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Biomedical subjects

D Bigler

Publications and source records attributed to D Bigler.

35 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Comparative effects of intrathecal bupivacaine and tetracaine on analgesia, cardiovascular function and plasma catecholamines.

Forty otherwise healthy male patients, scheduled for elective inguinal herniotomy, were randomly allocated to spinal anaesthesia with 3 ml 0.5% hyperbaric tetracaine or bupivacaine under double-blind conditions. The extent of blockade (pin-prick and cold sensation), blood pressure and heart rate and plasma catecholamines were measured before and 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 min after injection, before skin incision. Cephalad spread of sensory and temperature analgesia was insignificantly higher after tetracaine. The mean time taken to reach maximal spread of analgesia was 22 min in both groups. Mean arterial pressure showed a more pronounced decrease in the tetracaine group (22 vs 12%, P less than 0.009). Heart rate fell slightly and similarly in both groups, while rate-pressure product was significantly lower in the tetracaine group. The correlation between the decrease in mean arterial pressure and the cephalad spread of sensory analgesia was similar in the two groups, suggesting that at identical levels of sensory analgesia changes in blood pressure were similar after tetracaine and bupivacaine. Plasma norepinephrine and epinephrine measurements before spinal puncture and at maximal decrease in mean arterial pressure showed a depressed response to fall in blood pressure in the tetracaine group. It is concluded that spinal anaesthesia with 3 ml hyperbaric 0.5% tetracaine is followed by a more pronounced fall in blood pressure compared to an identical dose of bupivacaine. The more pronounced sympathetic blockade, confirmed by plasma catecholamine measurements, following tetracaine is probably due to a higher cephalad spread of neurogenic blockade, rather than a differential effect on sympathetic nerve fibres.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Variation in spread of analgesia and loss of temperature discrimination during intermittent postoperative epidural bupivacaine administration.

The proximal-distal and bilateral extent of analgesia and loss of temperature discrimination were assessed during the initial 34.5 h after major abdominal surgery in ten patients receiving intermittent epidural bupivacaine injections according to a fixed dose regimen. Segmental spread of loss of temperature discrimination was invariably larger than analgesia at all times. During the later postoperative period (24-34 h) a pronounced intra-individual variation in both proximal-distal and bilateral spread of analgesia was observed despite identical epidural injections of bupivacaine. This variation in extent of analgesia was observed during injections of both 0.5% and 0.25% bupivacaine. The explanation of this observation is unknown but it may be shifts in catheter position, a variable disposition of the local anaesthetic agent or changes in the epidural space rather than tachyphylaxis.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

Epidural morphine improves pain relief and maintains sensory analgesia during continuous epidural bupivacaine after abdominal surgery.

Twenty patients scheduled for elective major abdominal surgery were matched into two groups with regard to age, sex, height, body weight, and surgical procedure. Both groups received general anesthesia plus lumbar epidural analgesia with similar loading doses of bupivacaine 0.5% (23.1 +/- 1.0 and 23.3 +/- 0.8 ml) (mean +/- SEM) followed by continuous infusion of plain bupivacaine 0.5% (8 ml/hr) plus, in one group, epidural morphine (0.5 mg/hr). Pain score on a 5-point scale and sensory analgesia (pin prick) were assessed hourly for 16 hours after skin incision. If sensory analgesia decreased more than 5 segments from preoperative levels or if pain scores reached 2 (moderate pain), the patients were removed from the study, and pain was treated with other methods. Preoperative mean (+/- SEM) sensory levels of analgesia were similar in the bupivacaine and the bupivacaine-morphine groups (T3.4 +/- 0.5 and T3.3 +/- 0.4, respectively). In the group receiving only bupivacaine, sensory analgesia regressed over time with a simultaneous increase in pain score. Thus, within 10 hr after skin incision, seven patients in this group were discharged from the study, and 16 hr after incision only one patient maintained initial level of sensory analgesia. In contrast, each patient receiving bupivacaine plus morphine had stable sensory analgesia and was completely free of pain as indicated by a mean pain score of zero during the 16-hr observation period. Thus epidural morphine may improve pain relief and maintain analgesia during continuous epidural bupivacaine administration after abdominal surgery.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1985

Changes in plasma volume, in transcapillary escape rate of albumin and in subcutaneous blood flow during hypoglycaemia in man.

Hypoglycaemia was induced by insulin injected intravenously (0.15 i.u./kg body weight) in seven healthy young males. Plasma volume was measured before and during hypoglycaemia by intravenous injection of 125I before hypoglycaemia and of 131I during hypoglycaemia. Plasma volume decreased and transcapillary escape rate increased significantly during hypoglycaemia. Skin temperature and local subcutaneous adipose tissue blood flow were measured in four different regions. Both tended to decrease during hypoglycaemia and decreased significantly 2 h after hypoglycaemia. There was no correlation between changes in the two measurements, suggesting that there is no simple relationship between subcutaneous blood flow and skin temperature during hypoglycaemia.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Disruption of colonic anastomosis during continuous epidural analgesia. An early postoperative complication.

The clinical presentation is described of partial rupture of a colonic anastomosis two hours after surgery during epidural analgesia. The unusually early presentation of this complication is possibly due to removal of normal intestinal sympathetic activity by epidural analgesia resulting in normal or increased colonic motility. It is not known whether epidural analgesia may precipitate anastomotic breakdown due to increased contractions and strain on the anastomosis, or lead to an earlier presentation of a disruption caused by failure of surgical technique or other factors.

Anesthesia, Epidural↗
PubMed1985

Mental function and morbidity after acute hip surgery during spinal and general anaesthesia.

Forty elderly patients (mean age 78.9 years) undergoing acute surgery for hip fracture were given at random either spinal analgesia with bupivacaine 0.75% or general anaesthesia with diazepam, fentanly and N2O/O2. Mental function was studied pre-operatively with an abbreviated mental test and 1 week and 3 months postoperatively in both groups. Mortality and number of complications was similar in the two groups, but a shorter time of ambulation was seen in the spinal group compared to the general anaesthetic group. No persistent impairment in mental function was found after acute hip surgery under spinal or general anaesthesia and the only advantage of regional technique was a shorter time of ambulation.

Aged↗
PubMed1985

Neurological sequelae after intoxication with sodium valproate.

A case of valproic acid poisoning with coma and neurological sequelae is presented. The course of the intoxication was severe with affection of the brain, heart and liver. The patient remained in coma for thirteen days. After this he recovered slowly although reduction in vision still persisted after two months. The toxicity of valproate is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Evaluation of two methods of rapid blood-glucose monitoring by unskilled personnel during surgery.

The accuracy of two rapid methods of blood-glucose monitoring without (Haemo-glucotest 1-44) and with a reflectance meter (Hypocount B) was compared using a laboratory method. The assessment was carried out by personnel with no previous experience in measuring blood glucose. Eighty-five percent of the 92 measurements obtained with the hypocount B were within +/- 20% of the laboratory glucose values. Using haemo-glucotest 1-44 strips, 74% of the readings were within +/- 20% of the reference laboratory values. For values below 5.5 mmol/l, there was a tendency for results to be too low, with 77% of the readings below laboratory values -20%. All situations with severe hypoglycaemia were detected with both strips. The study also demonstrates the ineffectiveness of s.c. insulin regimens during surgery. Only 47% of the measured blood glucose values were within the range of 5.5-10 mmol/l and two of ten patients had hypoglycaemia with values below 2.5 mmol/l. Therefore glucose monitoring during surgery in diabetics seems justified. This monitoring can be performed adequately with strips.

Adult↗