Journal of clinical anesthesia
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To determine the influence of anesthetic technique and primary drug on operating room (OR) exit time (time between end of surgery until time patient exists the OR) after addition of desflurane to the hospital formulary. ⋯ Regional anesthesia and i.v. sedation were associated with faster OR exit times compared with general anesthesia. Despite desflurane's shorter elimination kinetics and recovery characteristics, use of this drug did not result in shorter exit times.
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Criteria for determination of brain death in adults have been defined. Spinal cord reflexes may persist after brain death. We present the case of a brain dead patient who had a complex spinal automatism resulting in head shaking and arm extension. The report reviews guidelines for the diagnosis of brain death and discusses complex spinal cord reflexes in brain dead patients.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Patient-controlled analgesia with sufentanil: a comparison of two different methods of administration.
To examine the safety and analgesic efficacy of sufentanil administered via either epidural or intravenous (i.v.) patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) in patients recovering from gynecologic surgery. ⋯ The main advantage of EPCA sufentanil in this postsurgical setting was its ability to provide a more rapid onset of analgesia than traditional i.v. PCA with morphine while offering greater safety than i.v. sufentanil.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Bowel function recovery after radical hysterectomies: thoracic epidural bupivacaine-morphine versus intravenous patient-controlled analgesia with morphine: a pilot study.
To determine if the use of continuous epidural bupivacaine-morphine in the perioperative period is associated with a significant decrease in the recovery time of postoperative ileus when compared with parenteral morphine administration. ⋯ The use of thoracic epidural bupivacaine-morphine results in a decrease in the duration of postoperative ileus, which was associated with earlier hospital discharge.