Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Aug 2002
Comparative Study Clinical TrialPerioperative gastric emptying is not a predictor of early postoperative nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
It is not known whether patients with postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) have delayed gastric emptying compared with patients without PONV. We compared the perioperative rate of gastric emptying in patients experiencing PONV with the rate in those without PONV immediately after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Gastric emptying was studied by the acetaminophen method. Acetaminophen is not absorbed from the stomach but is rapidly absorbed from the small intestine, and the rate of gastric emptying therefore determines the rate of absorption of acetaminophen administered into the stomach. Forty patients (ASA physical status I and II) were included in the study. After the induction of anesthesia, a gastric tube was positioned in the stomach and 1.5 g of acetaminophen dissolved in 200 mL of water was administered. Venous blood samples for the determination of serum acetaminophen concentrations were taken before and at 15-min intervals during a period of 180 min after the administration of acetaminophen. Twenty-six patients experienced nausea during the first 4 h postoperatively. The other 14 patients had no nausea. There were no statistically significant differences in the maximal acetaminophen concentration, the time taken to reach the maximal concentration, or the area under the serum acetaminophen concentration time curves from 0 to 60, 0-120, and 0-180 min between the groups of patients with or without PONV. We did not find any relationship between postoperative gastric emptying and PONV, and therefore gastric emptying is not a predictor of PONV. ⋯ The incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting is frequent after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. This study has shown that perioperative gastric emptying is not a predictor of early postoperative nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Aug 2002
Case ReportsAn unusual case of pulmonary artery catheter malfunction.
Sudden loss of thermodilution or temperature-monitoring capabilities of an indwelling pulmonary artery catheter may indicate significant damage to the catheter, possibly leading to electrical hazard and infection risk. Blood appearing at the electrical connection port confirms the diagnosis. The catheter, if easily removed, should be replaced as soon as possible.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Aug 2002
Comparative Study Clinical TrialIncreasing mean arterial blood pressure has no effect on jugular venous oxygen saturation in insulin-dependent patients during tepid cardiopulmonary bypass.
Preexisting diabetes mellitus is one of the major factors related to adverse postoperative neurological disorders after cardiac surgery. In previous reports, we found that diabetic patients more often experienced cerebral desaturation than nondiabetic patients during normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of increasing mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) by the administration of phenylephrine on internal jugular venous oxygen hemoglobin saturation (SjvO2) during tepid CPB in diabetic patients. We studied 20 diabetic patients scheduled for elective coronary artery bypass graft surgery and, as a control, 20 age-matched nondiabetic patients. After the induction of anesthesia, a fiberoptic oximetry catheter was inserted into the right jugular bulb to monitor SjvO2. After measuring the baseline partial pressure of the arterial and jugular venous blood gases and cardiovascular hemodynamic values, MAP was increased by the repeated administration of a 10-microg bolus of phenylephrine until it reached 100% of baseline values. There was a significant difference in SjvO2 value between the Diabetic and CONTROL GROUPs after the administration of phenylephrine (Diabetic group, 56% +/- 6%; ⋯ We examined the effects of increasing mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) by the administration of phenylephrine on internal jugular venous oxygen saturation (SjvO2) during tepid cardiopulmonary bypass in diabetic patients and found that increasing MAP had no effect on the SjvO2 value in insulin-dependent patients.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Aug 2002
Clinical TrialImpairment of hepatosplanchnic oxygenation and increase of serum hyaluronate during normothermic and mild hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass.
Hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells (SECs) are more vulnerable to hypoxia or hypothermia than hepatocytes. To test the hypothesis that hepatic venous desaturation during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) leads to impairment of SEC function, we studied the plasma kinetics of endogenous hyaluronate (HA), a sensitive indicator of SEC function, and hepatosplanchnic oxygenation during and after CPB. Twenty-five consecutive patients scheduled for elective coronary artery bypass graft surgery, who underwent normothermic (>35 degrees C; n = 15) or mild hypothermic (32 degrees C; n = 10) CPB participated in this study. A hepatic venous catheter was inserted into each patient to monitor hepatosplanchnic oxygenation and serum levels of HA concentration. Hepatic venous oxygen saturation decreased essentially to a similar degree during normothermic and mild hypothermic CPB. Hepatosplanchnic oxygen consumption and extraction increased during normothermic (P < 0.05), but not mild hypothermic, CPB. Both arterial and hepatic venous HA concentrations showed threefold increases during and after CPB in both groups. A positive correlation was found between hepatosplanchnic oxygen consumption and arterial HA concentrations during CPB, suggesting a role of changes in hepatosplanchnic oxygen metabolism in the mechanisms of increases in serum HA concentrations. The failure of the liver to increase HA extraction to a great degree suggests that a functional impairment of the SEC may contribute to the observed increase of serum HA. ⋯ Hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells (SECs) are pivotal in the regulation of sinusoidal blood flow. This study showed that SEC function might be impaired during and after cardiopulmonary bypass, irrespective of the temperature management.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Aug 2002
Clinical TrialThoracic epidural catheter placement via the caudal approach in infants by using electrocardiographic guidance.
We examined the success of inserting epidural catheters via the caudal route in infants by using electrocardiographic guidance. A case series of 20 patients with thoracic epidural analgesia was studied. After the induction of general anesthesia, an 18-gauge IV catheter was inserted into the caudal space to allow threading of a 20-gauge epidural catheter. The electrocardiogram (ECG) tracings via the epidural catheter, as well as the surface ECG at the target spine level, were recorded simultaneously with a modified two-channel five-lead ECG system. The epidural catheter was advanced from the caudal space until the tip reached the target level as demonstrated by a match in the configuration of the epidural ECG tracing to that of the surface ECG tracing at the target level. The catheter tip location was verified by postoperative radiographs. All catheter tips were located within two vertebrae of the target level, and satisfactory intraoperative epidural anesthesia was achieved in all subjects. ⋯ Epidural electrocardiography may be used to guide the positioning of the thoracic epidural catheter tip via the caudal approach to the appropriate dermatome for optimum analgesia.