Current opinion in anaesthesiology
-
Can a general anesthetic binding to its membrane receptors alter global brain activity to cause loss of consciousness? ⋯ An important feature of general anesthesia is a preferential inhibition of global feedback connectivity when general anesthetics bind to allosteric sites of gamma-aminobutyric acid receptors present in the cerebral cortex.
-
Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Aug 2012
ReviewRegional anesthesia outside the operating room: indications and techniques.
Regional anesthesia is not only performed in the operating room. There are indications for the use of these techniques for pain relief in the emergency department and for anesthesia support of procedures outside the operating room. In this review, we will provide an overview of the indications for the regional techniques performed in the out-of-operating room environment. ⋯ Regional anesthesia is a valuable option for analgesia in trauma patients, enabling improved pain control in the emergency department and has benefits in the anesthetic management of therapeutic procedures outside the operating room. For many blocks, ultrasound guidance is useful.
-
Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Aug 2012
ReviewAirway management outside the operating room: hazardous and incompletely studied.
The review examines recent knowledge regarding techniques and complications of airway management in hospitals, outside the operating room. The review does not consider airway management at the time of cardiopulmonary resuscitation as this is a separate topic. ⋯ The notably high rate of failure of primary intubation attempts and high complication rates of airway procedures create a strong argument for increased research focus in this area of high-risk and incomplete knowledge.
-
Curr Opin Anaesthesiol · Aug 2012
ReviewAnesthetic management of children undergoing hematologic-oncologic procedures outside the operating room.
There is an increasing demand on anesthetic services to provide care for children undergoing hematologic-oncologic procedures outside the operation room; in particular, to mitigate the pain and unpleasant side-effects of these treatments. This review provides an update of the latest findings on this topic. ⋯ Treatment of children undergoing hematologic-oncologic procedures outside the operation room is challenging. Expertise and high standards are essential to assure patient safety.
-
Cardiac arrhythmias are a major source of morbidity and mortality. Many of these patients require diagnostic or therapeutic intervention in an electrophysiology laboratory with involvement of an anesthesiologist. The goal of this review is to provide the anesthesiologist with a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms underlying various arrhythmias; specific procedures performed for diagnosis and treatment, and associated risks. ⋯ By reviewing the current literature regarding electrophysiology procedures, this review will provide information essential to the anesthesiologist to safely care for this unique patient population.