Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Aug 2004
Emergency tracheal intubation: complications associated with repeated laryngoscopic attempts.
Repeated conventional tracheal intubation attempts may contribute to patient morbidity. Critically-ill patients (n = 2833) suffering from cardiovascular, pulmonary, metabolic, neurologic, or trauma-related deterioration were entered into an emergency intubation quality improvement database. ⋯ Although predictable, this analysis provides data that confirm the number of laryngoscopic attempts is associated with the incidence of airway and hemodynamic adverse events. These data support the recommendation of the ASA Task Force on the Management of the Difficult Airway to limit laryngoscopic attempts to three in lieu of the considerable patient injury that may occur.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Aug 2004
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialDoes halothane really preserve cardiac baroreflex better than sevoflurane? A noninvasive study of spontaneous baroreflex in children anesthetized with sevoflurane versus halothane.
Heart rate profiles during the induction of anesthesia differ markedly between the administration of sevoflurane and halothane. Previous investigations have shown that halothane preserves cardiac parasympathetic activity more than sevoflurane. Because vagal drive to the sinus node is the main effector of arterial baroreflex control of heart rate, halothane may preserve cardiac baroreflex better than sevoflurane. ⋯ Similarly, the cross-spectral analysis between systolic blood pressure and RRI showed a decrease of the gain calculated in the low-frequency band, but the gain in the respiratory band was higher with halothane compared with sevoflurane. In children, the induction of anesthesia with halothane and sevoflurane is associated with a marked decrease of cardiac baroreflex activity. The persistence of respiratory RRI fluctuations under halothane might reflect reflex respiratory arrhythmia rather than efficient parasympathetic baroreflex activity.
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The incidence of difficult endotracheal intubation (DEI) for patients undergoing thyroidectomy has rarely been studied, and evaluation of factors linked to DEI is limited to a few studies. We undertook this prospective study to investigate the incidence of DEI in the presence of goiter (an enlargement of the thyroid gland) and to evaluate factors linked to DEI. We studied 320 consecutive patients scheduled for thyroidectomy. ⋯ With multivariate analysis, two criteria were recognized as independent for DEI (Cormack Grade III or IV and cancerous goiter). We conclude that the large goiter is not associated with a more frequent DEI. However, the presence of a cancerous goiter is a major factor for predicting DEI.