European journal of anaesthesiology
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Comparative Study
Differential sensory and motor blockade after spinal cocaine in the rat and marmoset.
Various concentrations of local anaesthetic agents have been injected into the rat and marmoset via a chronically implanted cannula in the subarachnoid space. In the rat, cocaine at a concentration of 0.125% produced analgesia without motor blockade whereas higher concentrations produced motor blockade in some animals. ⋯ It would appear that differential blockade of sensory function without motor loss can be achieved by cocaine. New local anaesthetics based on cocaine or similar chemical structures would seem potentially valuable.
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A programmable microprocessor has been developed to control a nerve stimulator, to accept electromyographic potentials and to process them to produce derivatives related to neuromuscular function which can then be stored and displayed. Examples are given of its use to assess the physiological state of the neuromuscular junction and to quantify the degree of blockade in clinical situations.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
The effect of phenoxybenzamine on postoperative urinary complications during extradural morphine analgesia.
One hundred and fifty patients, post-Caesarean section, were investigated to evaluate the effect of epidural morphine analgesia and that of phenoxybenzamine on the frequency and extent of urinary complications. Forty patients (group A) underwent Caesarian section under general anaesthesia, while 110 patients received epidural anaesthesia. Of the latter patients, 40 received postoperative mild analgesics (group B) whilst in another 40, postoperative continuous epidural morphine was administered (group C). ⋯ The need for bladder catheterization was also increased in group B compared with group A, while in group C this increase was marked compared with both groups A and B. It was significantly less frequent in those receiving phenoxybenzamine. Phenoxybenzamine is recommended in the prevention of postoperative urinary complications associated with epidural anaesthesia and epidural morphine analgesia.