Der Anaesthesist
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Case Reports
[Hyperthermic reaction in the perioperative phase in 2 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia of B-cell type].
Acute lymphatic leukemia (ALL) represents one of the most frequent malignancies in childhood. Central venous access ports or partly implanted silicone catheters are usually placed for high-dose chemotherapy in these children. We report two patients aged 7 and 3 years with acute lymphoblastic beta-cell leukemia (B-ALL), a less common subtype of ALL, which presented with hyperthermia (38.4 degrees C and 39 degrees C) during anesthesia with isoflurane for implantation of a central venous catheter. ⋯ According to the literature, malignant hyperthermia has occasionally been described in children with malignancies such as leukemia or Burkitt's lymphoma. Our observations indicate that children with B-ALL may be especially susceptible to malignant hyperthermia. Close monitoring of body temperature and expiratory CO2 are therefore indicated in these children, and dantrolene therapy should be started immediately in case of increased temperature during anesthesia.
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During 72 h following severe head injury, 103 patients in acute posttraumatic coma were assessed by clinical examinations (documented by Glasgow Coma Score) and brain stem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) as well as short-latency somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) following median-nerve stimulation. Patient outcomes were classified at 6 months or more according to the following categories: good recovery, severely disabled or vegetative, and brain dead. Patients who had died of systemic complications (pneumonia, septicemia, renal failure, etc.) were excluded from the study. ⋯ Normal BAEPs were not reliable, however, in predicting a favorable outcome. SEP data served as a prognostic indicator of unfavorable as well as favorable outcomes. In summary, evoked potentials add valuable information to the clinical examination in assessing a patient's outcome after severe head injury.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
[Rectal premedication with midazolam in children. A comparative clinical study].
Anesthetic premedication by injection is usually poorly accepted by children, especially those under 10 years of age. Less disturbing for the child is oral premedication, but this increases the risk of aspiration and must be administered 1.5-2 h before anesthetic induction. This double-blind study was performed in children to investigate the efficacy, acceptance, and general safety of midazolam given rectally. ⋯ At this time 21.7% of the children in group I were tired/drowsy, whereas 50% in group II were tired/drowsy and 9.1% were asleep but easy to arouse. This effect was significantly greater in group II (P less than 0.01). Acceptance of the mask was comparable in both groups (Table 4) and was tolerated well to very well by 92-97% of the children. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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Pulse oximetry has been recently introduced into anesthetic practice as an additional monitoring technique. In contrast to other methods (ECG, inspection, auscultation, blood gas analysis), it immediately detects an impending lack of oxygen, whatever its cause. Therefore, especially in pediatric risk patients, precious time can be saved. ⋯ Therefore, we believe pulse oximetry to be an useful tool for additional monitoring, especially in pediatric risk patients. It is a suitable continuous and noninvasive in vivo technique for the early detection of hypooxygenation. Due to the special disadvantages of the method, we consider it advisable to perform control measurements with a CO-oximeter from time to time.