British journal of anaesthesia
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Comparative Study
Plasma catecholamines and neonatal condition after induction of anaesthesia with propofol or thiopentone at caesarean section.
Increased maternal sympathetic nervous system activity may decrease placental perfusion and cause adverse neonatal effects. We have studied the catecholamine response and neonatal outcome in Chinese patients with uncomplicated, singleton pregnancies undergoing Caesarean section. Anaesthesia was induced with thiopentone 4 mg kg-1 (n = 32) or propofol 2 mg kg-1 (n = 30) followed by suxamethonium. ⋯ Maximum noradrenaline concentrations were greater in the thiopentone group (413 (177) pg ml-1) compared with the propofol group (333 (108) pg ml-1) (P < 0.05), but there were no differences between groups in adrenaline concentrations. Neonatal Apgar scores, neurobehavioural testing and umbilical catecholamine, blood-gas tension and oxygen content analysis were similar between groups. Propofol attenuated the hypertensive and catecholamine response associated with laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation but there was no improvement in neonatal outcome.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Clinical and radiological comparison of perivascular and transarterial techniques of axillary brachial plexus block.
The perivascular technique of axillary brachial plexus block results in incomplete block of radial and musculocutaneous nerves in 10-20% of patients. With the transarterial technique and a large dose of mepivacaine, success rates of 99% have been reported. We have compared the clinical efficacy of these techniques in 50 patients using 1% mepivacaine 45 ml with adrenaline. ⋯ There were no statistically significant differences in sensory or motor block between the groups at 20 min or in the plasma concentrations of mepivacaine measured 0-45 min after injection. In the CT scans, both proximal and distal spread of the contrast medium were more common after perivascular than after transarterial block. The distribution of the contrast medium was not related to the efficacy of the block.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Improvement in i.v. regional anaesthesia by re-exsanguination before surgery.
A modification of an i.v. regional anaesthesia (IVRA) technique is described in which the arm is re-exsanguinated before surgery (re-IVRA). IVRA and re-IVRA were compared for quality of operative field, sensory and motor block, quality of analgesia and blood concentrations of prilocaine, lignocaine and mepivacaine in a double-blind study in 120 patients undergoing hand surgery. ⋯ Re-exsanguination improved tolerance of the tourniquet. Plasma concentrations in the re-IVRA group showed some increases, but these were not in the toxic range.
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In 20 patients studied under general anaesthesia, we found good agreement between gastric fluid volumes aspirated blindly and total volumes determined by fibreoptic gastroscopy (mean under-estimation 6 ml (22%); range 0-50 ml). Gastric fluid acidity measurements using an electronic pH meter and pH indicator paper also provided results with good agreement (mean difference in pH 0.1; range -0.3 to 0.5). As the use of a standardized blind gastric aspiration technique and pH indicator paper is simpler and provided sufficiently accurate measurements for clinical study purposes, we think this method is preferable.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Haemodynamic and catecholamine responses to induction of anaesthesia and tracheal intubation: comparison between propofol and thiopentone.
We have studied the haemodynamic changes, QT intervals and catecholamine responses to induction of anaesthesia and tracheal intubation in 24 ASA I patients allocated randomly to receive either propofol 2.5 mg kg-1 or thiopentone 5 mg kg-1 over 60 s. After disappearance of the eyelash reflex, the lungs were ventilated with 100% oxygen for 3 min. The trachea was intubated after administration of vecuronium. ⋯ One patient in the thiopentone group with a significantly prolonged QT interval had episodes of bigeminy and ventricular tachycardia. In both groups, concentrations of noradrenaline in mixed venous plasma increased after intubation (P < 0.001). Concentrations of adrenaline increased after intubation only in the thiopentone group (P < 0.001).