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Biomedical subjects

R Hodgkinson

Publications and source records attributed to R Hodgkinson.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Comparison of cimetidine (Tagamet) with antacid for safety and effectiveness in reducing gastric acidity before elective cesarean section.

One hundred twenty-six parturients for elective cesarean section under general anesthesia were allocated to either a cimetidine or an antacid group in a randomized, double-blind, multicenter trial. The cimetidine-treated group received 300 mg cimetidine orally the evening before the operation and 300 mg intramuscularly between 1 and 3 h preoperatively. The antacid-treated group received 30 ml of Mylanta-II orally on both occasions. Gastric volume, 30 min after induction of anesthesia and 30 min before response to oral commands, was less in the cimetidine-treated group. Gastric pH 30 min after induction was greater in the cimetidine-treated group. The maternal serum level of cimetidine at birth was 1.31 +/- 0.12 micrograms/ml and the umbilical venous level was 0.78 +/- 0.05 micrograms/ml. The neonatal gastric acidity, Apgar scores, and Early Neonatal Neurobehavioral Scale (ENNS) scores were similar in both groups. No maternal or neonatal complication was attributed to treatment.

Adolescent

Obesity, gravity, and spread of epidural anesthesia.

Epidural anesthesia was administered for cesarean section in 250 patients using 20 ml of 0.75% bupivacaine administered at L3-4 with the patient in a sitting position for 5 minutes. Comparing the results with those obtained in a previous study in which parturients were kept horizontal at all times, it was found that the sitting position limited cephalad spread of anesthesia only in obese patients and that the decrease in spread was in proportion to the degree of obesity. The previous findings that cephalad spread is positively correlated to body mass index BMI (weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) and with body weight were confirmed.

Anesthesia, Epidural

Caesarean section associated with gross obesity.

The anaesthetic and surgical problems associated with Caesarean section in eight grossly obese patients (weight 150-204 kg) are described. In addition to an increase in the frequency and severity of the complications of obesity, those weighing more than 150 kg present a panniculus which may weigh 70 kg. Extradural analgesia was used for three patients and general anaesthesia for five (two because of fetal distress). One fetus died in utero after serious and prolonged arterial hypotension in the mother caused by powerful cephalad retraction of the panniculus (extradural analgesia). General anaesthesia was associated with severe episodes of hypertension in two patients.

Adult

Obesity and the cephalad spread of analgesia following epidural administration of bupivacaine for Cesarean section.

Epidural anesthesia using 20 ml of 0.75% bupivacaine at L3-4 with the patient in the left lateral position and the table horizontal was employed for cesarean section in 147 A.S.A. class 1 or 2 parturients under the age of 35 with a single fetus. The height of the analgesia was positively correlated with the body mass index (BMI) (weight in kilograms divided by the height in square meters), a measure of adiposity, and with body weight. Both correlations were statistically significant (p less than 0.001). There was no statistically significant correlation with the patients' height or age. It is concluded that higher levels of epidural block should be anticipated in obese obstetrical patients in proportion to their obesity. Twenty milliliters of 0.75% bupivacaine must frequently be augmented to provide adequate analgesia for cesarean section in thin parturients (BMI below 28) whereas it is too high a dosage for obese patients.

Adult

Double-blind comparison of maternal analgesia and neonatal neurobehaviour following intravenous butorphanol and meperidine.

Butorphanol (1 mg and 2 mg) and meperidine (40 mg and 80 mg), given intravenously, were evaluated for analgesic efficacy and safety in a double-blind randomized study employing 200 consenting pre-partum patients in moderate to severe pain during the late first stage of labour. Both drugs provided adequate relief of pain to the mothers. There was no significant difference in the rate of cervical dilation, the foetal heart rate, the Apgar score, pain relief or neonatal neurobehavioural scores betweeen those receiving butorphanol and those receiving meperidine. Twenty-two mothers who received butorphanol and eleven who received meperidine nursed their infants with no adverse effects observed. Side-effects were generally infrequent in this study; however, more side-effects were reported by the patients and observed by the investigator in the meperidine-treated cases (13%) than in the cases treated with butorphanol (2%).

Adult

Neonatal neurobehavioral tests following cesarean section under general and spinal anesthesia.

The Scanlon Group of Early Neonatal Neurobehavioral Tests (E.N.N.S.) was administered to 150 babies delivered by elective cesarean section. Fifty of the mothers were induced into general anesthesia with thiopental, 4 mg. per kilogram, and 50 with ketamine, 1 mg. per kilogram. Fifty mothers received spinal anesthesia with 6 to 8 mg. of tetracaine. All mothers receiving spinal anesthesia were given 100 per cent oxygen by a transparent face mask and all undergoing general anesthesia received N2O-O2 (6L:6L) until delivery of the baby. All mothers were healthy and all babies weighed 2,500 grams or more, were apparently normal, and had Apgar scores of 7 or more at one minute to 10 at five minutes. Spinal anesthesia was associated with the greatest percentage of high scores on both the first and second day for overall assessment, pinprick response, tone, rooting, sucking. Moro response, placing, alertness, and total decrement (habituation) scores. There was a statistically significant difference between all the scores for spinal compared to the other two groups. The scores were lowest following a thiopental induction and intermediate with ketamine although the difference did not reach statistical significance.

Adolescent

Double-blind comparison of the neurobehaviour of neonates following the administration of different doses of meperidine to the mother.

The Early Neonatal Neurobehavioural Scale (E.N.N.S.) tests, first described by Scanlon, et al.1 were administered to 920 neonates on the first and second days of life. Meperidine was not given to 389 mothers, 50 mg was given to 358 mothers and 75 to 150 mg to 173 mothers within four hours of delivery. The delivery was conducted under chloroprocaine epidural anaesthesia in 280, ketamine-nitrous oxide general anaesthesia in 180, thiopentone-nitrous oxide general anaesthesia in 180 and lidocaine pudendal block in 280. All babies were over 2500 grams in weight with an Apgar score of at least 8 at one minute and 10 at five minutes. All were delivered from healthy women 18 to 35 years of age following a normal labour. The evaluator was unaware of the anaesthetic management, the method of delivery or the perinatal risk factors. There was no significant difference between the mothers and babies in the three meperidine dosage groups for maternal parity, maternal age, birth weight, number of forceps deliveries or duration of labour. Administration of meperidine was associated with a broad spectrum depression of most items on the E.N.N.S. on both the first and second days of life. The depression was greatest with the highest dose of meperidine. The depression produced by anaesthetic agents and meperidine were additive and the highest scores on this scale were obtained in those babies delivered under chloroprocaine epidural anaesthesia without meperidine.

Adolescent

Neonatal neurobehavior in the first 48 hours of life: effect of the administration of meperidine with and without naloxone in the mother.

The early neonatal neurobehavioral scale was administered to three groups of newborns at 2, 4, and 24 hours of age. Group 1 consisted of 28 babies whose mothers had received no narcotics during labor, group 2 of 33 babies whose mothers had received meperidine hydrochloride alone during labor, and group 3 of 40 babies whose mothers had received meperidine followed by 0.4 mg of naloxone hydrochloride intravenously approximately 15 minutes before delivery. Babies who were not exposed to meperidine showed a statistically significantly greater percentage of high scores than those exposed to meperidine alone for all items on the neurobehavioral scale at 2 and 4 hours and for all items except tone and Moro response at 24 hours. Similarly, babies whose mothers had received meperidine and naloxone showed a significantly greater percentage of high scores than those whose mothers had received meperidine alone at 2 hours of age. At 4 hours a difference was found for tone and rooting and at 24 hours for overall score, placing, and total decrement score. It is concluded that naloxone given intravenously to the mother reverses the effect of meperidine on neonatal neurobehavior for approximately two hours after birth. At 4 and 24 hours, however, the neurobehavior of neonates exposed to meperidine and naloxone is depressed almost as much as that of babies exposed to meperidine alone.

Child Behavior