European journal of anaesthesiology
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Perioperative brain protection refers to prophylactic measures instituted during the perioperative period to prevent or reduce ischaemic damage and to improve neurological outcome. In that context, strategies for protecting the brain rely on the control of physiological variables, anaesthesia, administration of non-anaesthetic pharmacological agents and preconditioning. Avoiding hyperthermia, hyperglycaemia and arterial hypotension are passive neuroprotective measures acknowledged in human beings. ⋯ Laboratory studies investigating pharmacological neuroprotection have shown interesting results but most clinical trials have been disappointing except for a few drugs in specific settings. Preconditioning which results in the induction of some resistance to ischaemia appears as a promising strategy. Up to now, the translation of beneficial experimental results into clinical success is considered an entirely permissible hope but remains an unachieved objective.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
EEG-based indices of anaesthesia: correlation between bispectral index and patient state index?
Both the bispectral and the patient state indices are derived from the electroencephalogram and have been proposed as a measure of the same clinical target, the hypnotic component of anaesthesia. The present study evaluated whether there is concordance between the bispectral and the patient state indices with regard to end-points measured simultaneously in patients undergoing surgery under general anaesthesia. ⋯ Concordance between the bispectral and patient state indices is relatively weak, whereas both are thought to reflect the same clinical target, the hypnotic component of anaesthesia. As a consequence, further studies are required to compare reliability of both indices as indicators of different levels of hypnosis.
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Letter Case Reports
Epileptiform movements associated with re-exposure to propofol.