Anaesthesia and intensive care
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Anaesth Intensive Care · May 1976
Cerebral arterio-venous oxygen difference: a bedside test for cerebral death.
A bedside test is described which compares the patients cerebral arterio-venous oxygen difference with a predicted norm at various levels of arterial CO2 tension. In patients in coma depasse this difference is reduced and is unresponsive to variations in arterial carbon dioxide tension. The test also confirms lack of respiratory efforts in the presence of adequate carbon dioxide tension.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · May 1976
Reactions to rapid infusion of stable plasma protein solution during large volume plasma exchange.
Five per cent heat treated stable plasma protein solution (SPPS) has been rapidly infused into 25 patients, as fluid replacement during large volume plasmapheresis. Reactions were produced in 20 patients. ⋯ These observations support earlier reports of hypotension due to rapid SPPS infusion, and document the occurrence of subjective symptoms which may be the harbingers of a hypotensive reaction. In view of the known presence of a bradykinin-like substance in some heat treated plasma protein solutions, hypotension during SPPS infusion should be interpreted with caution in the light of these findings.