European journal of anaesthesiology
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Clinical Trial
Gastric emptying in post-thoracotomy patients receiving a thoracic fentanyl-bupivacaine epidural infusion.
The effect of anaesthesia and surgery on gastric emptying is not constant, and this has not been previously studied in patients undergoing thoracotomy for lung resection with a bupivacaine-fentanyl epidural infusion for analgesia. There are important implications in this group of patients with regards to the recommencement of important oral medication as well as the risks of aspiration of gastric contents. The study examined gastric emptying in these patients until the second postoperative day. ⋯ After thoracotomy, gastric emptying was delayed until at least the second postoperative day in patients receiving mid-thoracic fentanyl-bupivacaine epidural analgesia.
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A new posterior approach to the sciatic nerve in the subgluteal region was developed. We describe our clinical experiences on 135 consecutive patients. ⋯ The study demonstrated that the sciatic nerve can be easily blocked using this new posterior subgluteal approach, suggesting that it represents a safe and effective alternative to block the sciatic nerve at a proximal level, with the potential for reducing the discomfort experienced by the patient during block placement.