Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · May 2017
ReviewDrug Infusion Systems: Technologies, Performance, and Pitfalls.
This review aims to broadly describe drug infusion technologies and raise subtle but important issues arising from infusion therapy that can potentially lead to patient instability and morbidity. Advantages and disadvantages of gravity-dependent drug infusion are described and compared with electromechanical approaches for precise control of medication infusion, including large-volume peristaltic and syringe pumps. This review discusses how drugs and inert carriers interact within infusion systems and outlines several complexities and potential sources of drug error. ⋯ All of these potential sources for adverse events relating to the infusion system dead volume illustrate the need for continuing education of clinical personnel in the complexities of drug delivery by infusion. This review concludes with an outline of future technologies for managing drug delivery by continuous infusion. Automated systems based on physiologic signals and smart systems based on physical principles and an understanding of dead volume may mitigate against adverse patient events and clinical errors in the complex process of drug delivery by infusion.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · May 2017
Inhaled Remimazolam Potentiates Inhaled Remifentanil in Rodents.
Remimazolam is an ester-based short-acting benzodiazepine currently in clinical trials for IV administration. This study explored the feasibility of delivering remimazolam alone and as an adjunct to remifentanil via inhalation in rodent models. ⋯ Remimazolam can significantly potentiate the analgesic effect of remifentanil when concurrently delivered via inhalation.