Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jun 2012
Quantification of serum fentanyl concentrations from umbilical cord blood during ex utero intrapartum therapy.
Fetal IM injection of fentanyl is frequently performed during ex utero intrapartum therapy (EXIT procedure). We quantified the concentration of fentanyl in umbilical vein blood. Thirteen samples from 13 subjects were analyzed. ⋯ The dose of fentanyl was 60 μg (45-65 μg). The time between IM administration of fentanyl and collection of the sample was 37 minutes (5-86 minutes). Fentanyl was detected in all of the samples, with a median serum concentration of 14.0 ng/mL (4.3-64.0 ng/mL).
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jun 2012
Case ReportsFocal cerebral ischemia after surgery in the "beach chair" position: the role of a congenital variation of circle of Willis anatomy.
A 50-year-old man underwent shoulder surgery in the beach chair position. His mean arterial blood pressure at arm level was approximately 65 mm Hg. ⋯ Radiologic evaluation revealed a congenital asymmetry of the circle of Willis that resulted in limited collateral flow to the left anterior and middle cerebral artery distributions. Similar anatomical variations are relatively common in the general population and may render some patients relatively and unpredictably more vulnerable to hypotension.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jun 2012
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyMultiple reservoirs contribute to intraoperative bacterial transmission.
Intraoperative stopcock contamination is a frequent event associated with increased patient mortality. In the current study we examined the relative contributions of anesthesia provider hands, the patient, and the patient environment to stopcock contamination. Our secondary aims were to identify risk factors for stopcock contamination and to examine the prior association of stopcock contamination with 30-day postoperative infection and mortality. Additional microbiological analyses were completed to determine the prevalence of bacterial pathogens within intraoperative bacterial reservoirs. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis was used to assess the contribution of reservoir bacterial pathogens to 30-day postoperative infections. ⋯ Bacterial contamination of patients, provider hands, and the environment contributes to stopcock transmission events, but the surrounding patient environment is the most likely source. Stopcock contamination is associated with increased patient mortality. Patient and provider bacterial reservoirs contribute to 30-day postoperative infections. Multimodal programs designed to target each of these reservoirs in parallel should be studied intensely as a comprehensive approach to reducing intraoperative bacterial transmission.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jun 2012
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyReduction in sodium content of local anesthetics for peripheral nerve blocks: a comparative evaluation of saline with 5% dextrose--a randomized controlled double-blind study.
Commercially available local anesthetic drugs when diluted with normal saline have high sodium content. High perineural sodium concentration has been implicated in antagonizing the analgesic effects of local anesthetics by preventing and/or delaying neural blockade. Five percent dextrose is not known to cause any short- or long-term injury when injected around neural tissue. In this study, we prospectively compared and evaluated block characteristics when local anesthetic drug was diluted with these 2 different agents. ⋯ Dilution with 5% dextrose provides earlier onset of axillary brachial plexus block with ropivacaine.