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J Motsch

Publications and source records attributed to J Motsch.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

[Ultrasound and local anaesthesia. Part III: ultrasound and neuroaxial local anaesthesia].

The use of ultrasound as a diagnostic tool for the visualisation of the epidural space has effects on the quality and the performance of epidural anesthesia. This work presents an overview of the recent experiences with ultrasound for epidural anesthesia and on the possibilities for ultrasound imaging techniques. The results of visualisation of the epidural space and its limiting structures obtained by various working groups are presented. We review all presently available data on the prediction of the puncture depth. The various working groups found correlations between predicted and effective puncture depth between 0.79 and 0.98 and the precision of the measurement was 57-7.7 mm. Regarding the prediction of the puncture angle there was a poor correlation ranging between 0.07 and 0.31. The precision between the measured and the punctured angles was found to be 10-13.4 degrees. In all available prospective randomised studies on the puncture effects in the lumbar epidural space, the influence of ultrasound showed a significant reduction ( p<0.03) of the puncture attempts,and we found a significant ( p<0.05) reduction in the number of puncture levels. The ultrasound-guided puncture allowed an ideal needle trajectory and a more precise application of the catheter. A significant improvement of analgesia quality ( p<0.035) and patient satisfaction ( p<0.006) could be achieved. The metaanalysis of the different studies regarding puncture quality by ultrasound-guided peridural anaesthesia showed a clear advantage for the use of imaging techniques.

Anesthesia, Epidural↗
PubMed2003

[Accessible price lists at the anaesthesiologist's workplace enhance cost consciousness as a part of process and cost optimization].

The imminent introduction of the DRG (diagnosis-related-group) system is putting hospitals in Germany under considerable pressure. This requires that personnel are efficiently allocated by optimizing organizational procedures and that the limited resources be distributed in a cost-effective manner. One prerequisite for this is a marked cost-consciousness on the part of those who "incur costs" in providing a service. To increase the awareness of costs in clinical physicians, the cost structures must be transparent. In order to achieve this goal, a project was initiated at the Department of Anaesthesiology at the University Hospital of Heidelberg, which aimed to enhance the cost-consciousness of the staff by making price lists available to anaesthesiologists at the workplace. In addition to the price lists, the 25 most expensive medications and medical products were added as an ABC analysis. The departmental staff was interviewed by questionnaire as to whether this project was reasonable. After 1 year the interview was repeated. The results of the questionnaire showed that in the opinion of the staff, price lists are an effective tool, as cost-consciousness on the part of clinical physicians can be enhanced by making price structures transparent. This is a major prerequisite for individual motivation in the cost-effective management. Although the ABC analyses demonstrate no long-term effect of the price-transparency on the cost structures, the staff showed increased cost-consciousness and individual motivation for economic tasks.

Anesthesia Department, Hospital↗
PubMed2003

[Emergency from anesthesia in small children. From laryngospasm to prolonged apnea].

Postoperative laryngospasm during emergence from anaesthesia represents a potentially life-threatening complication. Even if this is successfully overcome using drug therapy, new, serious problems may develop. We report the case of a 3 1/2 -year-old boy of African descent weighing 15 kg who developed a laryngospasm during emergence from anaesthesia. Because the airway obstruction could not be controlled by deepening the anaesthesia again and administering anti-obstructive drugs, the boy was given 15 mg succinylcholine. Thereafter prolonged apnea developed such that the patient had to be admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit. The child was extubated 6 h later and the further course was normal so that he could be released from the hospital the following day. Further diagnostic study revealed a dibucaine-sensitive, fluoride-resistant pseudocholinesterase in the plasma, which is a rare form of atypical pseudocholinesterase, explaining the prolonged arousal phase after the administration of succinylcholine. Three significant aspects of this case are discussed: 1. risk factors and treatment of perioperative airway obstruction 2. factors and treatment of prolonged apnea, and 3. delayed arousal reactions and their management in an outpatient setting.

Airway Obstruction↗
PubMed2002

[Thrombolysis during cardiopulmonary resuscitation].

Between 40 and 90 cardiopulmonary resuscitations are performed per 100,000 inhabitants each year in western industrialised nations. In 50-70% of these patients, either fulminant pulmonary embolism or acute myocardial infarction is the underlying cause of cardiac arrest. Based on this fact, thrombolysis may represent a new and effective causal therapeutic strategy in patients suffering from cardiac arrest due to acute myocardial infarction or fulminant pulmonary embolism. In the past, thrombolysis was contraindicated during cardiopulmonary resuscitation due to great fears of severe bleeding complications (resuscitation-mediated or lysis-induced intracerebral bleeding). For a long time, only clinical case reports or small clinical case series were reported in the literature, however, recently, the first clinical studies focusing on the safety and efficacy of thrombolytic therapy during out-of-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation have been published. Besides a specific therapeutic causal effect on pulmonary artery emboli and coronary artery thrombosis, experimental data strongly indicate that thrombolysis might also have an impact on cerebral microcirculatory reperfusion during and after cardiopulmonary resuscitation. This effect might be responsible for the exceptionally good neurological outcome observed in patients treated with thrombolytic agents during cardiopulmonary resuscitation and might be a result of the proven imbalance of the endogenous coagulation system in patients suffering from cardiac arrest. This coagulation imbalance is thought to be responsible for postresuscitation cerebral microcirculatory reperfusion disorders in patients after cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. In summary, recent clinical and experimental data focusing on thrombolysis during cardiopulmonary resuscitation strongly indicate, that thrombolysis may represent a new and relatively safe therapeutic option during resuscitation after cardiac arrest due to acute myocardial infarction or fulminant pulmonary embolism. If the results of an international randomised, controlled clinical multicentre trial presently underway confirm the previous clinical findings, thrombolysis during cardiopulmonary resuscitation could become an important part of future cardiopulmonary resuscitation algorithms.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

[Contribution of anesthesia to workflow operation].

The changes in our health care system caused by the introduction of DRGs make it necessary for us to abandon departmental process structures in favour of total hospital orientated process structures. An interdisciplinary approach is crucial to enable the most effective use of personnel and material resources. Future orientated information technology and organisational structures will enable us to process our patients effectively and efficiently from pre-admission to discharge. Anaesthesia has to be integrated into a patient management system for in- and out-patients. The essential matters for consideration are anaesthesia consulting hours, the common establishment of process structures for preoperative care, operation room management and postoperative patient care. Routine controls and analysis of the required teamwork reveal improvement potential and enable us to use the necessary control elements effectively.

Anesthesia Department, Hospital↗
PubMed2002

Complete recovery after 2 h of cardiopulmonary resuscitation following high-dose prostaglandin treatment for atonic uterine haemorrhage.

We report the case of a 31-year-old woman who delivered twins by Caesarean section in whom atonic uterine haemorrhage developed 6 h postoperatively. During conservative treatment with the high-dose prostaglandin analogs sulprostone (PGE(2)) and dinoprost (PGF(2alpha)), acute pulmonary oedema and cardiac decompensation developed and, subsequently, the patient suffered cardiopulmonary arrest. After a 2h-period of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), it was possible to restore and stabilize circulation under the highest dose of catecholamines. Despite 2h of CPR, the patient was discharged from hospital 3 months later without any major physical or neurocognitive deficit.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

[The visualisation of dura perforation and blood patches with ultrasound].

The postdural puncture headache (PDPH) is a possible complication after spinal or epidural puncture. The therapeutic concept is usually organised step by step, but the epidural blood patch is the most reliable and effective therapy. In earlier studies myelographie, epidurographie and MRT were used, to visualise the localisation of the dural defect and to describe the effects of patching the epidural space. Our working group focused on the utilisation of ultrasound and we decided to use this technique for the visualisation of bloodpatches. With agreement of the local ethics committee we monitored the performance of 4 epidural bloodpatches in pregnant women, who suffered from PDPH. We used a General Electric LQ 400 ultrasonograph with a 7-MHz-probe. To ensure sterile conditions we used sterile ultrasound sleeves and sterile ultrasound gel. In 3 of 4 cases a continuity loss could be represented in the doppel layer signal of the dura. It had the size of the diameter of a Tuohy needle. In one case the defect of the dura was larger than in the preliminary investigations (2,5 - 3 mm). The ultrasonography of the epidural space was performed in the paramedian scan. All patches were placed by using the conventional loss of resistance technique with using online ultrasound support. The epidural puncture and the application of the blood patches were visualised simultaneously in all cases. With the injection of blood a brief expansion of the epidural space was seen. The patients recieved a mean injection volume of 17 ml sterile blood. 10 to 40 seconds after the injection of blood the disconituity of the dura doppel layer signal was no longer provable. Within a short time we could detect the increase of cerebrospinal fluid and the patients headache was treated sucessfully. The clinical use of this diagnostic technique can be found in the simultaneous presentation of the dura leakage and the intervention while performing an epidural bloodpatch. Since these informations are relevant for further clinical practice further investigations are warranted.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Comparison of caudal and intravenous clonidine in the prevention of agitation after sevoflurane in children.

BACKGROUND: In children, sevoflurane anaesthesia is associated with postanaesthetic agitation, which is treated mainly with opioids. We compared the effectiveness of epidural and i.v. clonidine in the prevention of this postanaesthetic agitation. METHODS: Eighty children aged 3-8 yr (ASA I-II) received standardized general anaesthesia with inhaled sevoflurane and caudal epidural block with 0.175% bupivacaine 1 ml kg-1 for minor surgery. The children were assigned randomly to four groups: (I) clonidine 1 microgram kg-1 added to caudal bupivacaine; (II) clonidine 3 micrograms kg-1 added to caudal bupivacaine; (III) clonidine 3 micrograms kg-1 i.v. and caudal bupivacaine; and (IV) caudal block with bupivacaine, no clonidine (control). A blinded observer assessed the behaviour of the children during the first postoperative hour. Secondary end-points were the time to fitness for discharge from the postanaesthesia care unit, and haemodynamic and respiratory variables. RESULTS: The incidence of agitation was 22, 0, 5 and 39% in groups I, II, III and IV respectively (P < 0.05 for groups II and III compared with group IV). During the first hour after surgery, patients in groups II and III had significantly lower scores for agitation than group IV patients. Time to fitness for discharge did not differ between the four groups. CONCLUSIONS: Clonidine 3 micrograms kg-1 prevented agitation after sevoflurane anaesthesia, independently of the route of administration. The effect of clonidine appears to be dose-dependent, as an epidural dose of 1 microgram kg-1 failed to reduce it.

Adrenergic alpha-Agonists↗
PubMed2002

Thrombolytic therapy during cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Recently, efforts have been undertaken to investigate the effects of thrombolysis during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CRP) in patients suffering from massive pulmonary embolism or acute myocardial infarction. In up to 70% of patients with cardiac arrest, one of these two diseases is the underlying cause of deterioration. Nevertheless, thrombolysis has not been conducted during CPR because of the fear of severe bleeding complications. However, an increasing number of clinical studies suggest that thrombolytic therapy during CPR can contribute to haemodynamic stabilisation and survival in patients with massive pulmonary embolism and acute myocardial infarction, when conventional CPR procedures have been performed unsuccessfully. Apart from the specific causal action of thrombolytic agents at the site of pulmonary emboli and coronary thrombosis, experimental data indicate that thrombolysis during CPR can improve microcirculatory reperfusion, which may be most important in the brain. In accordance with these data, marked activation of blood coagulation without adequate activation of endogenous fibrinolysis has been demonstrated early after cardiac arrest. In summary, thrombolysis during CPR is presently a treatment strategy that can be performed on an individual basis in patients with pulmonary embolism or acute myocardial infarction. It may become a routine measure if positive results of randomised, controlled clinical trials will be available in the future.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation↗
PubMed2001

Astroglial protein S-100 is an early and sensitive marker of hypoxic brain damage and outcome after cardiac arrest in humans.

BACKGROUND: The results of early conventional tests do not correlate with cerebral outcome after cardiac arrest. We investigated the serum levels of astroglial protein S-100 as an early marker of brain damage and outcome after cardiac arrest. METHODS AND RESULTS: In 66 patients undergoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation after nontraumatic cardiac arrest, blood samples for the evaluation of S-100 were drawn immediately after and 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes; 2, 8, 24, 48, and 72 hours; and 7 days after initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Moreover, the serum levels of neuron-specific enolase were determined between 2 hours and 7 days. If patients survived for >48 hours, brain damage was assessed by a combination of neurological, cranial CT, and electrophysiological examinations. Overall, 343 blood samples were taken for the determination of S-100. Maximum S-100 levels within 2 hours after cardiac arrest were significantly higher in patients with documented brain damage (survivors and nonsurvivors, 3.70+/-0.77 microg/L) than in patients without brain damage (0.90+/-0.29 microg/L). Significant differences between these 2 groups were observed from 30 minutes until 7 days after cardiac arrest. In addition, the positive predictive value of the S-100 test at 24 hours for fatal outcome within 14 days was 87%, and the negative predictive value was 100% (P<0.001). With regard to neuron-specific enolase, significant differences between patients with documented brain damage and those with no brain damage were found at 24, 48, and 72 hours and 7 days. CONCLUSIONS: Astroglial protein S-100 is an early and sensitive marker of hypoxic brain damage and short-term outcome after cardiac arrest in humans.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Efficacy and safety of thrombolytic therapy after initially unsuccessful cardiopulmonary resuscitation: a prospective clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: During cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), thrombolysis can help to stabilise patients with pulmonary embolism and myocardial infarction. Moreover, thrombolysis during CPR has beneficial effects on cerebral reperfusion after cardiac arrest. We investigated this new therapeutic approach in patients in whom conventional CPR had been unsuccessful. METHODS: We assessed, in a prospective study, patients undergoing CPR after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest for cardiological reasons in whom return of spontaneous circulation was not achieved within 15 min. According to the Ustein criteria, our control group consisted of patients who were assessed during 1 year. After this year patients were treated with a bolus of 5000 U of heparin and 50mg, over 2 min, of tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA treated group). This intervention was repeated if return of spontaneous circulation was not achieved within the following 30 min. For controls only CPR was given. FINDINGS: Overall, 90 patients were included; heparin and rt-PA were given to 40 patients. There were no bleeding complications related to the CPR procedures. Of the rt-PA group, 68% (27) had return of spontaneous circulation and 58% (23) were admitted to a cardiac intensive care unit, compared with 44% (22; p=0.026) and 30% (15; p=0.009) of the controls, respectively. At 24 h after cardiac arrest a larger proportion of the rt-PA group than of the controls was alive (35% [14] vs 22% [11], p=0.171), and 15% (six) of rt-PA-treated patients and 8% (four) of controls could be discharged from hospital. INTERPRETATION: After initially unsuccessful out-of-hospital CPR, thrombolytic therapy combined with heparin is safe and might improve patient outcome. On the basis of our data a randomised controlled trial might be regarded as ethical.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

[Cisatracurium in coronary bypass operations--a comparison with pancuronium. Hemodynamic and neuromuscular effects in patients under chronic beta blocker treatment].

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to compare haemodynamic and neuromuscular effects of cisatracurium and pancuronium in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (ASA III, good or moderately impaired LV function) who were chronically medicated with beta-adrenergic blocking agents. METHODS: 60 Patients were randomly assigned in a double-blind fashion to receive sufentanil/midazolam/etomidate and either pancuronium (2xED95, group P) or cisatracurium (2xED95, group C2 and 4xED95, group C4). Haemodynamic variables were measured using arterial and pulmonary arterial catheters, neuromuscular transmission was measured using electromyography. RESULTS: The heart rate was significantly lower in group C2 (50.2 +/- 6.8 bpm) and in group C4 (54.3 +/- 11 bpm) than in the pancuronium group (62.4 +/- 13.2 bpm) 3 min after induction of anaesthesia and until 60 min after induction. None of the other haemodynamic parameters showed any difference between groups. Onset time was 5.22 +/- 3.43 min in group P, 6.42 +/- 2.1 min in group C2 and 2.92 +/- 1.2 min in group C4. CONCLUSION: Under high-dose opioid induction, bradycardia must be considered if cisatracurium is administered to cardiac surgery patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

[Ultrasonography and peridural anesthesia. Technical possibilities and limitations of ultrasonic examination of the epidural space].

Epidural anaesthesia (EA) is the most important analgesia technique in obstetrics for delivery. In pregnancy, hormonal adjustments lead to an alteration of tissue consistency, which often causes an early, untimely loss of resistance. Apart from mere inspection and palpation, no useful diagnostic method prior to EA performance has been established yet. In this prospective study, we examined 100 pregnant women, who had been admitted for childbirth and were undergoing epidural block (level L3-L4) for delivery. Sonotopography of the lumbar epidural structures was performed directly before epidural puncture and childbirth. We evaluated the visibility of all anatomical structures and compared all distances measured by ultrasonography and during puncture. The correlation between distances measured by ultrasound and by puncture needle was high (r2 = 0.79). No obvious dependency was found between ultrasonic and puncture angle (r2 = 0.19). The temporal distance from ultrasonic examination and puncture causes unavoidable differences: each deviation between ultrasound and puncture conditions causes a modification of the puncture depth. The patient acceptance of the procedure was very good. Ultrasonography offers the possibility to determine site and direction of epidural puncture and distance of the epidural space to the skin even before the puncture attempt. The ultrasound controlled EA for delivery can easily be inserted into the clinical routine. Ultrasonography can fill an important diagnostic gap in regional anaesthesia.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

[Computer simulation and pharmacoeconomics. Computer simulation as an aid for the analysis of operating room efficiency: an example].

In this study we compared operating room (OR) efficiency of total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) with remifentanil and propofol and balanced anaesthesia (BAL) with fentanyl and isoflurane in cataract surgery using computersimulation. We simulated patient flow for one OR and for three ORs. Time intervals of patient flow were randomly generated from the results of a prospective, randomized trial. Both for one and for three ORs, the postanaesthesia care unit (PACU) finished earlier and one additional case per OR and per day could be performed when TIVA was used for the procedures. Overtime in the PACU was less after TIVA. With a workload of 13 or 15 operations per day in three ORs, monitoring equipment for an additional patient in the PACU was required when BAL was used. TIVA with remifentanil and propofol was associated with more OR efficiency than balanced anaesthesia with fentanyl and isoflurane when given for cataract surgery.

Anesthesia, Intravenous↗
PubMed2001

Paramedian access to the epidural space: the optimum window for ultrasound imaging.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To establish a useful ultrasonic approach to the epidural space so as to optimize pre-puncture diagnostics. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: University clinic. PATIENTS: 60 participants (19 to 34 years of age), 40 healthy volunteers (20 male, 20 female) and 20 parturients. INTERVENTIONS: Ultrasound scanning of the lumbar spine was performed at the L(3)-L(4) vertebral interspace. Three ultrasound planes were employed: the transverse, median, and paramedian longitudinal approaches. MEASUREMENTS: We compared the width of the ultrasound-permeable area in the median and paramedian planes and assessed the visibility of the epidural space and its surrounding structures. MAIN RESULTS: In the paramedian plane, the permeable window was larger (p < 0.001) than in the median approach. The visibility of the ligamentum flavum (p < 0.0001), dura mater (p < 0.0001), and cauda equina (p < 0.0001) was significantly higher. Pulsation of epidural vessels could be observed more frequently (p < 0.0001) in the paramedian plane. CONCLUSIONS: The longitudinal paramedian plane provided information about the epidural space depth in excellent imaging quality. The additional information might be beneficial in epidural anesthesia and in other clinical specialties (e.g., neurosurgery, trauma care).

Adult↗
PubMed2001

N-acetylcysteine induces shedding of selectins from liver and intestine during orthotopic liver transplantation.

In orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), N-acetylcysteine (NAC) reduces ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, improves liver synthesis function and prevents primary nonfunction of the graft. To further elucidate the mechanisms of these beneficial effects of NAC, we investigated influence of high-dose NAC therapy on the pattern of adhesion molecule release from liver and intestine during OLT. Nine patients receiving allograft OLT were treated with 150 mg NAC/kg during the first hour after reperfusion; 10 patients received the carrier only. One hour after reperfusion, samples of arterial, portal venous and hepatic venous plasma were taken and blood flow in the hepatic artery and the portal vein was measured. Absolute concentrations of sICAM-1, sVCAM-1, sP-selectin and sE-selectin were not markedly different. However, balance calculations showed release of selectins from NAC-treated livers as opposed to net uptake in controls (P < or = 0.02 for sP-selectin). This shedding of selectins might be a contributing factor to the decrease in leucocyte adherence and improved haemodynamics found experimentally with NAC-treatment.

Acetylcysteine↗
PubMed2001

Comparative analysis of costs of total intravenous anaesthesia with propofol and remifentanil vs. balanced anaesthesia with isoflurane and fentanyl.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: We evaluated the costs and benefits of total intravenous anaesthesia compared with a balanced anaesthesia regimen. METHODS: One-hundred and twenty-four patients undergoing cataract surgery were randomized to either a propofol/remifentanil or an isoflurane/fentanyl group. In the propofol/remifentanil group, both drugs were used for induction and maintenance of anaesthesia; in the isoflurane/fentanyl group, anaesthesia was induced with etomidate and fentanyl and maintained with isoflurane and fentanyl. All patients received mivacurium for muscle relaxation and the lungs were ventilated mechanically. The use of propofol and remifentanil resulted in a faster emergence and an overall savings per case of [symbol: see text] 12.25 due to a reduction in personnel costs which outweighs the higher drug acquisition costs. RESULTS: In the propofol and remifentanil group, more patients were satisfied and would accept the same anaesthetic again. CONCLUSION: We conclude that propofol and remifentanil is more cost-effective than isoflurane/fentanyl due to its better recovery profile, reduced total direct costs and higher patient satisfaction.

Adjuvants, Anesthesia↗