Anaesthesia and intensive care
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Jun 2007
Historical ArticleUnravelling the mystery of malignant hyperthermia.
Malignant hyperthermia was an unknown condition in 1960 although there had always been occasional patients who died mysteriously under anaesthesia. The nature of the disease became apparent when a young Melbourne man presented that year with a compound fracture and a family history of deaths under anaesthesia. ⋯ Over the next 20 years the cause of the disease was discovered and eventually a treatment was found. This article is based around a series of interviews with many of the participants in this story.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Jun 2007
Randomized Controlled TrialBispectral index as a predictor of sedation depth during isoflurane or midazolam sedation in ICU patients.
Bispectral index (BIS) is used for monitoring anaesthetic depth with inhaled anaesthetic agents in the operating room but has not been evaluated as a monitor of sedation depth in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting with these agents. If BIS could predict sedation depth in ICU patients, patient disturbances could be reduced and oversedation avoided. Twenty ventilator-dependent ICU patients aged 27 to 80 years were randomised to sedation with isoflurane via the AnaConDa or intravenous midazolam. ⋯ In conclusion, BIS XP does not reliably predict sedation depth as measured by clinical evaluation in non-paralysed ICU patients sedated with isoflurane or midazolam. EMG contributes significantly to BIS values in isoflurane or midazolam sedated, non-paralysed ICU patients. End-tidal isoflurane concentration appeared to be a better indicator of clinical sedation depth than BIS.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · Jun 2007
Case ReportsUnsuspected colchicine overdose in a female patient presenting as an acute abdomen.
We report a case of multi-system organ failure as a result of unsuspected colchicine overdose in a patient with known gout and bulimia nervosa. The patient had initially presented with mild gastrointestinal symptoms with rapid progression to fulminant hepatic failure and multiple organ dysfunction before the causative agent was identified. The patient survived with aggressive intensive care support and ongoing medical treatment. Physicians should be aware of the risk assessment based on the ingested dose, that the clinical presentation of colchicine in toxic doses may be nonspecific with high potential for severe morbidity or death and that survival may occur despite multiple organ failure requinng aggressive support.