Canadian Anaesthetists' Society journal
-
During general anaesthesia with oxygen, nitrous oxide and enflurane, a 29-year-old woman received a total of 105 mg (1.78 mg X k-1) of atracurium over a 2.5 hour period. The neuromuscular blockade could not be completely reversed with neostigmine and mechanical ventilatory support was necessary for three hours postoperatively. The patient received succinylcholine without unusual sequelae before and after this episode. This is the first report of a patient who exhibited prolonged weakness after receiving atracurium.
-
Hospitals and anaesthetists in British Columbia were surveyed by means of questionnaires to assess patterns of obstetric anaesthesia practice, qualifications and numbers of obstetric anaesthesia personnel, hospital obstetric facilities and facilities and protocols for neonatal resuscitation. It was apparent that a large proportion of the obstetric anaesthesia service in this province was being provided by physicians who were not trained, nor certified, as anaesthesia specialists. Preanaesthetic assessment in the obstetric units differed in attitude and practice from the standards expected in the general operating rooms. ⋯ Post-anaesthetic recovery facilities in obstetric units were conspicuously deficient, even in the larger hospitals. The majority of community hospitals lacked written protocols for neonatal resuscitation; and the number of institutions reporting that the neonatal heart rates and temperatures were not routinely monitored is of concern. It is recommended that minimum standards for training in obstetric anaesthesia should be clearly defined; and provision should be made for revision and upgrading of knowledge and skills for physicians practicing anaesthesia in smaller community hospitals.
-
The prophylactic effectiveness of a small "self-taming" dose of succinylcholine (0.1 mg X kg-1), of d-tubocurarine (0.05 mg X kg-1), and of pancuronium (0.02 mg X kg-1) on succinylcholine-induced fasciculations and myoglobinaemia was studied in 64 healthy children (ages two to nine years), anaesthetized with halothane, nitrous oxide and oxygen. Serum myoglobin was analyzed by radioimmunoassay and taken as a tracer of muscle damage. No correlation was found between the serum levels of myoglobin and the incidence of muscle fasciculations. ⋯ The pancuronium pretreated group presented less variable values of serum myoglobin which, when compared to the control group, had a more significant p value (p less than 0.001) than for d-tubocurarine pretreated group (p = 0.003). Muscle fasciculations and increased myoglobin levels were observed in children less than four years old who received succinylcholine. The prophylaxis of acute rhabdomyolytic renal failure due to succinylcholine (seven cases reported in the medical literature) is considered.