Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jul 2012
Unintentional dural puncture with a Tuohy needle increases risk of chronic headache.
Neuraxial analgesia is chosen by almost half of women who give birth in the United States. Unintentional dural puncture is the most common complication of this pain management technique, occurring in 0.4% to 6% of parturients. Severe positional headaches develop acutely in 70% to 80% of these parturients. Acute postdural puncture headaches are well known, but few studies have investigated long-term sequelae. We investigated the incidence of and risk factors for chronic headache and chronic back pain in parturients who experienced unintentional dural puncture with a 17-gauge Tuohy needle compared with matched controls. ⋯ Patients who incur unintentional dural punctures with large-gauge needles are surprisingly likely to continue to suffer chronic headaches. Treatment with an epidural blood patch does not enhance the risk of chronic back pain. The pathophysiology underlying these symptoms and the best treatment for this syndrome are not known.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jul 2012
Isoflurane pretreatment preserves adenosine triphosphate-sensitive K(+) channel function in the human artery exposed to oxidative stress caused by high glucose levels.
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-sensitive K(+) channels contribute to significant regulatory mechanisms related to organ blood flow in both physiological and pathological conditions. High glucose impairs arterial ATP-sensitive K(+) channel activity via superoxide production. However, the effects of anesthetics on this pathological process have not been evaluated in humans. In the present study, we investigated whether pretreatment with the volatile anesthetic isoflurane preserves ATP-sensitive K(+) channel activity in the human artery exposed to oxidative stress caused by high glucose. ⋯ We have demonstrated for the first time a beneficial effect from the pretreatment with isoflurane on the isolated human artery. Pretreatment with isoflurane preserves ATP-sensitive K(+) channel activity in the human omental artery exposed to oxidative stress induced by high glucose, whereas the effect seems to be mediated by NADPH oxidase inhibition. Volatile anesthetics may protect human visceral arteries from malfunction caused by oxidative stress.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jul 2012
Effect of dexmedetomidine on brain edema and neurological outcomes in surgical brain injury in rats.
Surgical brain injury (SBI) is damage to functional brain tissue resulting from neurosurgical manipulations such as sharp dissection, electrocautery, retraction, and direct applied pressure. Brain edema is the major contributor to morbidity with inflammation, necrosis, oxidative stress, and apoptosis likely playing smaller roles. Effective therapies for SBI may improve neurological outcomes and postoperative morbidities associated with brain surgery. Previous studies show an adrenergic correlation to blood-brain barrier control. The α-2 receptor agonist dexmedetomidine (DEX) has been shown to improve neurological outcomes in stroke models. We hypothesized that DEX may reduce brain edema and improve neurological outcomes in a rat model of SBI. ⋯ DEX administration did not reduce brain edema or improve neurological function after SBI in this study. The statistical difference in brain water content and neurological scores when comparing sham treatment to vehicle and DEX treatments shows consistent reproduction of this model. Significant changes in MAP, HR, and blood glucose after DEX as compared to vehicle and sham treatments suggest appropriate delivery of drug.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jul 2012
Comparative StudyThe efficacy of morphine, pregabalin, gabapentin, and duloxetine on mechanical allodynia is different from that on neuroma pain in the rat neuropathic pain model.
It has been reported that <50% of neuropathic pain patients are satisfactorily treated with drugs. It is possible that this lack of efficacy of drugs on neuropathic pain might be due to the drugs prescribed, regardless of the origin of pain. We compared the efficacy of orally administered morphine, pregabalin, gabapentin, and duloxetine on mechanical allodynia with that on neuroma pain using the tibial neuroma transposition (TNT) model. ⋯ These data indicate that the potency of morphine and the efficacy of pregabalin, gabapentin, and duloxetine on mechanical allodynia are different from those on neuroma pain and that combination therapy is one of different therapeutic choices for the treatment of neuropathic pain.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jul 2012
Systemic inflammatory response does not correlate with acute lung injury associated with mechanical ventilation strategies in normal lungs.
Mechanical ventilation (MV) can lead to ventilator-induced lung injury secondary to trauma and associated increases in pulmonary inflammatory cytokines. There is controversy regarding the associated systemic inflammatory response. In this report, we demonstrate the effects of MV on systemic inflammation. ⋯ Systemic inflammatory markers did not correlate with lung injury associated with MV.