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Biomedical subjects

G L Olsson

Publications and source records attributed to G L Olsson.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Procedural pain in a paediatric surgical emergency unit.

Pain induced by various types of procedures was assessed in the Paediatric Surgical Emergency Department at St Göran's Children's Hospital in Stockholm. Assessments of pain were obtained from the nurse, the parent, and children over 10 years of age by means of a visual analogue scale. In children aged 3-9 years, the Smiley Five-Face Scale was used. The nurse and the parent also answered questionnaires about analgesic medication, the child's behaviour, and the parent's overall opinion of the pain management, etc. Irrigation of the glans penis because of balanitis, treatment of fractures and paronychia were considered to be the most painful procedures. Forty-four per cent of the children cried during the procedure and 16% fought against being restrained. In 24% of the cases, the child was judged to be in a state of "panic". In conclusion, we believe that the pain induced by procedures in the emergency rooms is unacceptably high. Children estimate higher pain scores than parents and nurses do. There was a poor correlation between the parent's and child's estimates of pain. Parents are not well informed about the possibilities for pain treatment. Infants and children attending emergency rooms must also benefit from recent advances in the treatment of pain.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Paravertebral vs epidural block in children. Effects on postoperative morphine requirement after renal surgery.

Continuous thoracic paravertebral blockade (PVB) has only recently been reported in pediatric patients. The aim of the present study was to compare retrospectively the postoperative analgesic efficacy of PVB vs conventional lumbar epidural blockade (EDA) in children. Thirty-five consecutive pediatric patients undergoing renal surgery, receiving either PVB (n = 15) or EDA (n = 20), were reviewed. The need for supplemental morphine administration during the first 24 postoperative hours was used to assess the postoperative analgesic efficacy of the two different regional techniques. Both the total amount of supplemental morphine and the number of patients with no need for supplemental morphine administration, were compared between the two groups. The need for supplemental morphine administration was significantly lower (P = 0.046) and the number of patients with no need for supplemental morphine administration postoperatively was significantly higher (P = 0.019) in patients treated with PVB vs EDA. The present study indicates that PVB may possess a potential for postoperative analgesia equal to or maybe even superior to conventional lumbar EDA in pediatric patients undergoing renal surgery. Further prospective studies investigating the analgesic efficacy of this novel technique are warranted.

Analgesia↗
PubMed1994

Inhaled nitric oxide in neonates and children with pulmonary hypertension.

Fourteen critically ill neonatal and paediatric intensive care patients with various primary diagnoses and signs of associated pulmonary hypertension received inhaled nitric oxide (NO), 20-80 ppm, after failure of conventional therapy to improve oxygenation. NO administration was found to be associated with a significant improvement in postductal arterial oxygen tension (pre-NO: 3.75 (SD 1.39) kPa; post-NO: 6.05 (SD 1.70) kPa; p = 0.004). In 10 patients, NO was found to increase arterial oxygen tension with more than 1 kPa. In 2 of these patients, ECMO treatment could be avoided due to the pronounced improvement in gas exchange seen after the initiation of NO administration. The remaining 4 patients failed to respond to NO administration. One patient developed methaemoglobinaemia (13.9%) which required treatment with methylthionine. Since we were unable to produce any beneficial effect of NO in the late phase of the pulmonary disease process, we believe that, in order to be successful, inhaled NO should be instituted when conventional treatment has failed and the administration of an iv vasodilator is usually considered.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed1992

Infants and young children metabolise codeine to morphine. A study after single and repeated rectal administration.

1. Codeine was administered rectally to thirteen infants and young children undergoing elective surgery. Nine infants (6-10 months old) received a 4 mg suppository and four children (3-4 years old) an 8 mg suppository. Codeine and its metabolite morphine were measured in plasma by GC/MS. 2. The mean concentrations of codeine at 3, 4 and 5 h after administration were 240, 163 and 123 nmol l-1 in the younger and 309, 251 and 169 nmol l-1 in the older patients. The corresponding concentrations of morphine were 8.3, 7.4 and 4.5 nmol l-1 and 6.8, 5.5 and 2.8 nmol l-1 respectively. One patient in each age group had no detectable amounts of morphine. 3. In the four children, the rectal dose was repeated 6-hourly for four doses. The plasma concentrations of codeine and morphine following the fifth dose were similar to those after the first dose. The mean AUC(0,5 h) of morphine was 1.6% that of codeine. 4. In the infants the mean plasma half-lives of codeine and morphine were 2.6 and 2.5 h. The two infants with the lowest body weights had the longest half-lives. 5. The mean morphine/codeine concentration ratio was 4.3% in the infants and 1.6% in the children, suggesting impaired glucuronidation of morphine in the former group. The hourly concentration ratios were almost identical following the first and fifth dose in the children. 6. We conclude that at the age of 6 months infants are capable of O-demethylating codeine to morphine.

Biotransformation↗
PubMed1992

Ketorolac: a new parenteral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug for postoperative pain management.

Providing adequate pain control with minimal side effects in inpatient and ambulatory settings is a continuous challenge to the PACU nurse. Ketorolac tromethamine (Toradol, Syntex, Palo Alto, CA) is a new parenteral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) approved for use in the United States. Ketorolac is useful in the management of short term, moderate to severe postoperative pain. It is used by itself or as an adjunct to traditional opioid analgesics. Ketorolac, like other NSAIDs, has analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic properties. Unlike morphine or meperidine, ketorolac does not bind to opioid receptors and is not a centrally acting agent. Administered intramuscularly, peak plasma levels are reached in 45 to 50 minutes. It is administered as a 30- or 60-mg intramuscular (IM) loading dose followed by 15- or 30-mg doses IM every 6 hours, with a maximum first-day dose of 150 mg and 120 mg on subsequent days up to a recommended maximum of 5 days. The lower dose range is recommended for elderly patients, patients weighing less than 50 kg, and patients with impaired kidney function. Initial studies show that use of ketorolac decreases the overall amount of opioid analgesia needed for postoperative pain control. To date, reported occurrence of side effects is low. A case study presents a healthy ambulatory surgical patient admitted for inguinal hernia repair using epidural anesthesia. Use of ketorolac has shown initial favorable results. More research is needed to further define its role and side effects in postoperative pain management.

Ambulatory Surgical Procedures↗
PubMed1989

Transdermal fentanyl for postoperative pain management. A double-blind placebo study.

A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized design was used to evaluate the safety and efficacy of transdermal fentanyl citrate for postoperative pain management in 42 healthy adult patients undergoing major shoulder surgery. Transdermal systems rated to deliver fentanyl citrate at a rate of 75 micrograms/h were applied to the skin immediately prior to surgery and worn for 24 hours. Patients in the active group required significantly less morphine than the placebo group during the 24-hour period that systems were in place (0.8 +/- 0.61 vs 1.3 +/- 0.64 mg/h) and for the first 12 hours after removal (0.3 +/- 0.36 vs 0.5 +/- 0.32 mg/h). The incidence of vomiting was more frequent in the active group than in the placebo group (73% vs 30%), and respiratory rate in the active group was lower than in the placebo group during the 13- to 24-hour interval of system application (14 +/- 3 vs 16 +/- 2 breaths per minute). Nevertheless, transdermal fentanyl appears to be safe and effective after orthopedic surgery in healthy adult patients.

Administration, Cutaneous↗
PubMed1989

Nursing management of patients receiving epidural narcotics.

Epidural analgesia is an important intervention in patients with pain after surgery. This article presents a brief overview of the anatomy of the epidural space and the physiology of pain transmission, including the action of narcotics in pain relief. The importance of written nursing protocols and in-service education for nursing staff members is discussed as being a necessary prerequisite for the safe use of epidural analgesia. A flow diagram with rationale illustrates the epidural injection technique. Nursing care of patients receiving epidural narcotics is detailed. The discussion emphasizes the management of potential side effects from epidural narcotics (respiratory depression, urinary retention, pruritus, pain on injection, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting) and includes information on the use of a narcotic antagonist. Recommendations are made for preoperative and postoperative teaching of the patient and family. A variety of tools for assessing patients' pain levels are described, and a comprehensive nursing care plan with nursing diagnoses and nursing interventions is provided.

Analgesia, Epidural↗
PubMed1988

The outcome of mechanically ventilated infants and children.

With the aid of a departmental data base system and registers for inpatients stays mortality and length of stay in a pediatric intensive care unit were studied in 549 stays where the patient was treated with mechanical ventilation. Mortality and length of stay after transfer from the ICU were also studied. The mortality in the unit was 25% overall and increased to 33% after 180 days. Average time on the ventilator was 5.9 days and after transfer from the intensive care unit the patients were hospitalized for an average of 6 days during the following 180 days.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Cardiac arrest during anaesthesia. A computer-aided study in 250,543 anaesthetics.

With the aid of a computer-based anaesthetic record-keeping system, all cardiac arrests during anaesthesia at the Karolinska Hospital between July 1967 and December 1984 were retrieved. There were a total of 170 cardiac arrests and 250,543 anaesthetics in the data file, which gives an incidence of 6.8 cardiac arrests per 10,000 anaesthetics. Sixty patients died, constituting a mortality of 2.4 per 10,000 anaesthetics: 42 were considered as inevitable deaths (rupture of aortic or cerebral aneurysm, multitrauma, etc.); 13 cases of cardiac arrest were considered as non-anaesthetic, i.e. complications due to surgery and other procedures. Nine of these patients died. 115 cases of cardiac arrest were considered as caused by the anaesthetic and nine of these patients died. Thus mortality caused by anaesthesia was 0.3 per 10,000 anaesthetics. The most common cause of cardiac arrest due to anaesthesia was hypoxia because of ventilatory problems (27 patients), postsuccinylcholine asystole (23 patients) and post-induction hypotension (14 patients). The highest mortality was seen when spinal or epidural anaesthetics were given to patients with impaired physical status including hypovolaemia. The incidence of cardiac arrest has declined considerably during the period studied, and this coincides with an increasing number of qualified anaesthetists employed in the department during the same period.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

Bronchospasm during anaesthesia. A computer-aided incidence study of 136,929 patients.

With the aid of a computer-based anaesthetic record-keeping system, anaesthetics complicated by bronchospasm during anaesthesia at the Karolinska Hospital were retrieved. The incidence of bronchospasm was calculated in groups characterized by various variables. In total, 246 cases of bronchospasm in 156,064 anaesthetics were retrieved. This corresponds to one case in 634 anaesthetics or 1.7 per 1000 patients. High incidence figures were seen in the age group 0-9 years (4.0/1000) when the patients showed a respiratory infection (41.1/1000), a pathological preoperative ECG (24.3/1000), an obstructive lung disease (21.9/1000), were classified as belonging to ASA class III (23.8/1000), if a tracheal intubation was performed (9.1/1000) or a rectal anaesthesia (35.7/1000) was given. In the age group 50-69 years (1.8/1000), high incidence figures were seen when there was an airway obstruction (8.8/1000), an obstructive lung disease (7.7/1000), a previous myocardial infarction (5.4/1000), a bronchoscopy (7.6/1000) or a mediastinoscopy (7.8/1000) was performed. Most of the cases had no history of allergy or asthma recorded in the anaesthetic form. In this series the triggering factor more often seemed to be of mechanical origin. There were no intraoperative deaths.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

ECG abnormalities in patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage and intracranial tumours.

The incidence of and possible factors influencing ECG abnormalities were analysed in one patient group with subarachnoid haemorrhages (n = 406) and another with intracranial tumours (n = 400). The highest incidence of each ECG abnormality was always found in the patients with subarachnoid haemorrhages. In this group an ECG pattern, possibly attributable to the cerebral disease and comprising abnormalities of the T and U waves and prolongation of the Q-Tc interval, was frequently identified.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Aspiration during anaesthesia: a computer-aided study of 185,358 anaesthetics.

In order to estimate the incidence and significance of aspiration during anaesthesia, a study of cases in which this complication had occurred was made at the Karolinska Hospital. With the aid of the anaesthetic recordkeeping system of the Department of Anaesthesia and the computer-based register of diagnoses of in-patients at the hospital, all cases in which aspiration was recorded were retrieved. Eighty-three cases of aspiration were retrieved from the file of anaesthetic records and four from the in-patient register. This constitutes an incidence of 4.7 aspirations in 10 000 anaesthetics, or 1 in 2131. The patients most often affected were children and the elderly. In 83% of the cases there were one or more preoperative factors indicating an increased risk for aspiration, such as emergency operation (38 cases, 43%), upper abdominal or emergency abdominal surgery (14 cases, 16%), a history indicating delayed gastric emptying (e.g. peptic ulcer/gastritis, pregnancy, obesity, unusual stress or pain, elevated intracranial pressure, 54 cases, 61%). In 29 cases (33%) there was a history indicating an increased risk of regurgitation, e.g. nasogastric tube, oesophageal disease or pregnancy. In 15 cases of elective surgery, no history of increased risk for aspiration could be found. In 67% of those cases the aspiration was preceded by difficulties involving the airways or intubation. The incidence of aspiration was more than sixfold higher during the night than during regular daytime working hours. In 41 cases (47%) the aspiration led to aspiration pneumonitis confirmed by x-ray. Fifteen patients (17%) needed mechanical ventilation, and four died.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Anesthesia, General↗
PubMed1985

The influence of body weight on plasma concentration of atropine after rectal administration in children.

To avoid an unpleasant injection, the rectal administration of drugs to children is often to be preferred. Very little has been published on plasma concentrations of atropine given rectally. To determine whether body weight has any influence on the plasma concentrations of atropine, 18 children weighing 7.5-55.0 kg were given 0.02 mg atropine sulphate per kg rectally, and the plasma levels of atropine were determined. The mean peak plasma concentration of atropine was 1.17 ng/ml and it was reached after 33 min. In the group of smaller children (b.w. less than 15 kg) the peak plasma concentration was (0.83 ng/ml) lower than that observed in older children (1.26-1.36 ng/ml), but this difference was not statistically significant. Plasma concentrations in the group of smaller children declined significantly faster than in the other weight groups.

Adolescent↗