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Biomedical subjects

Chun-Chang Yeh

Publications and source records attributed to Chun-Chang Yeh.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Hypercapnia due to rupture of the unidirectional valve in the inspiratory limb of the breathing system after induction of general anesthesia--a case report.

Malfunction of either inspiratory or expiratory check valve in a breathing circuit system may allow carbon dioxide (CO2) rebreathing and result in hypercapnia. The subsequent increase of PaCO2 may entail increased sympathetic activity which in turn causes serious problems such as tachyarrhythmia and myocardial ischemia, particularly in patients who have history of coronary artery disease (CAD). Here, we report an incident of rupture of the inspiratory valve in the breathing circuit which happened to a patient during induction of general anesthesia and eventuated in markedly heightened end-tidal CO2 (EtCO2) of the patient. The recognition, related complications and management of the inspiratory valve malfunction are discussed.

Anesthesia, General↗

Loss of intrathecal morphine analgesia in terminal cancer patients is associated with high levels of excitatory amino acids in the CSF.

PURPOSE: To examine excitatory amino acid (EAA) levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients on long-term morphine treatment for terminal cancer pain relief and to correlate these with morphine's analgesic effect. METHODS: Fourteen terminal cancer patients suffering severe pain and requiring long-term opioid treatment for pain relief were included. An intrathecal (IT) catheter was implanted at the L(3-4)/L(4-5) level and advanced 10 cm in a cephalad direction. IT morphine injection was started at 100 microgram q 12 hr with a daily incremental dose of 50 microgram until the effective dose was reached. The CSF was sampled (2 mL) as follows: 1) before the first IT morphine injection, 2) when the effective dose of morphine was reached, 3) when loss of morphine's analgesic effect at the effective dose (pain visual analogue scale > 5), and 4) after consecutive increases of the morphine dose (50 microgram, IT, daily) for satisfactory pain relief and up to double the effective dose. The concentrations of glutamate and aspartate in the CSF were determined. RESULTS: CSF levels of glutamate and aspartate at the effective dose of morphine were lower than the baseline levels and increased when pain intensity increased and when morphine's analgesic effect was lost. CONCLUSION: Long-term IT morphine administration was accompanied by an increase of EAA level in the CSF that was associated with a loss of morphine's analgesic effect.

Adult↗

Preoperative cotreatment with dextromethorphan and ketorolac provides an enhancement of pain relief after laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy.

OBJECTIVES: Both N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have been demonstrated to produce better postoperative pain relief. The concept of multimodal analgesia has also been used for clinical pain management. The aim of the present study was to examine the analgesic effect of preoperative cotreatment with dextromethorphan (DM) and ketorolac on postoperative pain management after laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH). METHODS: Eighty ASA physical status I or II patients scheduled for LAVH were included and randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups. Patients received intramuscular (IM) chorpheniramine 20 mg+ intravenous (IV) 2 mL of normal saline, IM DM 40 mg+IV 2 mL of normal saline, IM chorpheniramine 20 mg+IV 60 mg (2 mL) of ketorolac, and IM DM 40 mg+IV ketorolac 60 mg as the groups C, DM, Keto, and DM+Keto, respectively. All patients were given a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) with morphine for pain relief postoperatively. Analgesic effects were evaluated using Visual Analog Scale pain scores at rest and during coughing, time to first PCA request for pain relief, total morphine consumption, bed rest time, and the time to first passage of flatus for 48 hours after surgery. RESULTS: Patients in DM and Keto groups had significantly better pain relief than patients in group C. Patients in DM+Keto group exhibited the best postoperative pain relief among groups in the following several categories: time to first trigger of PCA, total morphine consumption, the worst Visual Analog Scale, bed rest time, and the time to first passage of flatus, demonstrating an enhanced effect between DM and ketorolac. Neither synergistic nor antagonistic interaction was observed between DM and ketorolac. DISCUSSION: Preoperative treatment with both DM and ketorolac diminish postoperative pain. Our results suggest that the N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist-DM and the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs-ketorolac cotreatment provide an enhancement of analgesia for postoperative pain management in patients after LAVH surgery.

Adult↗