Anaesthesia
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By enhancing gaseous uptake from the non-ventilated lung during procedures performed thoracoscopically, the rapid diffusion properties of nitrous oxide would be expected to speed lung collapse and so facilitate surgery. To assess the effect of nitrous oxide on the speed of absorptive lung collapse, a study was conducted using 11 anaesthetised sheep. ⋯ In all assessments, it was found that the decrease in airway pressure to - 1.0 kPa occurred in a shorter time when nitrous oxide was used. The findings lend support to the hypothesis that during thoracoscopic surgery, mechanical lung ventilation with an oxygen/nitrous oxide mixture will increase the rate of gaseous uptake from the non-ventilated lung and so hasten its absorptive collapse.
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Comment Letter Case Reports
Systemic spread of vecuronium following use in peribulbar regional anaesthesia.