Acta anaesthesiologica Belgica
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Acta Anaesthesiol Belg · Jan 2015
ReviewAnesthesia and neurotoxicity in the developing brain: A non-systematic review.
In recent years, increasing experimental evidence has suggested an association between exposure to anesthesia in early life and subsequent poor neurodevelopmental outcome. Retrospective and follow-up studies have also suggested anesthesia-related neurotoxicity in the developing human brain. The present non-systematic review summarizes the available evidence, depicts the current knowledge on the potentially harmful effects of anesthesia and will discuss whether this knowledge urges us to implement changes in clinical practice.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Belg · Jan 2015
Cerebral tissue oxygen saturation during arthroscopic shoulder surgery in the beach chair and lateral decubitus position.
Arthroscopic shoulder surgery is a common procedure and can be performed with the patient in the lateral decubitus position (LDP) or beach chair position (BCP). Although the BCP is associated with better visualization and less bleeding, it has also been associated with hemodynamic changes and consequently cerebral hypoperfusion. Devastating events reported after surgery in the BCP were attributed to a combination of the upright position and hypotension. ⋯ Near infrared spectroscopy might be able to provide an early warning sign of cerebral hypoperfusion during shoulder surgery in the BCP. It was therefore recommended to continuously monitor cerebral oxygenation in patients undergoing shoulder surgery in the BCP, to potentially prevent devastating outcomes. However, more clinical research on the safe lower limits of cerebral tissue oxygen saturation is needed for this recommendation to gain broad acceptance.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Belg · Jan 2015
Case ReportsPostsurgical compartment syndrome of the forearm diagnosed in a child receiving a continuous infra-clavicular peripheral nerve block.
Opinions diverge as to whether or not regional anaesthesia delays the diagnosis of evolving acute compartment syndrome. Withholding regional anaesthesia from patients with painful orthopaedic injuries may be ethically unacceptable, however. In this report, we describe a case of acute compartment syndrome in a 4-year old child who underwent resection of a forearm osteochondroma. ⋯ Pain disappeared while motor function and sensation recovered. The child was discharged without any complications. Despite an effective peripheral nerve block and the young age of the patient, the diagnosis of acute compartment syndrome could be made thanks to a well-defined post-operative analgesia protocol, a high level of suspicion and careful clinical assessment when break-through pain occurred.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Belg · Jan 2015
Randomized Controlled TrialEvaluation of intubating conditions in children after sevoflurane induction using propofol or rocuronium bromide--a randomised, prospective, double blind study.
The use of sevoflurane without muscle relaxant for tracheal intubation has been widely investigated in children. Non-depolarizing neuromuscular blockers have long duration of action and do not provide rapid return of spontaneous ventilation. Use of suc-cinylcholine has been found to be associated with various side-effects especially in children. Therefore, we aim to evaluate the effect of propofol 1.5 mg/kg without muscle relaxant, on intubating conditions in children 2-8 yrs of age and we compare them with those achieved with rocuronium 0.6 mg/kg, at moderate sevoflurane concentration. ⋯ Propofol (1.5 mg/kg) and rocuronium (0.6 mg/kg) produced similar intubating conditions in children induced with sevoflurane.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Belg · Jan 2015
Case ReportsIntermediate cervical plexus block for cervical esophagus diverticulectomy.
We report the case of a 97 year old woman suffering from a voluminous diverticle of the cervical esophagus with important comorbidities and a very poor quality of life. A diverticulectomy under general anesthesia implied a high level of risk. Regional anesthesia was chosen, i.e. an intermediate cervical plexus block, with mild sedation allowing to maintain contact with the patient. The procedure was carried out without complications and the patient's and surgical staff satisfaction were optimal.