Cahiers d'anesthésiologie
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Cahiers d'anesthésiologie · Jan 1996
Historical Article[History of anesthesia: the return of nitrous oxide].
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Isolated lower limb injuries are very common; difficulties for emergency anaesthesia may come from full stomach and drug interferences. The outcome of geriatric-fractured hip is influenced neither by a preoperative delay shorter than 48 hours, nor by the choice of anaesthetic technique; Nevertheless the use of acrylic cement is associated with an increased early mortality rate in hemiarthroplasties. ⋯ Spinal anaesthesia using 0.5% plain bupivacaine produces a block quickly achieved, not influenced by posture, allowing surgical installation and procedures. Postoperative analgesia using local anaesthetics may obscure symptoms of compartment syndrome which occasionally complicate tibial and femoral nailing.
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Despite physiological advances and recent progress in pain relief, early analgesia for patients with acute abdominal pain is not a conventional endpoint. In clinical practice, priority is often given to diagnosis and management decisions. There are few controlled trials to settle the issue and opinions are still divided. recent studies suggest than early and effective analgesia in acute abdomen does not interfere with diagnosis, and even facilitates initial examination. Various modes of analgesia can be considered.
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Since the last decade, lumbar epidural analgesia has gained widespread use in obstetrics. Approximately 80% of parturients receive epidural analgesia for labour and vaginal delivery as well as caesarean section in most centres. There is little doubt that the most successful application of epidural analgesia during labour, considered by more than 75% of primiparas as extremely painful. ⋯ Thus, epidural analgesia usually can be extended to relieve both uterine pain and pain related to distension of the lower birth canal, as well as providing analgesia for forceps delivery or caesarean section. Epidural analgesia allows the mother to be awake, minimizes or completely avoids the problems of maternal aspiration and avoids neonatal drug depression from general anaesthetics. If the most popular indication for epidural analgesia is the provision of pain relief, there are certain complications of pregnancy in which epidural analgesia appears to be indicated on therapeutic grounds such as pregnancy-induced hypertension, breech delivery, multiple pregnancy, incoordinate uterine action and fetal and/or maternal medical complications.
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Hepatic injuries account for about 45% of all abdominal traumas and for 30 to 40% of penetrating abdominal injuries. In 60% of the cases, they are associated with other lesions, especially life-threatening head injuries. ⋯ Surgical care, relying mainly on perihepatic packing and vascular exclusion techniques must remain as conservative as possible. Once haemodynamics have been stabilized in patients who do not present any other abdominal lesion requiring laparotomy, the non-interventional attitude is often successful and bears lower morbidity.