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Biomedical subjects

A P Winnie

Publications and source records attributed to A P Winnie.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

A comparative study of 0.25% ropivacaine and 0.25% bupivacaine for brachial plexus block.

The present study compares the effectiveness of 0.25% ropivacaine and 0.25% bupivacaine in 44 patients receiving a subclavian perivascular brachial plexus block for upper extremity surgery. The patients were assigned to two equal groups in this randomized, double-blind study; one group received ropivacaine 0.25% (112.5 mg) and the other, bupivacaine 0.25% (112.5 mg), both without epinephrine. Onset times for analgesia and anesthesia in each of the C-5 through T-1 brachial plexus dermatomes did not differ significantly between the two groups. The mean onset time for analgesia ranged from 11.2 to 20.2 min, and the mean onset time for anesthesia ranged from 23.3 to 48.2 min. The onset of motor block differed only with respect to paresis in the hand, with bupivacaine demonstrating a shorter onset time than ropivacaine. The duration of sensory and motor block also was not significantly different between the two groups. The mean duration of analgesia ranged from 9.2 to 13.0 h, and the mean duration of anesthesia ranged from 5.0 to 10.2 h. Both groups required supplementation with peripheral nerve blocks or general anesthesia in a large number of cases, with 9 of the 22 patients in the bupivacaine group and 8 of the 22 patients in the ropivacaine group requiring supplementation to allow surgery to begin. In view of the frequent need for supplementation noted with both 0.25% ropivacaine and 0.25% bupivacaine, we do not recommend using the 0.25% concentrations of these local anesthetics to provide brachial plexus block.

Adult

Baricity and the distribution of lidocaine in a spinal canal model.

The role of the baricity of local anaesthetic solutions in determining the distribution of local anaesthetics injected into the subarachnoid space (and hence the level of anaesthesia) has been challenged. A recent study found no difference in the extent of cephalad spread of hyperbaric and isobaric solutions and concluded that density had no effect on the spread of local anesthetics. The present study, to determine the validity of this conclusion, utilized a spinal model filled with a "cerebrospinal fluid equivalent." Following the injection of hyperbaric lidocaine, the local anaesthetic was most concentrated at the lower end of the column, whereas following the injection of isobaric solution the local anaesthetic was most concentrated around the site of injection. Therefore, baricity is an important determinant of local anaesthetic distribution in the subarachnoid space.

Atmospheric Pressure

Piriformis muscle syndrome: an underdiagnosed cause of sciatica.

This is a retrospective review of 26 patients with sciatica due to the piriformis muscle syndrome. Most patients had pain in the buttock area and sciatica, and most experienced difficulty walking and sitting, even for short periods of time. Reproduction of the sciatica upon deep palpation, either by gluteal or rectal route, was diagnostic. Reproduction of sciatica occurred in 92% of the patients upon deep digital palpation and in 100% of the patients upon rectal or pelvic examination. Other signs were helpful but not consistent. After the appropriate diagnosis, the treatment was relatively easy and rewarding. This study emphasizes that the diagnosis of piriformis muscle syndrome is clinical; without the appropriate clinical examination, it can be easily misdiagnosed.

Adult

A complete regional anesthesia technique for cardiac pacemaker insertion.

Sixteen consecutive adult patients scheduled for permanent transvenous cardiac pacemaker insertion received as their total anesthetic the combination of a cervical plexus block and blocks of the second, third, and fourth intercostal nerves using a combination of 1% mepivacaine and 0.2% tetracaine with epinephrine, 1:200,000. This technique consistently provided complete surgical anesthesia of the third cervical (C3) through the fourth thoracic (T4) dermatomes, without anesthesia of the brachial plexus. Anesthesia was adequate for the surgical procedure without the need for supplemental analgesia or anesthesia in all cases. Because fluoroscopy was used routinely for the surgical procedure, it was possible to document that there were no instances of diaphragmatic paralysis or pneumothorax. In contrast to other reports, this technique provides surgical anesthesia that is adequate for all of the approaches used for transvenous pacemaker implantation, except for placement of a battery in an abdominal pouch. There were no serious complications and/or side effects in any of the patients studied.

Aged

Brachial plexus block with a new local anaesthetic: 0.5 per cent ropivacaine.

A new local anaesthetic, ropivacaine hydrochloride, was used in a concentration of 0.5 per cent in 32 patients receiving a subclavian perivascular block for upper extremity surgery. One group (n = 15) received 0.5 per cent ropivacaine without epinephrine and a second group (n = 17) received 0.5 per cent ropivacaine with epinephrine in a concentration of 1:200,000. Anaesthesia was achieved in 87 per cent of the patients in both groups in all of the C5 through T1 brachial plexus dermatomes. Motor block was profound with 100 per cent of patients in both groups developing paresis at both the shoulder and hand and 100 per cent developing paralysis at the shoulder. There was a rapid initial onset of sensory block (a mean of less than four minutes for analgesia) with a prolonged duration (a mean of greater than 13 hr of analgesia). The addition of epinephrine did not significantly affect the quality or onset of sensory or motor block. The duration of sensory block was reduced by epinephrine at T1 for analgesia and at C7, C8, and T1 for anaesthesia. The duration of sensory block in the remaining brachial plexus dermatomes as well as the duration of motor block was not effected by epinephrine. There was no evidence of cardiovascular or central nervous system toxicity in either group with a mean dose of 2.5-2.6 mg.kg-1 ropivacaine.

Adult

Ketamine for intravenous regional anesthesia.

We studied ketamine intravenous regional anesthesia of the upper extremity in volunteers using concentrations of 0.5%, 0.3%, and 0.2%. Ketamine 0.5 and 0.3% produced adequate intravenous regional anesthesia. Anesthesia was inadequate when a 0.2% concentration was used. However, although the 0.3% concentration provides complete sympathetic, sensory, and motor blockade when injected into the isolated extremity, unpleasant psychotomimetic effects after the release of the tourniquet limit the usefulness of this use of ketamine. Ketamine cannot be recommended for intravenous regional anesthesia unless these unpleasant side effects are abolished or controlled by means of pharmacologic adjuvants.

Adult

Extradural analgesia revisited. A statistical study.

The results of 334 lumbar extradural analgesics, administered in a standard manner, allowed reassessment of some factors influencing the spread of local anaesthetic solution in the extradural space. There was no evidence of increased spread in patients with degenerative vascular disease when compared with a control group free from such disease. The patient's height and age had a small effect on spread. The results contradict the earlier assumption of a direct relationship between the volume of anaesthetic solution injected and the number of segments blocked.

Adult

Clinical pharmacokinetics of local anaesthetics.

The present study has utilized a clinical model to compare the pharmacokinetics of four currently available amide local anaesthetic agents in theoretically equipotent concentrations. In addition to providing comparative data concerning the onset and duration of analgesia, anaesthesia, paresis, and paralysis, it has provided definitive confirmation of the clinical impression that under certain circumstances following the performance of a nerve block, motor blockade may actually precede sensory blockade, and an explanation for this seeming violation of established neurophysiological principles has been postulated. The study has also raised questions concerning the sequence of recovery from motor and sensory blockade which still await explanation.

Adult

Doxapram antagonism of meperidine-induced respiratory depression.

The intramuscular injection of meperidine (1 mg./kg.) alone causes significant respiratory depression, and doxapram (2 mg./kg.) alone causes significant respiratory stimulation, as evidenced by their ability to shift the carbon dioxide (CO2) response curve to the right and left, respectively. When given together, the mixture of the two drugs does not cause any significant respiratory depression, as indicated by the absence of a significant shift in the CO2 response curve to the right. This mixture has possible clinical usefulness in providing postoperative analgesia without respiratory depression.

Adult

Interscalene cervical plexus block: a single-injection technic.

A review of the anatomy of the cervical plexus and surrounding structures suggests a single-injection technic which simplifies anesthesia of the cervical plexus and increases the margin of safety in this procedure. Used by the authors, the technic has been successful in 97 percent of over 100 cases.

Anesthesia, Conduction

Control of gastric acidity by glycopyrrolate premedication in the parturient.

The effect of premedication with the anticholinergic quaternary ammonium compound, glycopyrrolate (0.4 mg), on gastric juice pH was investigated in 23 parturients scheduled for elective cesarean section under general anesthesia, and the results were compared to a control group of 15 nonpremedicated obstetric patients and 25 parturients premedicated with atropine (0.6 mg). In the nonpremedicated control group, the mean gastric juice pH was 2.36 (SE +/- 0.23), 66% having a pH less than the critical level of 2.5. Premedication with atropine did not significantly increase the gastric pH, while in those premedicated with glycopyrrolate, the mean pH increased to 3.7 (+/- 0.35), and the incidence of pH less than the critical level dropped to 34%. The effect of glycopyrrolate on gastric juice pH was significantly increased when the premedication-induction time was prolonged to 60 to 120 minutes. It was concluded that glycopyrrolate premedication can be used in the parturient as an additional measure to safeguard against acid-aspiration syndrome.

Anesthesia, Obstetrical