Der Anaesthesist
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Sevoflurane breaks down in basic environments to form a vinyl ether known as Compound A. This compound is toxic in the rat, with an LC50 of about 400 ppm after 3 h exposure and with renal damage evident between 50 and 100 ppm. There is no valid current evidence that Compound A is toxic in man, and the rat may not be an appropriate model for determination of this breakdown product's toxic potential in humans. The main factors influencing the degree of patient exposure to Compound A include fresh gas flow, sevoflurane concentrations, absorber temperature and composition, and the patient's carbon dioxide production.
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Historical Article
[Artificial respiration with technical aids already 5000 years ago?].
Performed at the end of the mummification process, the "mouth-opening" ritual was a ceremony for the spiritual resurrection of the dead Pharaoh. The techniques used are astonishingly similar to modern emergency-room procedures. For example, the mouth-opening device was made of meteoric iron. ⋯ There are other signs of medically sound methods in the mouth-opening ritual. Symbolically, the mummy's teeth were extracted, the eyes opened with a special device, and gold capsules inserted, perhaps in the sense of a breathing tube. There is a possibility that this ritual contains a forgotten synopsis of knowledge gained empirically in connection with the Egyptian cult of royal resurrection.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
[Combined "3-in-1"/sciatic nerve block. Block effectiveness, serum level and side effects using 700 mg mepivacaine 1% without and with adrenaline and prilocaine 1%].
A high dose of local anaesthetic is necessary for the combined "3-in-1"/sciatic nerve block. Prilocaine is recommended for its low toxicity. However, in some patients prilocaine results in pronounced methaemoglobin formation due to toludine. Little has been known hitherto about the use of high-dose mepivacaine for the combined 3-1/sciatic nerve block. This study was undertaken to compare the use of 700 mg mepivacaine 1% and of 700 mg prilocaine 1%. ⋯ Both mepivacaine 1% and prilocaine 1% are appropriate local anaesthetics for the combined 3-in-1/sciatic nerve block at a dose of 700 mg. There was no difference in the blocking efficacy. No patient showed clinical signs or symptoms of a local anaesthetic toxicity. Following prilocaine we are sometimes faced with high methaemoglobinemia, which may necessitate prolonged monitoring.