Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to B Dworacek.
Flunitrazepam was used in general and local anesthesia. Little effect was noted on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. In our patients there was an impressive period of amnesia and often we observed a central anticholinergic syndrome, which could be reversed by the use of physostigmine salicylate (0.04/kg body weight).
Anticholinergic agents may lead to a syndrome described by Longo as the Central Anticholinergic Syndrome (CAS). Patients with this syndrome exhibit one or more of the following: though impairement, disturbance of recent memory, hallucinations, ataxia, excitement, drowsiness of coma. We have reviewed our use of anticholinergics and tried to correlate it with the occurrence of the above symptomatology and have treated 200 cases in which the CAS was diagnosed with physostigmine salicylate (0.04 mg/kg). We also successfully treated 2 cases of apparently central anticholinergic hyperpyrexia in the same way. We would suggest that physostigmine be included in the armamentarium of every anesthetist to combat anticholinergic poisoning by the wide range of presently used anticholinergic drugs. (Act anaesth. belg., 1976, 27, 45-60).