2-chloroprocaine antagonism of epidural morphine analgesia

Background: 2-chloroprocaine (2-CP) used for lumbar epidural anesthesia (LEA) reportedly decreases the efficacy of epidural morphine (EM) administered for post-cesarean section (CS) analgesia. The amount of supplemental i.v. morphine self-administered by the patient via the patient-controlled analgesia device (PCA) is used to study the interaction between EM and 2-CP.
Methods: Forty-two patients scheduled for elective CS were randomly divided into 3 equal groups, and received 2-CP, 2-CP+epinephrine (Epi, 5 μg ml^-1) or 2% lidocaine (Lido) with Epi for LEA. All patients received 5 mg EM and i.v. PCA morphine for postoperative pain. Cumulative amount of i.v. morphine used in the first 24 hours as well as the amount of the drug used during each 2-h period were noted. Nonparametric analysis of variance and Chi-squared analysis were used for statistical comparisons.
Results: The mean cumulative 24-h i.v. PCA morphine requirement in the 2-CP, 2-CP+Epi and Lido+Epi groups respectively was 20.5±24, 33.1.5±27 and 4.07±6.3 (mean±SD). The Lido+Epi group used significantly less morphine ( P = 0.01) compared to either of the 2-CP groups with no significant difference between the 2-CP groups. The maximum i.v. PCA morphine use occurred in the first 4 hours following surgery in all three groups.
Conclusion: Analgesic efficacy of EM is decreased when 2-CP is used for LEA compared to when Lido+Epi is used.     

Clinical experience with minimal flow xenon anesthesia

Xenon is a more potent anesthetic than nitrous oxide, and gives more profound analgesia. This investigation was performed to assess the potential of xenon for becoming an anesthetic inspite of its high manufacturing cost. Seven ASA I—-II patients undergoing cholecystectomy (n = 4), hernia repair (n = 2), or mammoplasty (n=l) were studied. Denitrogenation by 15–20 min of oxygen breathing under propofol anesthesia was followed by fentanyl–supplemented xenon anesthesia administered via an automatic minimal flow system which held the oxygen concentration at 30%. Xenon anesthesia lasted 76–228 min and 8–14 1 of xenon (ATPD) was used, of which 5.6–8.1 1 was expended during the first 15 min. Anesthesia appeared to be satisfactory, and the patients woke up rapidly after xenon was discontinued. The automatic system made minimal flow xenon anesthesia easy to administer, but nitrogen accumulation is still a problem. Assuming a xenon price of 10 US $ per litre, the average cost for xenon was about 65 US $ for the first 15 min and then about 25 USS for each subsequent hour of anesthesia.     

控制性降压在鼻内窥镜手术中的应用

目的 :观察控制性降压在鼻内窥镜手术中应用的意义。方法 :80例双侧鼻息肉、鼻窦炎患者 ,局麻、鼻内窥镜下行双侧鼻息肉摘除、全筛切除及开放上颌窦自然开口。其中 38例术中控制性降压 (降压组 ) ,另 42例作为对照。结果 :降压组术中出血 (6 1 39± 38 5 2 )ml,对照组出血 (140 12± 81 82 )ml,差异有显著性意义 (P <0 0 1) ;手术时间分别为 (4 9 2 5± 7 0 6 )min和(6 2 4 0± 9 90 )min ,差异有显著性意义 (P <0 0 1)。结论 :控制性降压可明显减少术中出血 ,缩短手术时间。     

Transfer of clonidine and dexmedetomidine across the isolated perfused human placenta

Background: The placental transfer of the a₂ receptor agonist clonidine, earlier used as an adjuvant in obstetric epidural analgesia, was compared with the transfer of the newer and more %-selective agonist dexmedetomidine.
Methods: Term placentas were obtained immediately after delivery with maternal consent and a 2-hour recycling perfusion of a single placental cotyledon was performed. Disappearance from the maternal circulation, accumulation in placental tissue and appearance in the fetal circulation of clonidine or dexmedetomidine with the reference compound antipyrine were followed in 4 experiments for both drugs.
Results: At 2 hours the percent dexmedetomidine found in the fetal circulation was 12.5 (SD 5.1)%, while 48.1 (SD 20.3)% was found in the perfused placental cotyledon. A higher mean clonidine than dexmedetomidine concentration was achieved in the fetal circulation (1.90 vs. 0.56 nmol/l, P <0.05). At 2 hours the percent clonidine found in the fetal circulation was 22.1 (SD 2.4)% ( P <0.05), while 11.3 (SD 3.3)% ( P <0.05) was re tained in the perfused placental cotyledon. The transfer indexes, describing maternal-to-fetal transfer of dexmedetomidine and clonidine normalized with the transfer of antipyrine, were 0.88 (SD 0.07) and 1.04 (SD 0.08) respectively ( P <0.05).
Conclusions: Dexmedetomidine disappeared faster than clonidine from the maternal circulation, while even less dexmedetomidine was transported into the fetal circulation. This was due to its greater placental tissue retention, the basis for which probably is the higher lipophilicity of dexmedetomidine.     

Should nitrous oxide be discontinued before desflurane after anaesthesia with desflurane/N2O?

Background : The appearance of hypoxaemia immediately after anaesthesia with nitrous oxide may be partially explained by diffusion hypoxia. This study was undertaken to evaluate circulatory and respiratory variables during emergence after desflurane/nitrous oxide anaesthesia, and whether there are any differences depending on which gas is discontinued first. Methods : 20 patients were studied after gynaecological laparoscopic surgery. The depth of anaesthesia was reduced 10 min prior to the emergence by stopping the administration of one of the two inhalational agents. Desflurane was discontinued first in Group 1, nitrous oxide in Group 2. Ventilation was controlled with E'C0₂ maintained at 5% until the administration of the second anaesthetic gas was discontinued. Thereafter, the patients breathed spontaneously. Results : The PaC0₂ at which the respiratory drive reappeared after controlled normoventilation was similar in both groups, 6.1–6.5 kPa, and extubation was performed after 10–11 min. At extubarion, the end–tidal C0₂ and total MAC were similar in the groups, about 6.2 vol% and 0.16, respectively. Mean arterial blood pressure was significantly higher in Group 1. The cardiac output increased in both groups from about 6 1/min at the conclusion of anaesthesia to 9.0 and 7.6 1/min at 15 min in the recovery period. End–tidal O₂ decreased and CO₂ increased in both groups during the first 10 min in the recovery period. pH was reduced at 15 and 30 min in both groups. Conclusion : Irrespective of which agent was discontinued first, there was an increase in cardiac output, decrease in oxygenation and a modest acidosis in the first 30–min recovery period. The only significant difference between the groups was in mean arterial blood pressure in the early emergence phase with a greater MAP when N₂O had been used until the conclusion of anaesthesia.     

反映手术间利用效率的统计指标与方法探讨

目的 探索反映手术室工作状态的指标和方法，为了解科室需求、合理利用手术室资源奠定基础。方法 提取医院局域网中有关手术安排、手术过程、麻醉等信息，通过常用统计指标、统计图表，反映手术室、手术科室、手术间的工作状态。结果 工作日手术问日均工作6．34小时，节假日日均工作0．6l小时。工作日13点后有近l／3的空台，14点后近l／2空台。个别手术间利用率偏低。结论 1．由在用手术间时点统计结果可见，14点后接台手术尚有一定潜力，节假日安排手术潜力更大；2．工作日间均工作时数已近满负荷，若要进一步提高手术间的利用，需加强麻醉科和手术室力量。     

Scintigraphic visualization of intrathecal liposome biodistribution

Background: Liposomes containing local anaesthetics have been administered intrathecally and in the epidural space. Poor attention has been given to the pharmacokinetics of liposomes as drug carriers. Therefore, we observed the biodistribution of liposomes after intrathecal injection in rats by scintigraphic imaging during 24 h.
Methods: We administered ⁹⁹Tc-labeled multilamellar (MLV) and small unilamellar vesicles (SUV) of defined size and volume dispersities into the cerebrospinal fluid at the lumbar level. Those vesicles were free of contamination by radiolabeled colloids as visualized by light and electron microscopy and of neurotoxic products from phosphatidylcholine hydrolysis and peroxidation, both during the preparation process and after 24 h incubation in cerebrospinal fluid at 37°C in vitro.
Results: SUV immediately diffused from the lumbar site of injection to the head and were cleared between 1 and 24 h after injection. MLV were cleared more slowly from the spinal space and appeared in the head region 1 h after injection where they accumulated up to 24 h. These differences were explained in terms of vesicle sizes and volumes. SUV with 0.05 μm diameters were rapidly absorbed into the blood through the arachnoid granulations. In contrast, particles larger than the upper size limit of the arachnoid granulations permeability (±8 μm) could accumulate in the head with a slow elimination rate.
Conclusion: This difference in clearance from the intrathecal space outlines the importance of defining the size of the liposomes, the distribution of a tracer or a drug inside the liposomal preparation, the chemical stability and the absence of toxic degradation products of liposome formulations before clinical use.     

代氟醚和安氟醚低流量循环密闭吸入全麻的临床观察

使用低流量循环密闭回路内注入给药法，比较１ＭＡＣ代氟醚和安氟醚各１４例维持全麻时循环动力苏醒情况和不良反应。结果；代氟醚在维持阶段对心血管系统的抑制较安氟醚为轻，很可能和代氟醚能使交感神经兴奋性增加有关。     

Optic nerve injury demonstrated by MRI with STIR sequences

We studied nine patients with optic nerve injury associated with closed head trauma by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with short inversion time inversion recovery (STIR) sequences on 11 occasions from 4 days to 14 years after the injury: three studies were within 17 days and eight over 4 months to 14 years. MRI revealed abnormal high signal in 10 of the 11 injured nerves. MRI 4 days after the injury showed no abnormality.