British journal of anaesthesia
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Retraction Of Publication
Retraction notice to "Post-tetanic count and single twitch height at the onset of reflex movement after administration of vecuronium under different types of anaesthesia" [Br J Anaesth 1994; 72: 688-690].
This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy). This article has been retracted at the request of the Editor-in-Chief of British Journal of Anaesthesia. The study is retracted for the following reasons: Y Saitoh provided a statement in a personal communication to a member of the editorial board of British Journal of Anaesthesia that the study was not approved by the Institutional Review Board and that no evidence exists to support the study findings.
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The variable clinical presentation of malignant hyperthermia (MH), a disorder of calcium signalling, hinders its diagnosis and management. Diagnosis relies on the caffeine-halothane contracture test, measuring contraction forces upon exposure of muscle to caffeine or halothane (FC and FH, respectively). Patients with above-threshold FC or FH are diagnosed as MH susceptible. Many patients test positive to halothane only (termed 'HH'). Our objective was to determine the characteristics of these HH patients, including their clinical symptoms and features of cytosolic Ca2+ signalling related to excitation-contraction coupling in myotubes. ⋯ These findings suggest that HH pathogenesis stems from excess Ca2+ leak through sarcoplasmic reticulum channels. This identifies HH as a separate diagnostic group and opens their condition to treatment based on understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms.
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The physiological changes of pregnancy can increase the risk of peri-partum pulmonary aspiration. There is limited objective information regarding gastric volumes in pregnant patients. The aim of this cohort study was to characterise prospectively the range of gastric-fluid volume in term non-labouring pregnant patients compared with a historical cohort of non-pregnant females. ⋯ Baseline gastric volume of non-labouring pregnant patients at term is not significantly different from that of non-pregnant females. This information will be helpful to interpreting findings of gastric point-of-care ultrasound in obstetric patients.