Der Anaesthesist
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
[10 years of spinal anesthesia in infants and children for orthopedic surgery. Our clinical experience].
Over a period of 10 years various orthopaedic-paediatric operations were performed under hyperbaric spinal anaesthesia. ⋯ The duration of spinal anaesthesia in infants is shorter than in adult patients. Spinal anaesthesia is a suitable anaesthetic technique for paediatric surgery. This method of anaesthesia may avoid the increased incidence of postoperative respiratory complications associated with general anaesthesia. Special anatomical and pharmacological considerations for infants under 1 year of age include the fact that the spinal cord may end as low as L3 in the neonate. Our results show that spinal anaesthesia can be safely and reliably performed in these infants. Hyperbaric bupivacaine 0.5% as a spinal anaesthetic agent in infants has been investigated extensively and produces consistently good operating conditions. The technique has not resulted in hypotension or bradycardia, and no complications have occurred. We did not use atropine in any patient. However, the superiority of spinal anaesthesia over other forms of anaesthesia in this group of patients remains to be demonstrated. Continuous training and critical analysis are needed for good results.
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Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
[Intraoperative contrast echocardiography for detection of a patient foramen ovale using a provocation test and ventilation with PEEP respiration].
Intraoperative paradoxical air embolism may occur even if a patent foramen ovale (PFO) is excluded by contrast transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE) under 20 cm H2O positive airway pressure. It is questionable whether the combination of PEEP and ventilation with a large tidal volume increases the sensitivity of contrast TEE in detecting a PFO. ⋯ The use of provocation manoeuvres including ventilation with PEEP and high tidal volumes might improve the ability to detect a PFO presenting with right-to-left interatrial shunt by intraoperative contrast TEE, but does not have 100% sensitivity. However, our results clearly indicate that ventilation with PEEP and high tidal volumes may predispose to paradoxical embolism.
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Diagnosis of a perioperative myocardial infarction (PMI) on the basis of measurement of the creatine kinase MB fraction (CKMB) alone is not always easy. Surgical traumatisation of muscle fibres can lead to false-positive elevations. Newly introduced laboratory tests for cardiac troponins seem to facilitate the diagnosis of PMI. We measured serum values of cardiac troponin T in 139 patients described in detail in part I and compared them with common diagnostic tools for myocardial infarction. ⋯ Troponin T is a highly specific marker for perioperative myocardial cell necrosis. Patients with raised levels preoperatively seem to be at higher risk for postoperative reinfarction and left ventricular failure. The prognostic value of such an elevation is not clearly defined, especially in patients with chronic renal failure.
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Perioperative, mostly silent ischaemia in patients with coronary heart disease is difficult to detect by clinical examinations. ⋯ Perioperative Holter ECG monitoring is time-consuming, expensive, not very sensitive, and therefore not generally applicable for all patients with prior MI.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
[Patient acceptance of patient-controlled intranasal analgesia (PCINA)].
Patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (i.v.-PCA) represents the gold standard in the management of acute postoperative pain. However, in many countries i.v.-PCA is rarely used. Recent clinical studies demonstrated that intranasal fentanyl titration provides a rapid and safe form and pain management. In the present study we investigated patients' acceptance and assessment of patient-controlled intranasal analgesia (PCINA) and compared it to intravenous PCA and the customarily prescribed pain therapy. ⋯ The results demonstrate that the patients' satisfaction with PCINA is comparable to that with i.v.-PCA. Both PCINA and i.v.-PCA were assessed as superior to the customarily prescribed pain management (P = 0.0001). Patients' acceptance of a given form of pain management is mainly related to its efficiency. However, side effects such as pain on injection with i.v.-PCA, or frequent opioid administration with PCINA, must be considered when assessing a method of pain control. Patients' global assessment includes both efficiency and side effects. PCINA represents an interesting alternative non-invasive method for postoperative pain management.