Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Nov 1997
A retrospective analysis of nitric oxide inhalation in patients with severe acute lung injury in Sweden and Norway 1991-1994.
Patients with severe acute lung injury (ALI) have been treated compassionately on doctors' initiative with inhaled nitric oxide (INO) in Sweden and Norway since 1991. In 1994 the previously used technical grade nitric oxide was replaced by medical grade nitric oxide. ⋯ The overall mortality did not differ dramatically from historical controls with high mortality. Only a randomised study may determine whether INO as an adjunct to treatment alters the outcome in severe ALI. One cannot at present advocate the routine use of INO in patients with ALI outside such studies.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Nov 1997
Attenuation of serotonin-induced contractures in skeletal muscle from malignant hyperthermia-susceptible patients with dantrolene.
Porcine malignant hyperthermia (MH) can be triggered by administration of certain serotonin2 receptor agonists. Pretreatment with dantrolene completely abolished serotonin-induced MH. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the serotonin2 receptor agonist 1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane (DOI) in skeletal muscle specimens from MH-susceptible (MHS) and MH-nonsusceptible (MHN) patients following pretreatment with dantrolene. ⋯ The acceleration of DOI-induced contracture development in skeletal muscle specimens from MHS patients indicates that an altered serotonin system might be involved in human MH. Dantrolene effectively delayed serotonin-induced contractures. Further investigations are needed to determine whether serotonin2 receptors of skeletal muscle from MHS subjects are altered in function or structure, or whether this response is a secondary phenomenon.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Nov 1997
The duration of action of bupivacaine, levobupivacaine, ropivacaine and pethidine in peripheral nerve block in the rat.
There is a current interest in local anaesthetic drugs/formulations exhibiting long durations of sensory block and minor motor-blocking effects. ⋯ Equimolar doses of the investigated local anaesthetics exerted similar durations of sensory blockade in a peripheral nerve block model in the rat.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Nov 1997
Atracurium-induced neuromuscular block is not affected by chronic anticonvulsant therapy with carbamazepine.
Patients on chronic anticonvulsant therapy are relatively resistant to some nondepolarizing neuromuscular blockers. Because of the controversial reports on atracurium, the purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of long-term carbamazepine treatment on the neuromuscular block produced by this muscle relaxant. ⋯ Our results with atracurium differ from previous data demonstrating an influence of carbamazepine therapy on the pharmacokinetics and/or pharmacodynamics of other non-depolarizing muscle relaxants. As documented in this study, atracurium produces adequate neuromuscular block in patients chronically exposed to carbamazepine. Chronic carbamazepine therapy does not influence the onset time and duration of action of atracurium-induced neuromuscular block.