European journal of anaesthesiology
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Comparison of metoclopramide and ondansetron for the prevention of nausea and vomiting after intrathecal morphine.
Nausea and vomiting remain unpleasant side effects of intrathecal (i.t.) morphine and of the numerous therapies tried, only prophylactic intravenous (i.v.) metoclopramide has been reported to be promising. Seventy-three patients, scheduled for orthopaedic prosthesis surgery of the hip or knee were studied. They received 4 mL of plain bupivacaine and 0.3 mg of preservative-free morphine i.t. for anaesthesia. ⋯ Incidences of severe vomiting were 24, 35 and 12% respectively. Eight patients in the saline group, seven in the metoclopramide and 10 in the ondansetron group did not need additional opioids for post-operative pain relief. We conclude that, metoclopramide and ondansetron were not better than saline in the prevention of post-operative emesis induced by intrathecal morphine.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Cardiovascular and metabolic responses to clonidine and midazolam premedication.
In this double-blind placebo controlled study the preoperative cardiovascular and metabolic effects of intramuscular (i.m.) clonidine and midazolam are assessed. Forty-five ASA Grade I patients (n = 15 per group) undergoing plastic surgical procedures were randomly allocated to receive either placebo, clonidine 4 micrograms kg-1 or midazolam 70 micrograms kg-1. Drugs were administered into the deltoid muscle approximately 90 min prior to the scheduled induction of anaesthesia. ⋯ The decrease in VO2 and EE was maximally 11-14% on average from the base-lines after clonidine and midazolam. These effects were of longer duration after clonidine and lasted until the end of the 90 min study period. In conclusion, both clonidine and midazolam are effective as a means of decreasing pre-operative VO2 and EE.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Anaesthesia during laparoscopic gynaecological surgery: a comparison between desflurane and isoflurane.
Desflurane is a new inhalation anaesthetic with a low blood/gas solubility which should allow a fast emergence from anaesthesia. In a prospective open randomized study, desflurane was compared with isoflurane paying special attention to recovery and the quality of the post-operative period. The occurrence of pain and post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV) was recorded during the first 20 post-operative hours. ⋯ In both groups PONV was more frequently observed in patients after leaving the recovery room. PONV in the recovery room was associated with a delayed discharge, 139 vs. 114 min respectively. Desflurane seems to be an useful alternative to isoflurane for laparoscopic procedures.
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Reports about post-operative infections associated with the use of propofol prompted us to investigate the in-use contamination of lipid-formulated intravenous (i.v.) anaesthetics used for general anaesthesia or for sedation of intensive care patients in this department. The level and incidence of extrinsic contamination of propofol ('Diprivan') and of another intravenous anaesthetic, etomidate, formulated in lipid solution ('Etomidat-lipuro') was found to be low during two study periods. However, the need to observe strict aseptic precautions in handling these intravenous drugs must be emphasized.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Readiness for surgery after axillary block: single or multiple injection techniques.
We have assessed prospectively the time to readiness for surgery following axillary block (sum of block performance and latency times) in 80 patients. The brachial plexus was identified using a nerve stimulator, and anaesthetized with 45 mL of mepivacaine 1% with adrenaline 5 micrograms mL-1. In group 1 (single injection) the whole volume of mepivacaine was injected after locating only one of the plexus nerves. ⋯ The frequency of adverse effects (vessel puncture or paraesthesia) was similar in both groups. No neurological sequelae were observed. We conclude that the multiple injection technique takes longer to perform than single injection, but that readiness for surgery is faster because of shorter block latency and better spread of analgesia.