measured pharmacodynamic end point (loss of weight-bearing ability in hind legs), epidural administration of the L-HA formulation did not prolong the duration of action relative to lidocaine solution in spite of a markedly altered pharmacokinetic profile. ⋯ The L-HA formulation markedly altered the absorption kinetics such that a single, slow absorption phase was evident (apparent t1/2 of 56 min), although this rate was more rapid than the slow phase observed after lidocaine solution. It is possible that the inability of the hyaluronate-based formulation to further reduce the magnitude of the slow absorption phase resulted in the failure to prolong the duration of action. These data highlight the need to carefully consider the absorption kinetics and pharmacokinetic characteristics of the animal models chosen to evaluate new formulation of epidurally administered local anesthetics.