British journal of anaesthesia
-
Fluid depletion during the perioperative period is associated with poorer outcome. Non-invasive measurement of total body water by bioimpedance may enable preoperative fluid depletion and its influence on perioperative outcome to be assessed. ⋯ Further work is warranted to determine if bioimpedance changes may serve as a useful indicator of perioperative fluid depletion.
-
Comparative Study
Comparison of the role of endothelin, vasopressin and angiotensin in arterial pressure regulation during sevoflurane anaesthesia in dogs.
In this study we aimed to clarify the role of endothelin in arterial pressure regulation during anaesthesia with increasing concentrations of sevoflurane (1-3 MAC) and compare it with those of vasopressin and angiotensin. ⋯ At 1 MAC, angiotensin attenuated the decrease in arterial pressure during sevoflurane anaesthesia more than endothelin and vasopressin. However, at higher MAC only vasopressin was specifically activated to partly compensate for the arterial pressure decrease.
-
Case Reports
Postoperative nerve irritation syndrome after epidural analgesia in a six-year-old child.
Morbidity after paediatric epidural anaesthesia is unusual. We report a case of transient nerve root irritation occurring after epidural analgesia for radical nephrectomy in a 6-yr-old boy who received a continuous infusion of bupivacaine 0.1%. ⋯ Mechanical irritation of nerve roots by the epidural catheter in the epidural space is the most likely cause. Br J Anaesth 2004: 92: 146-8
-
Cardiovascular changes during drainage of pericardial effusion are not well understood, and most studies are of systemic effects and not of right ventricular performance. Thoracoscopy is not widely used to drain pericardial effusions because of haemodynamic changes in relation to the use of single lung ventilation. ⋯ Pericardial effusion reduces right ventricular distensibility, right and left systolic ventricular function, and cardiac output. Anaesthesia with mechanical ventilation and a low-pressure pneumothorax do not affect the circulation greatly. Drainage of the pericardial effusion allows cardiac distensibility to increase and cardiac performance changes to allow increased ejection.