Journal of anesthesia
-
Journal of anesthesia · Jan 2008
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyComparison of the effects of room air and N2O + O2 used for ProSeal LMA cuff inflation on cuff pressure and oropharyngeal structure.
This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different inflating gases used for ProSeal LMA (PLMA) cuff inflation on cuff pressure, oropharyngeal structure, and the incidence of sore throat. Eighty patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists; ASA I-II) were randomly divided into two groups. PLMA cuff inflation was achieved with appropriate volumes of 50% N2O + 50% O2 in group I and room air in group II, respectively. ⋯ Cuff pressure was positively correlated with the length of the operation in group II, and negatively correlated in group I. PLMA cuff inflation with room air led to increased cuff pressure during the operation, possibly due to the diffusion of N2O into the cuff. We consider that a PLMA cuff inflated with an N2O-O2 mixture is convenient, especially in operations in which N2O has been used.
-
Journal of anesthesia · Jan 2008
Randomized Controlled TrialThe effects of remifentanil or acetaminophen with epidural ropivacaine on body temperature during labor.
Epidural analgesia is associated with hyperthermia during labor and presumably causes it, although no convincing mechanism has been postulated. It seems likely that fever associated with pyrogenic factors related to labor is suppressed by opioids, whereas it is expressed normally in patients given epidural analgesia. We examined this hypothesis and the possible etiology of temperature elevation in labor. ⋯ Our results are consistent with the theory that low-dose opioids inhibit fever in patients not given epidural analgesia. However, in view of the negative results, the hypothesis of epidural-induced hyperthermia may be questionable.
-
Journal of anesthesia · Jan 2008
ReviewThe anesthesia information management system for electronic documentation: what are we waiting for?
The anesthesia information management system (AIMS) will be part of the future of healthcare. An electronic medical records system or AIMS will provide clear and concise information and have the potential to integrate information across the entire hospital system, improve quality of care, reduce errors, decrease risks, and improve revenue capture. The practice of anesthesia requires a medical record system that can capture data in real time. In this article, we describe challenges that must be overcome to establish an efficient electronic medical record system for anesthesiology.
-
Journal of anesthesia · Jan 2008
Case ReportsAn unusual case of airway obstruction at the tip of an endotracheal tube caused by insertion of a nasogastric tube.
We report an unusual case of ventilatory impediment caused by the obstruction of an endotracheal tube (ETT) by a nasogastric (NG) tube. A 72-year-old woman with bronchial asthma was scheduled for colostomy closure. An ETT of 7.5-mm internal diameter (ID) could not be advanced, and finally a 5.0-mm ID ETT was placed, because she had post-intubation tracheal stenosis. ⋯ She was treated for an asthmatic attack, but her respiratory condition did not recover. We then exchanged the ETT for a laryngeal mask airway (LMA) and removed the NG tube. It was suspected that the cause of the airway obstruction was that the NG tube in the esophagus compressed the membranous portion of the stenotic trachea and the tip of the ETT was obstructed.
-
General anesthesia accompanied by surgical stress is considered to suppress immunity, presumably by directly affecting the immune system or activating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the sympathetic nervous system. Along with stress such as surgery, blood transfusion, hypothermia, hyperglycemia, and postoperative pain, anesthetics per se are associated with suppressed immunity during perioperative periods because every anesthetic has direct suppressive effects on cellular and neurohumoral immunity through influencing the functions of immunocompetent cells and inflammatory mediator gene expression and secretion. ⋯ Alternatively, the anti-inflammatory effects of anesthetics may be beneficial in distinct situations involving ischemia and reperfusion injury or the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Clinical anesthesiologists should select anesthetics and choose anesthetic methods with careful consideration of the clinical situation and the immune status of critically ill patients, in regard to long-term mortality, morbidity, and the optimal prognosis.