European journal of anaesthesiology
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One may have to use a monitor of cortical suppression to maintain the optimal level of sedation and hypnosis. The bispectral index (BIS), a processed EEG parameter, which incorporates coupling along with the frequency and amplitude of EEG waveforms, has been proposed as a measure of the pharmacodynamic anaesthetic effect on the central nervous system. The numerical value of BIS varies from 0 to 100 (no cerebral activity to fully awake patient). ⋯ During propofol intravenous anaesthesia, BIS values from 40 to 60 have been proposed to maintain the desired level of hypnosis, with values below 50 associated with an insignificant probability of recall. However, the major limitation of the BIS monitor (monitor of hypnosis) relates to the fact that balanced anaesthesia comprises hypnosis, areflexia and analgesia and requires the administration of hypnotic agents, muscle relaxants and analgesics to achieve the desired clinical effects. Therefore, besides using the BIS value guidelines, one may also consider the haemodynamic, autonomic and somatic responses of the patient, the anaesthetic technique and the surgical interventions before deriving definite conclusions about the overall anaesthetic state of the patient.
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Complication during a drum catheter placement via an antecubital fossa vein is presented.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Perioperative myocardial ischaemia in patients undergoing surgery for fractured hip randomized to incremental spinal, single-dose spinal or general anaesthesia.
Quantitative assessment of myocardial ischaemia during incremental spinal, single-dose spinal and general anaesthesia may provide guidelines for the choice of anaesthetic technique for osteosynthesis of hip fractures in the elderly atherosclerotic individual. Forty-three patients with coronary artery disease were allocated to receive either incremental spinal anaesthesia (bupivacaine 0.5% plain) (A), single-dose spinal anaesthesia (2.5 mL of bupivacaine 0.5% plain) (B) or general anaesthesia (fentanyl, thiopentone, atracurium, enflurane, N2O/O2) (C) for hip surgery. ST segment monitoring was performed from the induction of anaesthesia and for the following 48 h, and perioperative hypotension, blood loss and fluid therapy were recorded. ⋯ In (A), 1.6 mL of 0.5% bupivacaine were used as opposed to the fixed 2.5 mL dose in (B) (P < 0.001). In the first post-operative week, mortality was higher in (B) (P < 0.05) but, after 1 month, there was no significant difference in mortality between the three groups. The incidence of hypotension and myocardial ischaemia was lowest in the group receiving incremental spinal anaesthesia.
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Letter Case Reports
Forestier disease and interscalene brachial plexus block.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Lignocaine plus morphine in bolus patient-controlled intravenous analgesia lacks post-operative morphine-sparing effect.
Lignocaine has been used successfully to treat burn pain and neuropathic pain. We have conducted a randomized, double-blind trial to assess the morphine-sparing effect of intravenous lignocaine in patients with acute pain. After major abdominal surgery, patients were treated with post-operative patient-controlled intravenous analgesia in two groups: group M (n = 25, morphine 0.2 mg mL-1) and group ML (n = 25, morphine 0.2 mg mL-1 plus lignocaine 3.2 mg mL-1). ⋯ However, the sedation scores in group ML patients during the first post-operative day were significantly greater than those in group M. The incidence of lignocaine-related lightheadedness and dry mouth was also significantly greater in group ML than in group M. It was concluded that the addition of lignocaine 3.2 mg mL-1 to morphine 0.2 mg mL-1 given via patient-controlled analgesia system does not provide a post-operative morphine-sparing analgesic effect.