Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · May 1992
Pharmacokinetics of clonidine after epidural administration in surgical patients. Lack of correlation between plasma concentration and analgesia and blood pressure changes.
The pharmacokinetics of epidural clonidine 150 micrograms was studied in 13 patients who had undergone abdominal hysterectomy. Plasma clonidine concentrations were measured up to 19 h in eight patients. In another five patients frequent blood sampling was performed only during the first 20 min to define early vascular uptake better. ⋯ Thereafter, pain scores were not significantly different from the control score. We conclude that epidural clonidine 150 micrograms produces only moderate and short-lived postoperative analgesia. Absorption of clonidine from the epidural space into the blood is very rapid and may contribute to the hypotension that occurs.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · May 1992
Complications and side effects during thiopentone therapy in patients with severe head injuries.
This study reports all complications and side effects occurring in 38 patients with severe traumatic brain lesions treated with barbiturate coma because of a dangerous increase in intracranial pressure. The treatment was induced by intravenous infusion of thiopentone (5-11 mg.kg-1) followed by a continuous infusion of 4-8 mg.kg-1.h-1. The subsequent rate of thiopentone infusion was governed by the level of the intracranial pressure with the intention of keeping ICP below 20 mmHg (2.7 kPa). ⋯ Mortality in 17 patients was caused by an untreatable increase in intracranial pressure. In one patient complications due to barbiturate treatment may have contributed to the fatal outcome. In none of the other cases were the noted complications and side effects associated with any permanent symptoms or dysfunctions.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · May 1992
Comparative StudyTechnical problems associated with the use of 32-gauge and 22-gauge spinal catheters.
Interest in the use of continuous spinal anaesthesia (CSA) has recently increased because of the availability of new, extremely thin catheters. In this study the use of 32-gauge (G) catheters was compared with 22-G catheters in operations on the lower limb and for the administration of intrathecal morphine in the postoperative period in 42 elderly patients. CSA succeeded in 34 cases and 8 patients were anaesthetised with a single-shot spinal method. ⋯ Such problems did not occur with the 22-G catheter. Postdural puncture headache did not occur, and there was no difference in the incidence of patient-reported postoperative complications between the two groups. It is concluded that both the insertion and maintenance of the thin (32-G) subarachnoid catheters are associated with more technical problems than the 22-G catheter.