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.