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S Gutta

Publications and source records attributed to S Gutta.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

The influence of a bupivacaine and fentanyl epidural infusion after epidural fentanyl in patients allowed to ambulate in early labor.

UNLABELLED: Epidural fentanyl after a lidocaine and epinephrine test dose provides adequate analgesia and allows for ambulation during early labor. This study was designed to determine the influence of an epidural infusion of bupivacaine plus fentanyl administered after initiation of epidural labor analgesia with fentanyl. Specifically, we evaluated whether there is an increase in motor block or an increased time to request for further analgesic medication. Fifty-one laboring primigravid women at <5 cm cervical dilation who requested epidural analgesia were enrolled. After a 3-mL epidural test dose of 1.5% lidocaine with epinephrine (5 microg/mL), patients received fentanyl 100 microg via the epidural catheter. They then randomly received either an infusion (10 mL/h) of 0.0625% bupivacaine with fentanyl (3 microg/mL) or an infusion of preservative-free saline. After the administration of the initial analgesic, pain scores and side effects were recorded for each patient at 10, 20, and 30 min, every 30 min thereafter, and at the time of request for additional analgesic medication, by an observer blinded to the technique used. There were no demographic differences between the two groups. The mean duration of analgesia (time from initial dose to request for additional analgesia) was increased in the group that received a continuous infusion of bupivacaine and fentanyl compared with the Saline group (198 +/- 86 vs 145 +/- 50 min; P < 0.009). Side effects were similar between the two groups. No patient in either group experienced any detectable motor block. Fourteen patients chose to ambulate in the Saline group, and 12 patients chose to ambulate in the Infusion group. In early laboring patients, a continuous infusion of 0.0625% bupivacaine infusion with fentanyl (3 microg/mL) prolonged the duration until top-up was required, after epidural fentanyl 100 microg after a lidocaine and epinephrine test dose, and did not cause any clinically detectable motor block. IMPLICATIONS: A 0.0625% bupivacaine and fentanyl (3 microg/mL) infusion, when added to epidural fentanyl (100 microg), prolongs the analgesic duration without increasing motor block in women in early labor.

Adjuvants, Anesthesia↗

Controlled delivery systems for proteins using polyanhydride microspheres.

A method to provide near-constant sustained release of high molecular weight, water-soluble proteins from polyanhydride microspheres is described. The polyanhydrides used were poly(fatty acid dimer) (PFAD), poly(sebacic acid) (PSA), and their copolymers [P(FAD-SA)]. P(FAD-SA) microspheres containing proteins of different molecular sizes--lysozyme, trypsin, heparinase, ovalbumin, albumin, and immunoglobulin--were prepared by a solvent evaporation method using a double emulsion. The microspheres containing proteins were spherical, with diameters of 50-125 microns, and encapsulated more than 80% of the protein, irrespective of the protein used. Enzymatic activity studies showed that encapsulation of enzymes inside polyanhydride microspheres can protect them from activity loss. When not placed inside polyanhydride microspheres, trypsin lost 80% of its activity in solution at 37 degrees C at pH 7.4 in 12 hr, whereas inside the polyanhydride microspheres the activity loss was less than 10% under these conditions. About 47% of the enzymatic activity of heparinase encapsulated in the microspheres was lost at 37 degrees C in 24 hr, while in solution it lost over 90% of its activity. The protein-loaded microspheres displayed near-zero-order erosion kinetics over 5 days as judged by the release of sebacic acid (SA) from the microspheres. The microspheres degraded to form SA and FAD monomers. All proteins were released at a near-constant rate without any large initial burst, irrespective of polymer molecular weight and protein loading. The period of protein release was longer than that of SA and continued protein release was observed even after the microsphere matrix had completely degraded. Differential scanning calorimetric studies demonstrated an interaction between protein and the FAD monomers produced with microsphere degradation. It is likely that the protein interaction with FAD monomers permits formation of water-insoluble protein aggregates which slowly dissolve and diffuse out of the matrix, leading to delayed protein release. For trypsin-loaded microspheres, trypsin lost 40% of its activity during microsphere preparation. Activity studies demonstrated that the sonication process was primarily responsible for activity loss. A reduction in the period of ultrasound exposure decreased the loss of protein activity to around 20%.

Decanoic Acids↗