Revista española de anestesiología y reanimación
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Rev Esp Anestesiol Reanim · Apr 1998
[Relationship between mixed venous saturation and cardiac index, hemoglobin and oxygen consumption in aortic surgery].
Mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO2) depends mainly on four variables: cardiac index (CI), hemoglobin concentration (Hb), arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2) and oxygen consumption (VO2). Our aim was to study the correlation between each of these variables and SvO2 during abdominal aortic surgery, a situation which is of special interest because of associated hemodynamic and metabolic variations and the high risk of cardiovascular events. ⋯ Monitoring SvO2 in patients undergoing aortic surgery is useful for detecting potentially prejudicial variations in cardiac output or hemoglobin concentration.
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Rev Esp Anestesiol Reanim · Apr 1998
[Preoperative information and informed consent in surgically treated patients].
Providing information is an important part of the doctor-patient relationship. In hospital practice today, patients and/or their families are sometimes given seriously inadequate information. Our aim was to analyze the quality of information received by patients before anesthesia and surgery. ⋯ We must underline the poor quality of patient knowledge about medical procedures and the scarce information provided. Even fewer patients known about the risks of anesthesia. A patient's signing of an informed consent form does not correspond to real knowledge of the risks involved in the procedure.
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Rev Esp Anestesiol Reanim · Apr 1998
Case Reports[Epidural abscess secondary to the implantation of a thoracic catheter].
Spinal compression related to the formation of an epidural abscess after epidural blockade is a rare but serious complication. We report the case of a male patient in whom a thoracic epidural catheter was implanted to provide analgesia after trauma involving fracture ribs. ⋯ We review causal factors, mechanisms of formation, pathogenesis, diagnosis and management, as well as possible relation between injury and abscess formation. We also emphasize the importance of adequate vigilance as well as rapid diagnosis and adoption of therapeutic measures in order to avoid permanent sequelae such as paresis, sensory deficits or mechanical sphincter dysfunction.