[Medical-legal aspects of obstetrical anesthesia].
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to D Thorin.
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UNLABELLED: Seventy-eight pregnant women at term, scheduled for elective cesarean section, were enrolled in this multicenter trial to compare the analgesic efficacy and side effect profile of a spinal block with hyperbaric bupivacaine alone (Group B) or combined with 75 microg of clonidine (Group BC) or with clonidine 75 microg and fentanyl 12.5 microg (Group BCF). Intraoperatively, clonidine increased the spread of the sensory block and decreased pain (pain scores 23+/-7 mm vs 17+/-6 and 2+/-1 mm for Group B versus Groups BC and BCF; P < 0.05) and analgesic supplementation. This improved analgesia was best with the clonidine-fentanyl combination (Group BC versus Group BCF; P < 0.05). Postoperative analgesia was prolonged only in Group BCF (215+/-79 min vs 137+/-35 and 183+/-80 min for Group BCF versus Groups B and BC; P < 0.05). Blood pressure and heart rate changes were not significantly different among groups, whereas sedation and pruritus were significantly more frequent in Group BCF. Nausea and vomiting were decreased in Groups BC and BCF. Apgar scores and umbilical artery blood pH were not different among groups. We conclude that adding a small dose of intrathecal clonidine to bupivacaine increases the quality of intraoperative analgesia and decreases pain during cesarean section. Combining clonidine with fentanyl further improved analgesia. IMPLICATIONS: In this study, we demonstrate improved intraoperative spinal analgesia by adding 75 microg of clonidine to bupivacaine; side effects were not increased. The combination of clonidine and fentanyl further improved analgesia but moderately increased sedation and pruritus.
STUDY OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of granisetron with placebo in the treatment of established postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). DESIGN: Randomized, placebo-controlled study. SETTING: 34 hospitals in Europe, Scandinavia, and South Africa. PATIENTS: 519 ASA physical status I, II, and III patients who developed PONV within 4 hours of the end of surgery performed with general anesthesia. INTERVENTIONS: Patients received a single intravenous dose of granisetron 0.1 mg, 1 mg, or 3 mg, or placebo when symptoms of nausea or vomiting were experienced. Additional rescue medication could be given at the investigator's discretion if nausea and vomiting were not controlled. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: At all doses investigated, granisetron was significantly more effective (p < or = 0.001) than placebo in controlling vomiting: 38%, 46%, and 49% of patients receiving granisetron, 0.1 mg, 1.0 mg, and 3.0 mg, respectively, experienced no vomiting in the first 24 hours following drug administration, compared with 20% receiving placebo. There was a statistically significant linear relationship between vomiting control and granisetron dose (p < 0.001). Survival distributions of time to resolution of vomiting confirmed the statistically significant difference between patients receiving granisetron and those receiving placebo. Granisetron was well tolerated: the most common adverse experiences were pain, constipation, anemia, and headache, and the incidence of adverse experiences was not statistically significantly higher in any of the granisetron groups than in the placebo group. CONCLUSION: Granisetron was significantly more effective than placebo in all groups. Further studies in specific subgroups may be warranted.
The case of an arterial aorto-subclavian thromboembolism associated with a moderate ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) and following ovulation induction for in-vitro fertilization in a young woman is reported. Because of the lack of response to systemic thrombolysis, a left postero-lateral thoracotomy was performed on day 8 after embryo transfer. A fibrinocruoric embolus situated at the junction of the left subclavian artery from the aorta was removed through a left subclavian arteriotomy. The distal axillary embolus was removed by a retrograde balloon catheter embolectomy. A moderate OHSS was observed. The ovarian stimulation and OHSS-related risks of thromboembolism are discussed. We conclude that, in the absence of risk factors, counselling about possible complications resulting from stimulation must be emphasized.
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The obstetrical population is prone to difficult or failed intubation. Control of the airway is complicated by several factors specific to obstetric anesthesia: time of apnea is short due to a reduced functional residual capacity and pregnancy-induced hypertension and obesity are relatively frequent; anesthetist's skill can also be mentioned. The best approach to this problem lies in its prevention, using epidural analgesia as soon as possible. Furthermore, the number of difficult intubations can be considerably reduced by a thorough pre-anesthetic examination. Each anesthetist must keep an algorithm in mind, should a difficult or failed intubation in obstetrical patient occur. Whichever method is used (ventilation through a facial mask or laryngeal mask, transtracheal oxygenation), the anesthetist must never forget that the first priority is always the safety of the mother.
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Severe head injury induces major hormonal, humoral and metabolic changes, characterized by increases in stress hormone secretion, lymphokines production, associated with high lipid and protein catabolism as well as changes in energy expenditure (EE). Numerous factors influence EE in head-injured patients, particularly anthropometric data, body temperature, nutritional support, level of consciousness, muscular tone and activity. Resting EE is usually increased following brain trauma; however, normal or decreased metabolic rates can be observed in curarized patients on mechanical ventilation or in patients receiving high doses of barbiturates.
Numerous methods can be used to assess energy expenditure (EE). The Fick method allows an easy calculation of EE in critically ill patients with Swan-Ganz catheters. Indirect calorimetry can be performed using either closed circuit or open circuit techniques. The latter is accurate when the patient is breathing air or low-FiO2 gaz mixture, but inaccurate at high FiO2. The accuracy of instruments, the presence of a leak-free system and the mathematical manipulations are critical points. Calorimetric studies performed in patients receiving high FiO2 must be interpreted with caution.
Energy expenditure measurements in critically ill patients using indirect calorimetry is complex and often very inaccurate. Analysis of the data should first question their validity. The components of energy expenditure should be carefully separated to assess the effects of illness, drugs and supportive treatments.
Postabsorptive resting metabolic rate (RMR), measured by indirect calorimetry, and the effect of iv propranolol administration were studied in 12 nonseptic patients with severe head injury by means of indirect calorimetry. Before propranolol RMR was moderately increased (126 +/- 10.4% of predicted values) whereas urinary excretion of catecholamines was markedly elevated (p less than .01 vs. normal values). RMR was significantly correlated with both resting heart rate (HR) (r = .72, p less than .01) and 24-h urinary N excretion (r = .85, p less than .001). The administration of iv propranolol (0.1 mg/kg) produced a rapid decrease in HR (-10 +/- 4%, p less than .001) and in RMR (-6.1 +/- 2.3%, p less than .001). Further administration of propranolol produced no additional reduction in either HR or RMR. We conclude that severely head-injured patients are moderately hypermetabolic in resting and postabsorptive conditions, and that acute iv propranolol administration induces a reduction of about one quarter of the resting hypermetabolism.
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The case is reported of a 52-year-old woman who developed paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia prior to induction of general anesthesia. This arrhythmia, resistant to vagal stimulation and verapamil, was finally ended by the administration of flecainide in the operating room.
Insulin resistance is a common feature of Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus. This defect in insulin-mediated glucose metabolism could result from a defect in either glucose oxidation or non-oxidative glucose disposal. To examine this question, euglycaemic insulin clamp studies were performed in 16 normal weight Type 2 and 11 age-matched control subjects. In Type 2 diabetic patients the fasting plasma glucose concentration, 8.39 +/- 0.50 mmol/l, was allowed to decline (over 54 +/- 6 min) to 5.33 +/- 0.11 mmol/l before starting the insulin clamp. Total body glucose uptake was significantly decreased in Type 2 diabetic patients vs control subjects (148 +/- 15 vs 264 +/- 25 mg/min.m2, p less than 0.001). Both total glucose oxidation (59 +/- 6 vs 89 +/- 6 mg/min.m2, p less than 0.005) and non-oxidative glucose disposal (89 +/- 15 vs 179 +/- 24 mg/min.m2, p less than 0.005) were significantly reduced in the Type 2 diabetic patients. Basal glucose oxidation was also reduced in the Type 2 diabetic patients (22 +/- 3 vs 38 +/- 5 mg/min.m2, p less than 0.01). In conclusion, during the postabsorptive state and under conditions of euglycaemic hyperinsulinaemia, impairment of glucose oxidation and non-oxidative glucose disposal both contribute to the insulin resistance observed in normal weight Type 2 diabetic patients. Since lipid oxidation was normal in this group of diabetic patients, excessive non-esterified fatty acid oxidation cannot explain the defects in glucose disposal.
The effects of propofol on cerebrospinal fluid pressure, mean arterial pressure, cerebral perfusion pressure and heart rate were studied during induction, tracheal intubation and skin incision in 23 patients scheduled for elective craniotomy. Premedication consisted of midazolam 0.1 mg/kg intramuscularly and metoprolol 1 mg/kg orally. Measurements were made or derived at time zero and 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 and 3 minutes after an induction dose of propofol 1.5 mg/kg. A continuous infusion of propofol was started at time zero at a rate of 100 mg/kg/minute. Fentanyl 2 micrograms/kg was added before tracheal intubation, application of the pin head holder and skin incision. Cerebrospinal fluid pressure and mean arterial pressure decreased significantly 2 minutes after propofol alone, by 32% and 10% respectively, while a cerebral perfusion pressure above 70 mmHg was maintained. Heart rate did not change. Propofol combined with moderate dose of fentanyl, obtunded the usual cerebrospinal fluid and arterial pressure responses to intubation and other noxious stimuli. Thus propofol seems to be a suitable intravenous anaesthetic agent for induction and maintenance in neuroanaesthesia.
We have previously shown that the increase in energy expenditure following glucose/insulin infusion is, in large part, mediated by the sympathetic nervous system and that this sympathetic component can be blocked by the nonselective beta-1, beta-2 antagonist propranolol. To examine which beta adrenergic receptor mediates this thermogenic response, we performed euglycemic insulin clamp studies in eight healthy control subjects with and without metoprolol at a dose known to block only the beta-1 adrenergic receptor. Basal glucose oxidation and energy expenditure were similar in the control and metoprolol groups. During the last hour of the insulin clamp study, glucose oxidation (3.06 +/- 0.25 v 2.92 +/- 0.21 mg/kg X min), total body glucose uptake (8.17 +/- 0.70 v 7.13 +/- 0.49 mg/kg X min), and nonoxidative glucose uptake (5.11 +/- 0.60 v 4.21 +/- 0.44 mg/kg X min) were not different in the control compared to the metoprolol group. However, the increment in energy expenditure was inhibited by 64% during metoprolol infusion (0.04 +/- 0.01 v 0.11 +/- 0.02 kcal/min, P less than 0.01). Glucose/insulin-induced thermogenesis was similarly reduced by metoprolol (2.56 +/- 0.81 v 5.04 +/- 0.74%, P less than 0.01). These results are quantitatively quite similar to those observed with propranolol. We conclude that the beta adrenergic nervous system and, specifically, the beta-1 receptor mediates the thermogenic response to glucose/insulin infusion.