Articles: surgery.
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Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol · May 1995
ReviewContemporary transatlantic developments concerning compelled medical treatment of pregnant women.
This paper had identified a contemporary ethicolegal dilemma concerning the circumstances, if any, in which a pregnant woman's refusal of medical treatment may be judicially overridden either in her interests or those of the unborn child. On the one hand, the obstetrician will be concerned about the interests of both his patients in potentially life-threatening situations when they can be protected by what might be regarded as relatively straightforward procedures and where to fail to take those steps might expose the practitioner (at least outside New Zealand where its accident compensation legislation has impact in this regard) to allegations of negligence. ⋯ In such cases also, the conduct of medical procedures in the face of an express prohibition by the woman may give rise to liability for battery. (In New Zealand, such a potential liability would not, in the writer's view, be affected by the prohibition on proceedings for damages for medical misadventure as contained in the Accident Rehabilitation and Compensation Insurance Act 1992.) At the heart of an analysis of this issue is the status of the fetus as it is the fact of the woman patient's pregnancy which distinguishes the cases discussed in this paper from others in which the Courts have had to deal with refusals of treatment by those competent to do so. In regard to this aspect, the approach of the Courts in various jurisdictions has arguably been confused and contradictory.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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This study was conducted on patients undergoing third molar surgery to evaluate their opinions on surgery and the follow-up period. Two groups were formed, as patients were able to choose between local anaesthesia alone or with additional conscious sedation by means of intravenous Midazolam. ⋯ Following the evaluation of surgery as more "pleasant" by sedated patients, it might be expected that this would contribute to a similar experience of the follow-up period. In this study, however no such connection was found. It is possible that preoperative self-selection of the patients (more sensitive and cautious persons preferred conscious sedation) might be responsible for these results.
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Journal of anesthesia · Mar 1995
Prophylactic hemostatic drugs do not reduce hemorrhage: Thromboelastographic study during upper abdominal surgery.
Although a number of hemostatic drugs are currently used during surgery to reduce hemorrhage, their effects on bleeding are still controversial. Furthermore, few studies have been made on their prophylactic effects. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effects of hemostatic drugs on bleeding. ⋯ No significant difference in blood loss was observed between the groups. Our findings, therefore, suggest that these two hemostatic drugs do not have prophylactic effects on intraoperative bleeding. Further studies are, however, necessary before applying these results to all surgical patients.
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Journal of anesthesia · Mar 1995
Spinal function monitoring by evoked spinal cord potentials in aortic aneurysm surgery.
Evoked spinal cord potentials (ESCPs) were monitored in 12 patients who underwent repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm with a high risk of spinal ischemia. A pair of bipolar catheter electrodes were introduced into the epidural space, one at the level of the C5-T2 vertebrae and the other at the level of T11-L2. Conductive mixed ESCP in seven patients, conductive sensory ESCP in one patient, and segmental descending ESCP in three patients were observed by applying a rectangular electric current to one of each pair of epidural electrodes and recording through the other. ⋯ The N wave of segmental descending ESCP subsequently flattened in two of the three patients and the N1 wave of segmental ESCP in the one patient. Three of the four patients in whom the ESCPs disappeared during aorta clamping recovered the ESCPs after declamping and showed no neurological disorders postoperatively. Intraoperative ESCP monitoring appears to be useful to detect spinal cord ischemia in the early stage and to alert surgeons and anesthesiologists so that timely resuscitative steps can be taken.