Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

J Thorburn

Publications and source records attributed to J Thorburn.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Adhesion formation after laparoscopic surgery in tubal pregnancy: a randomized trial versus laparotomy.

OBJECTIVE: Women with ectopic pregnancy (EP) who have been operated on by laparoscopy are thought to have improved subsequent fertility, probably because of less adhesion formation. We aimed to evaluate the adhesion formation after laparoscopy as compared with laparotomy in a randomized trial. DESIGN: One hundred five patients with tubal pregnancy were stratified with regard to age and risk factors and randomized to surgery by laparoscopy or laparotomy. To evaluate adhesion formation and tubal status, 73 patients with strong desire of pregnancy underwent a second-look laparoscopy. The adhesion status at the ipsilateral and contralateral side at primary surgery was compared with the status at second-look laparoscopy. RESULTS: Patients operated on by laparotomy developed significantly more adhesions at the operated side than patients operated on by laparoscopy (P less than 0.001). Substantially more patients in the laparotomy group underwent adhesiolysis at second-look laparoscopy than did patients in the laparoscopy group. Tubal patency did not differ between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic treatment of EP results in less impairment of the pelvic status compared with conventional conservative surgery.

Fallopian Tubes↗

Effect of adrenaline on extradural anaesthesia, plasma lignocaine concentrations and the feto-placental unit during elective caesarean section.

Extradural anaesthesia was induced with either 2% lignocaine or 2% lignocaine with adrenaline 1:200,000 in 20 patients undergoing elective Caesarean section. With the adrenaline-containing solution, a smaller dose of lignocaine was required to produce an adequate block and the lignocaine concentrations in both mother and neonate were significantly smaller compared with the plain solution. Arterial pressures were less in the adrenaline group, but there was no difference in umbilical flow velocity waveform, fetal heart rate or fetal outcome. Neither feto-placental circulation nor fetal outcome were affected adversely by episodes of hypotension or the ephedrine used for treatment.

Adolescent↗

Gastric emptying following caesarean section and the effect of epidural fentanyl.

The rate of absorption of paracetamol following oral administration was used as an indirect measure of the rate of gastric emptying. This was to determine the effect on gastric motility of the addition of fentanyl to a solution of local anaesthetic given into the epidural space to provide pain relief following Caesarean section. Thirty subjects were randomly allocated to receive either bupivacaine plus fentanyl or bupivacaine alone. The area under the curve of the graph of plasma paracetamol concentration versus time was calculated for each subject at 45 and 90 minutes after administration of the epidural injection, and this value was used as an index of the rate of gastric emptying. This study demonstrated that gastric emptying may be normal immediately following Caesarean section under epidural anaesthesia, but that if fentanyl is added to the epidural solution, gastric emptying is significantly slower in the first 45 minutes following surgery (p less than 0.05).

Adult↗

Laparoscopic surgery in ectopic pregnancy. A randomized trial versus laparotomy.

A randomized, prospective clinical trial was conducted to compare the efficacy of laparoscopic treatment with conventional conservative abdominal surgery for tubal pregnancy. Entry criteria were: size of the ectopic gestation less than 4 cm, hemodynamic stability, accessibility for laparoscopic treatment and a trained laparoscopist on duty. There was no difference between the groups regarding gestational duration, size and location of the ectopic gestation, or the mean preoperative hCG values. The groups differed with respect to total operation time (73 min for the laparoscopy group vs. 88 min for the laparotomy group), hospital stay (2.2 vs. 5.4 days) and convalescence period (11 vs. 24 days). The rates of elimination of hCG was similar in the groups, and there were no statistical difference in the rate of second intervention.

Chorionic Gonadotropin↗

Treatment of tubal pregnancy by laparoscope-guided injection of prostaglandin F2 alpha.

Twenty-six cases of unruptured tubal pregnancy were treated by laparoscope-guided injection of prostaglandin (PG) F2 alpha into the affected tube and the ovary containing the corpus luteum. Preoperative serum human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) levels were 22 to 2,050 IU/L (mean 328 IU/L). The procedure was successful in 24 patients (92%), as indicated by reduction of hCG values to less than 20 IU/L. The remaining 2 cases showed an initial fall in hCG after injection and thereafter a plateau phase indicating the persistence of trophoblast. In both cases, a second surgical intervention was necessary. The total subsequent conception rate among 19 women desiring pregnancy was 90% (17/19). The intrauterine conception rate was 58% (11/19), and the repeat rate of ectopic pregnancy was 32% (6/19). Two-thirds (12/19) of the subsequent pregnancies occurred within 6 months "at risk" for conception. It is concluded that local injection of PGF2 alpha represents an attractive method for termination of selected cases of tubal pregnancy, preferentially in subjects with low trophoblastic activity.

Abortion, Legal↗

Extradural methadone and bupivacaine in labour.

We performed a double-blind placebo-controlled study of the effects of extradural administration of methadone 5 mg or saline, followed by bupivacaine, in 42 women in early labour. Motor block and pain scores were significantly less in the methadone group. The requirement for bupivacaine also was reduced by methadone, but this was not statistically significant. There were no troublesome side effects attributable to methadone.

Adult↗

Posture and epidural catheter insertion. The relationship between skill, experience and maternal posture on the outcome of epidural catheter insertion.

This study was undertaken to investigate the outcome of epidural catheter insertion in the sitting or lateral position in mothers during labour. An initial prospective randomised study period (144 patients) suggested that the sitting position offered some superiority over the lateral in terms of technical ease of insertion. It was concluded, by minimising the subjective aspects in a follow-up, prospective nonrandomised study period (152 patients), that the determining factor lies in the skill and experience of the anaesthetist. There was no significant difference in complication rates or maternal discomfort between the two positions in either study period.

Analgesia, Epidural↗

Second-look laparoscopy after ectopic pregnancy.

During the 4-year period of 1984 to 1987, 102 women with ectopic pregnancy (EP) underwent second-look laparoscopy 6 to 10 weeks after EP surgery. Benefits of this procedure, e.g., adhesiolysis and/or selection of women for further fertility interventions (in vitro fertilization [IVF], gamete intrafallopian transfer [GIFT], tubal microsurgery), were evaluated. On the basis of the second-look laparoscopy, 13% of the women were offered tubal microsurgery and 14% recommended for IVF. Patients without risk factors for EP developed adhesions as frequently as those with known risk factors and no specific surgical procedure was correlated to impairment of the pelvic status. Almost 40% of the patients presented with an impairment of adhesions on the affected side compared with the status at the time of EP surgery. Lysis of adhesions was performed during the second-look laparoscopy in 42 patients (41%). We conclude that second-look laparoscopy should be recommended to all EP patients with a desire for pregnancy.

Female↗

Complications of spinal anaesthesia following extradural block for caesarean section.

After extradural blockade failed to extend sufficiently for elective Caesarean section, spinal anaesthesia was performed using 1.6 ml of hyperbaric 0.5% bupivacaine solution in 8% glucose (Marcain Heavy). The patient rapidly developed sensory blockade to the level of T2, and became distressed and dyspnoeic. General anaesthesia was induced. Despite i.v. ephedrine and fluid loading, severe hypotension occurred, which responded subsequently to further doses of ephedrine and infusion of colloid. A healthy infant was delivered by Caesarean section.

Anesthesia, Epidural↗

Fertility after ectopic pregnancy in relation to background factors and surgical treatment.

To study the importance of certain background factors and surgical treatment, the obstetric outcome in 205 women consecutively treated for ectopic pregnancy was analyzed by means of questionnaires 4 to 5.5 years after surgery. The response rate was 83.4% and, among women desiring pregnancy (n = 112), the total pregnancy rate was 75.9% and the delivery rate 53.6%. The total incidence of repeat ectopics was 27.3%, and the proportion of women who had a repeat ectopic pregnancy but no delivery was 20.5%. Six of seven women having an ectopic pregnancy with a copper intrauterine contraceptive device in situ had a normal delivery during the follow-up period. The subsequent fertility among nonresponders appeared lower than among responding women. A number of background factors present at the time of surgery were correlated to subsequent infertility, e.g., history of infertility and previous abdominal surgery. Conversely, there was no correlation between the fertility outcome and the type of operative procedure.

Female↗

Extradural bupivacaine or lignocaine anaesthesia for elective caesarean section: the role of maternal posture.

Extradural anaesthesia was induced in 64 patients in either the sitting or the lateral position, for elective Caesarean section with either 0.5% plain bupivacaine or 2% lignocaine with adrenaline 1 in 200,000. Onset was significantly shorter and a significantly greater number of patients were ready for surgery within 35 min following injection of lignocaine in the lateral position. Hypotension (defined as a 25% or greater reduction in arterial pressure) occurred in 36% of patients. Significantly more patients who had received the first injection of local anaesthetic agent in the sitting position required ephedrine to correct maternal hypotension. Most frequently, hypotension coincided with transfer of patients to theatre and thus was associated with movement of the patient in the presence of extensive sympathetic block.

Adult↗

Differential flow from multihole epidural catheters.

The pressures used in vivo to administer epidural doses of local anaesthetic were recorded for 16- and 18-gauge multihole catheters. Observations were made on 10 patients in labour for each catheter gauge. The pressure range for the 16-gauge catheters was 39.9-266 kPa, with a mean of 167.2 kPa, and for 18-gauge, a range of 53.2-266 kPa, mean, 159 kPa. Similar pressures were then applied in vitro to 10 catheters of each gauge, and the flow of fluid observed from the three holes. For each size of catheter, with increasing pressure, flow appeared at the proximal, then the middle, and finally the distal hole. This emphasises that the effect of epidural doses can vary depending on the pressure of injection, especially if the catheter had been passed partially through the dura.

Analgesia, Epidural↗

Cannulation of the epidural space. A comparison of 18- and 16-gauge needles.

A group of 685 obstetric patients were randomly allocated to have their epidural block performed using either a 16-gauge or an 18-gauge Tuohy needle. Bleeding was noted from needle or catheter trauma in 18% of patients and it proved impossible to insert the catheter in 3%. The majority of mothers experienced little discomfort during the procedure but 2% found insertion to be very uncomfortable. There was no significant difference in the complication rate, ease of use, or patient discomfort between the 18- or 16-gauge needles. Epidural analgesia, although safe, is not without hazard. It may be difficult to perform and may, rarely, cause considerable discomfort.

Anesthesia, Epidural↗

Antacid therapy for emergency caesarean section.

One hundred patients undergoing emergency Caesarean section were treated with cimetidine 200 mg intramuscularly when the decision was made to deliver the patient by Caesarean section and, preceding general anaesthesia, 30 ml of 0.3 M sodium citrate was administered orally. No routine antacid therapy was employed during labour. No patient had a gastric aspirate pH of less than 2.7, and only one of less than 3. The regimen is simple and effective, and treats only those patients at risk of acid aspiration.

Anesthesia, General↗