British journal of anaesthesia
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Uteroplacental and fetal haemodynamics and cardiac function of the fetus and newborn after crystalloid and colloid preloading for extradural caesarean section anaesthesia.
We have studied the effects of randomized preloading with either a crystalloid (lactated Ringer's) 15 ml kg-1 or colloid (hydroxyethyl starch) 7.5 ml kg-1 solution in 20 parturients undergoing elective Caesarean section under extradural anaesthesia, on blood flow in maternal placental and non-placental uterine and placental arcuate arteries and in fetal umbilical, renal and middle cerebral arteries, using a pulsed colour Doppler technique. Simultaneously, fetal and neonatal myocardial function were investigated by pulsed Doppler and M-mode echocardiography. ⋯ There were no differences in fetal or neonatal myocardial function between the groups, and the outcome of the newborn infants were uneventful in all cases. These results suggest that preloading with either a crystalloid or colloid solution may lead to different uterine and fetal haemodynamics but these solutions had only minimal effects on fetal and neonatal myocardial performance and no effect on the clinical condition of newborns in uncomplicated pregnancies.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Preoperative or postoperative diclofenac for laparoscopic tubal ligation.
We have compared the analgesic effects of diclofenac given before operation or immediately after operation in a randomized, double-blind, double-dummy study of 40 healthy female patients undergoing laparoscopic tubal ligation. Group 1 patients received diclofenac 75 mg as a 3-ml i.m. injection 1-2 h before operation and normal saline 3 ml i.m. immediately after surgery. Group 2 patients received normal saline 3 ml i.m. before operation and diclofenac 75 mg i.m. immediately after surgery. ⋯ VRS at 1 and 3 h after operation were, respectively, (median, interquartile range) 2.2 (1.5-3.0) vs 2.7 (2.0-4.0) and 0.8 (0-1.3) vs 0.9 (0-1.5) (ns). Sixteen patients in group 1 compared with 17 in group 2 required postoperative morphine. Time to first morphine administration and dose given were, respectively, (median, interquartile range) 50.6 (39-60) min vs 35.7 (20-49) min (P = 0.1) and 9.0 (5-10) mg vs 9.5 (7.5-10) (P = 0.9).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Convective warming after hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass.
In a randomized, controlled study, we found that convective warming after hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass did not accelerate the rate of warming of the body core or the time to tracheal extubation. The relationship between body core and shell temperature, however, was affected. ⋯ Convective warming was delivered using BairHugger (Augustine Medical Inc., MN, USA) and Warm Touch (Mallinckrodt Medical UK Ltd, Northampton, UK) blankets. There was no difference between the performance of each blanket when powered by the BairHugger 500 power unit set at its medium setting of 38 degrees C, and when chest drain and radial artery cannulation sites were left exposed for observation.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of neostigmine-induced recovery with spontaneous recovery from mivacurium-induced neuromuscular block.
In 24 ASA I-II adults anaesthetized with thiopentone, fentanyl and nitrous oxide in oxygen, we studied neuromuscular transmission with isometric adductor pollicis monitoring. Patients received mivacurium 0.2 mg kg-1 followed by an infusion lasting at least 60 min and adjusted to maintain twitch height at 1-5%. After termination of the mivacurium infusion, when twitch height spontaneously regained 25% of its control value, the patients were allocated to two groups of 12 patients each. ⋯ All patients in group NEO recovered to a TOF ratio greater than 0.7 after 6 min compared with 15 min in group SPO (P < 0.005). A TOF ratio greater than 0.9 was observed in all patients in group NEO compared with only six in group SPO (P < 0.025). Nevertheless, RF50HZ and RF100HZ did not differ significantly (0.92 (0.01) (group NEO), 0.91 (0.01) (group SPO) and 0.83 (0.02) (group NEO), 0.78 (0.03) (group SPO), respectively).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Comparison of continuous spinal anaesthesia using a 32-gauge catheter with anaesthesia using a single-dose 24-gauge atraumatic needle in young patients.
One hundred and twenty-eight ASA I-III patients less than 40 yr of age, undergoing orthopaedic or trauma lower limb surgery, were allocated randomly to receive either continuous spinal anaesthesia (CSA) using a 32-gauge polyimide microcatheter with a permanent stylet (Rusch/TFX Medical, Duluth, GA, USA) or single-dose spinal anaesthesia (SDSA) with a 24-gauge x 103-mm Sprotte spinal needle (Pajunk, Germany). Plain bupivacaine (0.5%) was used as the local anaesthetic. The initial doses were 1 ml (5 mg) of CSA and 3 ml (15 mg) of SDSA, while the re-injection doses were 1 ml (5 mg) in the CSA group. ⋯ The segmental level of analgesia was significantly lower in the CSA group (median T10 (range T12-T8)) than in the SDSA group (T9 (T11-T5)) (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the incidence of postoperative complications, with two mild spinal headaches in both groups. We conclude that CSA using a microcatheter in young patients is difficult to perform and affords no advantages over SDSA with a small gauge atraumatic needle.