Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Mar 2009
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyRelative analgesic potencies of levobupivacaine and ropivacaine for caudal anesthesia in children.
Comparing relative potency of new local anesthetics, such as levobupivacaine and ropivacaine, by the minimum local analgesic concentration model has not been described for caudal anesthesia. Therefore, we performed a prospective, randomized, double-blind study to determine the minimum local analgesic concentrations of a caudal single shot of ropivacaine and levobupivacaine in children and to describe the upper dose-response curve. ⋯ In children receiving one minimum alveolar anesthetic concentration of sevoflurane, there were no significant differences in the ED(50) for caudal levobupivacaine and ropivacaine. The potency ratio at ED(50) was 0.92 and 0.89 at ED(95), indicating that caudal levobupivacaine and ropivacaine have a similar potency.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Mar 2009
ReviewNoninvasive cardiac output measurement in heart failure subjects on circulatory support.
Pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) thermodilution is commonly used in the perioperative cardiac surgical intensive care unit for measurement and management of central hemodynamics despite questions about effectiveness, difficulty of use, and safety. USCOM is a noninvasive continuous wave Doppler device for direct measurement of cardiac output (CO) and is an alternative to PAC. USCOM validation has predominantly been in the cardiac surgical intensive care unit against PAC, despite the recognized limitations in reliability of the method. We compared USCOM CO measurements with the CardioWest, an orthotopic total artificial heart (TAH), in heart failure (HF) subjects during controlled interventions. ⋯ USCOM is a feasible and accurate method for noninvasive measurement and monitoring of CO in TAH HF patients and may have a wider application in diagnosis and management of cardiovascular disease.
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Heart disease is the primary cause of nonobstetric mortality in pregnancy, occurring in 1%-3% of pregnancies and accounting for 10%-15% of maternal deaths. Congenital heart disease has become more prevalent in women of childbearing age, representing an increasing percentage (up to 75%) of heart disease in pregnancy. Untreated maternal heart disease also places the fetus at risk. ⋯ Nonetheless, acceptable maternal and fetal perioperative mortality rates may be achieved through such measures as early preoperative detection of maternal cardiovascular decompensation, use of fetal monitoring, delivery of a viable fetus before the operation and scheduling surgery on an elective basis during the second trimester. Additionally, fetal morbidity may be reduced during cardiopulmonary bypass by optimizing maternal oxygen-carrying capacity and uterine blood flow. Current maternal bypass recommendations include: 1) maintaining the pump flow rate >2.5 L x min(-1) x m(-2) and perfusion pressure >70 mm Hg; 2) maintaining the hematocrit > 28%; 3) using normothermic perfusion when feasible; 4) using pulsatile flow; and 5) using alpha-stat pH management.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Mar 2009
Meta AnalysisMethemoglobinemia related to local anesthetics: a summary of 242 episodes.
The purpose of this article is to summarize all episodes of local anesthetic-related methemoglobinemia found in the medical literature. ⋯ Benzocaine should no longer be used. Prilocaine should not be used in children younger than 6-mo-old, in pregnant women, or in patients taking other oxidizing drugs. The dose should be limited to 2.5 mg/kg.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Mar 2009
Randomized Controlled TrialThe analgesic effect of a metered-dose 8% lidocaine pump spray in posttraumatic peripheral neuropathy: a pilot study.
A topical lidocaine patch is effective in the treatment of posttraumatic peripheral neuropathy (PTPN), but it is not suited for breakthrough pain because of difficulty with an additional application. Here, we examined the effect of 8% lidocaine pump spray (Xylocaine pump spray, XPS) on peripheral neuropathic pain caused by surgery or injury. ⋯ The present study suggests that XPS provides a significant improvement in PTPN due to its prompt analgesia, lack of systemic side effects and convenience.