Journal of clinical anesthesia
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One of the sources of error in pulse oximetry readings is associated with an abnormal signal-to-noise ratio. The pulse oximeter distinguishes the light absorbance of arterial blood from that of other absorbers by differentiating between a constant component and a pulsating component. The pulsating component is almost exclusively the result of arteriolar bed pulsations. ⋯ We report a case in which a low pulse oximetry reading was associated with concomitant use of a pulse oximeter and a peripheral nerve stimulator on the same arm. Further tests conducted using a nerve stimulator and a sensory evoked potential stimulator with different amplitudes and frequencies confirmed the association and delineated the relationship between frequency and amplitude of stimulation and the degree of artificial desaturation. A theoretical explanation for this phenomenon is presented.
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In conclusion, providing anesthesia for a small child undergoing craniofacial reconstructive surgery is an enormous challenge. Even with the most experienced pediatric anesthesiologist and pediatric surgeons, problems can develop suddenly and lead, as they did in this case, to serious morbidity and even death. It is difficult to determine whether the anesthesiologists' "success" in this case in warding off a malpractice verdict was due to their lawyer's ability to convince the court they delivered a level of "care ordinarily supplied by physicians in their specialty," or, rather, due to the fact that defense experts were more convincing than those of the plaintiffs. Regardless, I do not think there were any "winners" in this situation.
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To examine contemporary practices and opinions regarding preoperative testing requirements, with special emphasis on perioperative pregnancy recognition and consequences thereof. ⋯ The desire to identify pregnancy using patient history was most prevalent among anesthesiologists, with less than one third using mandatory, departmentally imposed screening programs. Positive test results in minors are shared primarily with surgeons and patients, occasionally with parents and social services, but rarely with police, although a positive test almost universally signified child abuse, and mandatory reporting laws were acknowledged by anesthesiologists surveyed.
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For more than 40 years, succinylcholine has been the traditional choice of muscle relaxant to facilitate tracheal intubation, particularly for anesthesia in the emergency patient with a full stomach. This presentation reviews factors that determine the onset of neuromuscular blockade, particularly with regard to tracheal intubation. Measurement of neuromuscular block, both clinical and via nerve stimulators, is described and compared, and correlations with intubating conditions are attempted. ⋯ None of the currently available drugs, or those undergoing clinical investigation, possesses the rapid onset and prompt recovery of succinylcholine. Despite the formidable side effect profile of succinylcholine, it has not been replaced by a nondepolarizing agent for use in emergency conditions. However, the alternatives, particularly rocuronium and mivacurium, are drugs with a greater safety profile that, in many circumstances, can substitute for succinylcholine.