British journal of anaesthesia
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Comparison of ropivacaine with bupivacaine for paediatric caudal block.
In a double-blind, multicentre study 245 children aged 1-10 yr undergoing elective minor surgery as inpatients were randomly allocated to receive a single caudal extradural injection of 1 ml kg-1 of either 0.25% bupivacaine or 0.2% ropivacaine after induction of light general anaesthesia. The groups were comparable for age, weight, vital signs and duration of surgery. The onset time was similar for ropivacaine and bupivacaine (9.7 vs 10.4 min). ⋯ The mean time to first analgesia in the remainder was 233 min in the bupivacaine group and 271 min in the ropivacaine group. No motor block was measurable in either group. Ropivacaine 2 mg kg-1 was as effective as bupivacaine 2.5 mg kg-1 for caudal analgesia in children.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Intrathecal diamorphine compared with morphine for postoperative analgesia after caesarean section under spinal anaesthesia.
A randomized, double-blind study of 40 women was performed to compare patient controlled anaesthesia (PCA) morphine requirements after spinal anaesthesia for elective Caesarean section. The women received 0.2 mg of either morphine or diamorphine mixed with 0.5% bupivacaine in 8% dextrose. ⋯ Similarly, the VAS for drowsiness were significantly higher in the morphine group at 6 and 8 h. Overall there was no difference in the 24-h PCA morphine demands between the two groups (diamorphine patients 5.5 mg, morphine patients 5.0 mg.
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We describe a 73-yr-old woman anaesthetized for a laminectomy. She suffered from hepatic failure with mild encephalopathy complicated by several exacerbations associated with sedative and opioid therapy. ⋯ We used remifentanil to provide intraoperative and postoperative analgesia, because it has a short duration of action and does not require hepatic metabolism. We closely monitored the respiratory and the neurological status throughout the administration and conclude that remifentanil can provide perioperative analgesia in patients at risk of developing hepatic encephalopathy.
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We examined the extradural space using a flexible extraduroscope in 113 patients undergoing extradural anaesthesia. Patients were classified into two groups to receive either thoracic or lumbar extradural anaesthesia as needed for perioperative analgesia. The extraduroscopy showed that the thoracic extradural space becomes widely patent after injecting a given amount of air and that the amount of fatty and fibrous connective tissue is less in the thoracic extradural space compared with the lumbar extradural space. We suggest that differences between the structure of these two vertebral regions may affect the spread of local anaesthetics in the extradural space.
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We describe a 3-yr-old patient in whom a central venous catheter (CVC) was inadvertently inserted into a persistent left superior vena cava (PLSVC). This congenital anomaly was diagnosed using transthoracic echocardiography. The aetiology and the implications for the anaesthetist are discussed.