Spinal anaesthesia for caesarean section in a patient with brain neoplasma.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to E Alon.
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Ondansetron, a selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, has recently been shown, in a dose of 8 mg, to be superior to 1.25 mg droperidol in preventing postoperative vomiting. There are indications that a dose of 4 mg of ondansetron may be just as effective in reducing postoperative nausea and vomiting as a dose of 8 mg. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and the adverse effects of 4 mg ondansetron in the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting compared to droperidol in patients undergoing surgery with inhalation anaesthesia supplemented with alfentanil. METHODS. Following institutional approval, 40 ASA physical status I and II women scheduled for minor gynaecological surgery gave informed consent to participate in this randomized, double-blind comparative study. Five minutes before induction of general anaesthesia, 20 patients received a single intravenous (i.v.) dose of 4 mg of ondansetron and the remaining 20 received 1.25 mg droperidol i.v. Anaesthesia was induced with 2.1-4 mg/kg of thiopental and 0.1 mg of alfentanil i.v. and maintained with 65% nitrous oxide and 1.5%-3% enflurane in oxygen. On pain stimuli another 0.2-0.4 mg of alfentanil was given. Total effective antiemetic response was defined as the absence of nausea and vomiting for 24 h postoperatively. The incidence of nausea, vomiting and the number of patients showing total antiemetic response as well as the incidence of adverse effects were compared with the chi 2 test and P < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS. Patients were similar with respect to age, height, body weight and total anaesthetic agents received. Duration of anaesthesia and the time until awakening was not significantly different among groups. Postoperatively 7 out of 20 patients given 4 mg of ondansetron and 3 out of 20 patients with droperidol vomited (n.s.). The incidence of nausea was 11 out of 20 in the ondansetron group, and 4 out of 20 in the droperidol group (P < 0.05). Sixteen patients in the droperidol group and 8 patients in the ondansetron group showed a total effective antiemetic response (P < 0.05). Postoperative sedation and well-being scores did not differ significantly among groups. CONCLUSION. Our results show that for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting 4 mg of Ondansetron was inferior to 1.25 mg of droperidol. The drugs were given intravenously prior to general anaesthesia for minor gynaecological surgery with nitrous oxide and enflurane in oxygen supplemented with small boluses of alfentanil.
OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine ovine fetal regional blood flow changes during asphyxia of such severity that it results in seizures. STUDY DESIGN: Six ovine fetuses were exposed to severe asphyxia produced by maternal uterine artery occlusion for up to 90 minutes. Fetal blood pressure and heart rate, blood gases, acid base status, electrocorticogram, electromyogram and regional blood flow (radioactive microspheres) measurements were recorded. RESULTS: During the asphyxial insult pH fell from 7.39 +/- 0.01 (mean +/- SEM) to 6.99 +/- 0.01 at 60 minutes, base excess from 4 +/- 1 to -16 +/- 1 mEq/L, and oxygen content from 3.5 +/- 0.4 to 0.5 +/- 0.1 mmol/L (p < 0.05). There was no significant change in fetal heart rate or blood pressure. The fetal electrocorticogram was profoundly suppressed during asphyxia, and seizure activity began 50 +/- 19 minutes after the release of occlusion in all surviving animals. Blood flow increased to the heart and adrenals during asphyxia and decreased to spleen, gut, kidneys, and carcass (p < 0.05). There was no change in combined ventricular output and umbilical blood flow. There was no significant increase in total cerebral perfusion. CONCLUSION: When the ovine fetus is exposed to asphyxia of sufficient severity to produce neurologic damage (seizures), the pattern of redistribution of blood flow is comparable to the response to lesser asphyxia, except that a significant increase in total brain blood flow does not occur. This finding may have an important association with the development of long-term neurologic damage.
BACKGROUND: The effects of propofol on uterine blood flow are not understood well. This is a relatively new agent that is finding increased use for nonobstetric surgical procedures during pregnancy and induction of anesthesia for cesarean section. METHODS: The effects of induction and maintenance of anesthesia with propofol were studied on maternal and fetal cardiovascular and acid-base variables in a chronically instrumented pregnant sheep model. Anesthesia was induced with a 2 mg/kg bolus of propofol and maintained with of one of three continuous infusions: 150, 300, and 450 micrograms.kg-1 x min-1. The control group received thiopental for induction, and anesthesia was maintained with isoflurane. RESULTS: The use of propofol did not adversely affect maternal or fetal mean arterial pressure, heart rate, or base excess, fetal heart rate variability, or uterine blood flow. Uterine blood flow transiently decreased during induction and intubation with thiopental but remained stable during induction with propofol. However, administration of succinylcholine for intubation in the presence of propofol resulted in a transient, but severe, maternal bradycardia. Continuous infusion of 300 micrograms.kg-1.min-1 of propofol appeared to provide satisfactory anesthesia in the ewe. CONCLUSIONS: Assuming the applicability of ovine data to humans, these findings suggest that induction and maintenance of anesthesia with propofol and 50% nitrous oxide in oxygen has no adverse fetal effects but warrants caution because of the potential risk of severe maternal bradycardia during induction of anesthesia using the combination of propofol and succinylcholine.
Employing a randomized study design, the intra- and post-operative effects of three sedative agents were compared in 30 female patients under regional anaesthesia for lower abdominal surgery. After establishing epidural blockade to a level of T4, 10 patients were sedated with propofol 2.79 +/- 0.4 mg kg-1 h-1, 10 with midazolam 0.08 +/- 0.01 mg kg-1 h-1, and a further 10 patients with methohexitone 1.8 +/- 0.2 mg kg-1 h-1 (mean dose +/- SEM). An additional 10 patients did not receive any sedative agent and served as a control group. There was excellent haemodynamic stability in all groups. They were comparable with respect to respiratory rate, SpO2, and PaCO2. Testing of vigilance showed significant differences between peri-operative and baseline scores and those found in the recovery room in all three groups with intra-operative sedation; in the midazolam group vigilance was still impaired the day following surgery. There were significant differences in the post-operative vigilance scores between patients sedated during surgery and the control group; in the methohexitone group even 24 h later. The ability to concentrate was particularly impaired in patients treated with methohexitone. Patients treated with midazolam or methohexitone needed longer to recall their date of birth than those sedated with propofol.
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A case of presumed amniotic fluid embolism is presented. Diagnosis is based on clinical findings in a 21-year-old parturient, who was admitted to hospital at 39 weeks gestation. During labor the patient became dyspneic and cyanotic, had convulsions and finally suffered a cardiac arrest. During cardiopulmonary resuscitation she was placed in a left semilateral position and an emergency cesarean section was performed immediately. Following delivery of the baby the heart rhythm returned to normal. The prolonged resuscitation produced serious neurological sequelae in both mother and infant in the first few months following delivery, though with complete long-term recovery. This case report highlights the importance of displacing the uterus laterally and performing an emergency cesarean section during resuscitation.
We conducted a comparative trial of the gastric proton pump inhibitor omeprazole and the H2-receptor antagonist ranitidine on gastric pH in 50 adult patients scheduled for elective gynecologic surgery. The drugs were administered intravenously in random fashion after induction of general anesthesia and placement of a gastric electrode for continuous pH monitoring. The two drugs caused significant increases in gastric pH that did not differ significantly when compared with one another, yet there were significant differences from the control group, which did not receive either of the two drugs. A gastric pH of 2.5 was reached within median 34 and 26 min after administration of omeprazole (40 and 80 mg, respectively) and within median 32 and 26 min after administration of ranitidine (50 and 100 mg, respectively). After injection of omeprazole, a gastric pH of 3.5 was reached after median 41 and 34 min; injection of ranitidine (50 and 100 mg) produced a pH of 3.5 after median 43 and 48 min, respectively. We conclude that the intravenous administration of a single dose of omeprazole or ranitidine causes a similar increase, both in magnitude and time of onset, in gastric pH during general anesthesia.
The prophylactic antiemetic efficacy of ondansetron was evaluated in a randomized, double-blind comparison with droperidol and metoclopramide in 66 patients undergoing general anesthesia for dilatation and curettage. Ten minutes before induction of anesthesia, 22 patients received a single intravenous dose of 8 mg of ondansetron, 22 others received 1.25 mg of droperidol, and the remaining 22 received 10 mg of metoclopramide. Anesthesia was induced with 3.3-5 mg/kg of intravenous thiopental and maintained with 65% nitrous oxide in oxygen and 2%-3% enflurane. Postoperatively, the incidence of vomiting was 13% with ondansetron, 45% with droperidol, and 54% with metoclopramide (P less than 0.05; overall chi 2 test). There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of nausea among the groups. Postoperative sedation and well-being scores were not significantly different among the groups. We conclude that preoperative prophylactic administration of ondansetron is superior to droperidol or metoclopramide in the prevention of emetic sequelae after general anesthesia for dilatation and curettage.
UNLABELLED: The aim of the study was to examine the analgesic efficacy and applicability of the two analgesic drugs nalbuphine and tramadol, administered by continuous i.v. infusion combined with a patient-controlled analgesia device (PCA). METHODS: With informed consent and approval of the ethical committee, 40 patients were studied after abdominal hysterectomy in a randomized, double-blind order. Twenty received an initial postoperative dose of 10 mg nalbuphine followed by a continuous infusion of 5 mg/h and the possibility of an additional 5 mg every 30 min. The other 20 received equipotent analgesia consisting of an initial bolus of 50 mg tramadol i.v. followed by a continuous infusion of 25 mg/h and the possibility of an additional 25 mg every 30 min. Analgesia, sedation, general well-being, and acceptance of the patients as well as blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and pulse-oximetric O2 saturation were measured regularly during a 5-h postoperative period. Data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test, with P less than 0.05 considered significant; results were expressed as mean +/- standard deviation. RESULTS: The postoperative pain score on the visual analogue scale (0 to 10) fell with nalbuphine from 7.14 +/- 3.45 to 2.03 +/- 1.25 and with tramadol from 7.81 +/- 2.85 to 1.57 +/- 1.40. There were no significant differences between the two groups. PCA supplements were requested 21.7 times in the nalbuphine group and 27.3 times in the tramadol group. General well-being of the patients on a 4-point scale (0 to 3) improved for the nalbuphine group from 0.70 +/- 0.92 to 2.11 +/- 0.49 and for the tramadol group from 0.62 +/- 0.67 to 2.33 +/- 0.50, which was significantly better in the nalbuphine group after 45, 60, and 90 min.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Thirty-five ASA Grade I-II females received tramadol 150 mg intravenously followed randomly and double-blind by an infusion of either tramadol 15 mg h-1 (Group I) or saline (Group II) and tramadol 100 mg bolus on demand for the treatment of post-operative pain. Patients in Group I required 60% less tramadol on demand (P less than 0.01) and had better pain relief after operation (P less than 0.05) than those in the group given saline. Total tramadol consumption, however, was about 30% higher in Group I (P less than 0.05) and was associated with an increased incidence of minor side-effects. In both groups median serum tramadol concentrations peaked at 15 and 60 min and decreased after the second peak steadily (P less than 0.001). Tramadol failed to relieve pain within 2 h after the beginning of treatment in 6% (Group I) and 20% (Group II) of the patients. It is suggested that use of an i.v. maintenance tramadol infusion in addition to on-demand i.v. tramadol boluses is a safe and recommended mode of post-operative intravenous pain therapy.
The aim of the postoperative pain therapy is besides the amelioration of the patients well-being, also lessening of unwanted vegetative reactions and avoidance of the need for excessive care situations. There are numerous ways of therapy and medication at our disposal for this purpose. The first line of drugs are the analgesically most active opiates; they can be combined with antiphlogistics and antipyretics, in order to decrease the specific opiate-induced side effects. Besides the parenteral way the epidural application is being used. Local anesthetics are a valuable alternative to the systemic pain relief therapy and can postoperatively be combined with opiates. By this combination the total dose and the relevant side effects can be reduced. During the last years patient-controlled analgesia was the modern way and the nearest approach to ideal dosing. In comparison to the conventional way, its therapeutic success was described as convincing, even overwhelming. Difficulties or deficiencies in the postoperative pain therapy are mostly caused by lack of time and insufficient knowledge and experience of the personnel, on the other hand also by limited technical possibilities of monitoring the patient. A possible solution may be the setting-up of a special service for the treatment of postoperative pain.
The case of a parturient previously operated on for transposition of the great arteries is reported. On account of Eisenmenger's syndrome with high pulmonary vascular pressures, she was admitted to hospital with hemoptysis in the 27th week of gestation. At the end of the 34th week the child was delivered by elective cesarean section under epidural block. Bupivacaine 0.75% was administered as local anesthetic, and small incremental doses of local anesthetic proved capable of maintaining hemodynamic stability for the duration of the operative procedure.
The effect of epidural anesthesia on the maternal femoral arterial and venous, uteroplacental, and umbilical circulations was studied by the pulsed Doppler technique in 13 women undergoing elective cesarean delivery. Resistance and pulsatility indices of umbilical arterial velocity waveforms did not change with the use of epidural anesthesia. In the uteroplacental circulation, these indices increased in 11 patients, suggesting an increase in resistance. Reduction of sympathetic tone in resistance and capacitance vessels was reflected in the femoral artery by an increase in systolic and end-diastolic velocities, a reversal of the post-systolic backward flow, and an increase in mean velocity. The latter also occurred in the femoral vein. The diameters of these large maternal vessels did not change. This study suggests an impairment in uteroplacental circulation associated with a drop in peripheral vascular resistance and an increase in leg blood flow after epidural anesthesia.
A retrospective analysis of 256 important interventions in geriatric gynecologic patients (over 70 years of age) was carried out. There were 77 vaginal, 86 abdominal, 9 combined abdomino-vaginal and 82 breast operations. Minor (131) and major (31) complications are described in detail. Two postoperative deaths accounted for a mortality rate of 0.8% in these patients. It is emphasized, that on the premises of a thorough evaluation of the possible treatments, a modern anesthesiologic technique, a well devised operative strategy and the modern postoperative care we can nowadays justify extensive surgery even in the very old gynecologic patient.
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The maternal mortality associated with cesarean section in the presence of congenital cyanotic heart disease is high. We report the anesthetic management of a 26-year-old pregnant patient with transposition of the great vessels and a functional single ventricle whose child was delivered by elective cesarean section under continuous epidural anesthesia. There were no hemodynamic problems and the outcome was successful for both mother and child, who could be discharged from the hospital on the 17th postoperative day. Elective cesarean section may be an acceptable method of delivery, and lumbar epidural block proved to be an appropriate procedure for this patient. The cooperation of cardiologists, anesthesiologists, and obstetricians was necessary to assure maternal and fetal survival. Continuous invasive hemodynamic monitoring and use of small epidural top-up doses (2-3 ml) of local anesthetic were of utmost importance in maintaining the hemodynamic stability.