Minerva anestesiologica
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Minerva anestesiologica · Nov 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialSubarachnoid anaesthesia in caesarean delivery: effects on alertness.
Subjects in spinal anaesthesia have been reported to show a decrease in the level of alertness, even when they have not received any sedative drugs. ⋯ Pregnant women undergoing caesarean delivery had a more elevated level of state anxiety, assessed by SAI, as seen in Part I. Subarachnoid anaesthesia in caesarean delivery is associated with a reduction of alertness level. A double mechanism might cause a clinically valuable sedative effect, observed by OAA/S scale and self-sedation VAS: decrease of the afferent spinal inputs and an anxiolytic psychophysiologic effect, induced by good outcome of the birth and mother-baby contact. Intrathecal bupivacaine-fentanyl dose produces a larger alertness decrease than single bupivacaine, because the anaesthetic block density increases. BIS was not a sensitive measure to detect the light sedation occurring in Part II of this study.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Nov 2003
Case ReportsHigh frequency percussive ventilation (HFPV). Case reports.
Treatment of acute respiratory failure is still a hot issue in intensive care everyday practice: in the last few years high frequency ventilation techniques have been employed as a therapy for adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and acute respiratory failure (ARF). We applied high frequency percussive ventilation (HFPV) to 3 patients affected by ARDS or ARF, who did not improve after 24 hours of conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV). All our patient underwent 12 hours of HFPV, and showed an improvement of both respiratory exchange and radiological imaging. Even if the pathogenesis of ARF was quite different, in all patient we registered a good response and no complications.