Anesthesia and analgesia
-
Anesthesia and analgesia · Sep 1997
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialEmergence of elderly patients from prolonged desflurane, isoflurane, or propofol anesthesia.
Recovery from prolonged anesthesia might be compromised in elderly patients. Desflurane (DES) may be particularly well suited to achieve a rapid postoperative recovery because of its low lipid solubility. Postoperative recovery was compared in 45 elderly patients randomized to receive either DES, isoflurane (ISO), or propofol (PRO) to maintain anesthesia. Anesthesia was induced with PRO, vecuronium, and fentanyl and maintained with N2O, fentanyl, and the study drug. Times from end of anesthesia to tracheal extubation, eye opening and hand squeezing on command, and ability to state name and date of birth were recorded. Sedation and psychometric evaluation were tested 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, and 24 h postoperatively. Results are given as means +/- SD. Differences among were analyzed by chi2 or analysis of variance. P < 0.05 compared with DES was considered significant. After a prolonged anesthesia (199 +/- 57 min with DES), immediate recovery times were significantly shorter with DES than with ISO or PRO (times to eye opening: 5.6 +/- 3.4 min, 11.5 +/- 8.4 min, and 11.9 +/- 7.6 min; times to extubation: 6.9 +/- 3 min, 13.1 +/- 8.9 min, 9.9 +/- 6.5 min for DES, ISO, and PRO, respectively). Intermediate recovery, as measured by psychometric testing, sedation levels, and time to discharge from the postanesthesia care unit, was similar in the three groups. In this study, DES provided a transient advantage compared with ISO or PRO with respect to early recovery after prolonged general anesthesia in elderly patients. ⋯ Recovery from prolonged anesthesia can sometimes be problematic in elderly patients. We evaluated 45 elderly patients who received either desflurane, isoflurane, or propofol for anesthesia. We found that desflurane provided a transient advantage in terms of postoperative recovery, but whether this difference is clinically important remains to be demonstrated.
-
Anesthesia and analgesia · Sep 1997
Comparative StudyThe effect of priming with vecuronium and rocuronium on young and elderly patients.
The priming principle consists of administering a subparalyzing dose of nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocking drug 3-6 min before giving a second dose for tracheal intubation. This study was performed to observe the effects of priming doses of vecuronium and rocuronium on pulmonary function tests and muscular weaknesses in young (25-35 yr of age) and elderly (65-73 yr of age) patients. Ten young and 10 elderly patients were each placed in vecuronium and rocuronium groups. Oxygen saturation and train-of-four (TOF) ratio were determined, and pulmonary function tests were performed. Then 20% of the 95% effective dose (ED95) of the muscle relaxants was given intravenously. All tests were performed again 4 min after vecuronium and 3 min after rocuronium. Other signs of muscular weaknesses were also recorded. Elderly patients showed more signs of muscle weakness in both groups. The TOF ratio was 0.77 and 0.79 in the elderly rocuronium and vecuronium groups, respectively, and 0.89 and 0.90 in the young rocuronium and vecuronium groups, respectively. Dynamic spirometry revealed decreases in forced expiratory volume in 1 s and forced vital capacity in both groups, and no significant changes in peak expiratory flow rate. The expiratory reserve volume was reduced more in the elderly groups. Oxygen saturation decreased in both groups. We conclude that oxygen saturation, pulmonary function, and muscle strength decrease more in the elderly than in their younger counterparts from priming doses of vecuronium or rocuronium. ⋯ The priming principle consists of giving a subparalyzing dose of muscle relaxant 3-6 min before giving a second dose for tracheal intubation. We found that priming doses of vecuronium and rocuronium produced greater decreases in oxygen saturation and pulmonary function in the elderly (aged 65-73 yr) than their younger (aged 25-35 yr) counterparts. Priming may not be a safe approach in elderly patients.
-
Anesthesia and analgesia · Sep 1997
The effect of GP683, an adenosine kinase inhibitor, on the desflurane anesthetic requirement in dogs.
The availability of an analgesic compound devoid of the side effects associated with the commonly used opioid and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs would be useful during the perioperative period. Although adenosine has analgesic and anesthetic-sparing properties, it also produces dose-dependent cardiovascular depression. Inhibitors of adenosine kinase may be able to provide analgesia without producing acute cardiovascular or respiratory depression. This preliminary study investigated the effects of a novel adenosine kinase-inhibiting drug, GP683, on the minimum alveolar anesthetic concentration (MAC) of desflurane in dogs. Seven mongrel dogs were administered one of three different GP683 dose regimens (or the solvent) by intravenous infusion on separate occasions according to a cross-over study design. After determining the baseline desflurane MAC value, GP683 was infused at 75, 150, or 300 microg x kg(-1) x min(-1) for 5 min as a loading dose, followed by 15, 30, or 60 microg x kg(-1) x min(-1) for an additional 85 min to maintain a stable plasma drug level. The desflurane MAC was redetermined 30-90 min after starting the study drug or vehicle infusion, and 30-90 min and 120-180 min after termination of the infusion. Cardiovascular variables and plasma concentrations of GP683 were determined at specific intervals before, during, and after the MAC determinations. The three GP683 dose regimens produced 22%, 31%, and 50% decreases in the desflurane MAC, respectively. In addition, there was good correlation between the decrease in desflurane MAC and the plasma GP683 concentration (r = -0.78). Although the mean arterial pressure (MAP) was decreased up to 25% by the highest infusion rate of GP683, adjustments in the desflurane concentration to an equi-MAC value resulted in normalization of the MAP values. Furthermore, GP683 produced no changes in heart rate. In conclusion, the adenosine kinase-inhibiting drug, GP683, produced dose-dependent decreases in the desflurane MAC of dogs without producing untoward hemodynamic changes. ⋯ An investigational drug (GP683) that can increase the levels of an important endogenous substance in the body (adenosine) has been found to decrease the anesthetic requirement in dogs without producing adverse effects on the cardiovascular system.
-
Anesthesia and analgesia · Sep 1997
Comparative StudyThe effects of sevoflurane on recovery of brain energy metabolism after cerebral ischemia in the rat: a comparison with isoflurane and halothane.
Isoflurane is an appropriate anesthetic for neuroanesthesia. We evaluated whether the effect of sevoflurane is similar to that of isoflurane or halothane on brain energy metabolism after cerebral ischemia followed by reperfusion using 31P-magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Wistar rats (n = 21) were divided into three groups: isoflurane-, sevoflurane-, or halothane-treated. After anesthesia induction and surgical preparation, each anesthetic concentration was adjusted to 1 minimum alveolar anesthetic concentration. Cerebral ischemia was induced with bilateral carotid occlusion and reduction of mean arterial blood pressure to 30-40 mm Hg by blood withdrawal. Magnetic resonance measurements were performed during ischemia and for 120 min of reperfusion. Intracellular pH in the isoflurane-treated, sevoflurane-treated, and halothane-treated groups decreased to 6.180 +/- 0.149, 6.125 +/- 0.134, and 6.027 +/- 0.157, respectively, at the end of ischemia. There were no differences in the change of phosphorous compounds and intracellular pH between the isoflurane-treated and the sevoflurane-treated groups during ischemia and reperfusion. However, in the halothane-treated group, we observed a significant delay in the recovery of adenosine triphosphate and intracellular pH (0.038 +/- 0.013 pH unit/min compared with 0.064 +/- 0.011 in the isoflurane-treated group and 0.058 +/- 0.008 in the sevoflurane-treated group) until 24 min of reperfusion (P < 0.05). We conclude that sevoflurane has effects similar to isoflurane on brain energy metabolism during and after cerebral ischemia. ⋯ It is important to know whether anesthetics adversely effect brain metabolism during ischemia and reperfusion. A new anesthetic, sevoflurane, affected the brain in a manner similar to isoflurane, which has been used for many years as an anesthetic.