Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Aug 2004
Volatile anesthetics and succinylcholine in cardiac ryanodine receptor defects.
Familial polymorphic (catecholaminergic) ventricular tachycardia is an arrhythmogenic cardiac disorder caused by mutations of the myocardial isoform of the ryanodine receptor gene (RyR2). Mutations of the corresponding gene in the skeletal muscle (RyR1) predispose its carriers to malignant hyperthermia upon use of volatile anesthetics or succinylcholine, which further deteriorate the inherited intracellular calcium release disorder. We report a series of patients with cardiac RyR defects who underwent general anesthesia without complications. Succinylcholine and volatile anesthetics did not have a clinically significant effect on RyR2 defects.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Aug 2004
Case ReportsDiagnosis and treatment of intracardiac thrombosis during orthotopic liver transplantation.
Intracardiac thrombus formation during orthotopic liver transplantation can be a catastrophic event leading to death. Most often this devastating complication occurs after reperfusion and may be related to massive blood transfusion, marginal liver grafts, tendencies towards hypercoagulability, or the potential role of antifibrinolytics. We report a case of an intracardiac thrombus occurring during the hepatectomy stage (stage I) of orthotopic liver transplantation. Transesophageal echocardiography was used to quickly diagnose the thrombus, allowing rapid pharmacological intervention and later guide surgical evacuation of the intracardiac thrombus via the inferior vena cava.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Aug 2004
Clinical TrialThe delay of gastric emptying induced by remifentanil is not influenced by posture.
Posture has an effect on gastric emptying. In this study, we investigated whether posture influences the delay in gastric emptying induced by opioid analgesics. Ten healthy male subjects underwent 4 gastric emptying studies with the acetaminophen method. ⋯ L(-1); P < 0.0001), but there was no significant difference in time taken to reach the maximal concentration (25 versus 47 min). Compared with the control situation, remifentanil delayed gastric emptying in both postures. We conclude that remifentanil delays gastric emptying and that this delay is not influenced by posture.
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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.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Aug 2004
Case ReportsSeizures after a Bier block with clonidine and lidocaine.
A 47-yr-old man with history of complex regional pain syndrome type 1 underwent an IV Bier block with a mixture of lidocaine and clonidine. The tourniquet was deflated after 60 min, and approximately 10 min later he presented with complex partial seizures. The possible mechanisms for this are discussed, and the effects of clonidine, lidocaine, and the mixture of both are reviewed, as are four additional published cases reporting seizures after the administration of clonidine.