[The cuff alone is no risk factor. Reply to the remarks of L.J. Hoeve, J. Holzki and H.J. Schultz-Coulon].
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to T Erb.
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The use of endotracheal tubes with a cuff is controversial in infants and small children. Often anaesthetists advocate extreme opinions and whereas some propagate the use of cuffed tubes in all cases without restriction, others condemn their use in infants and small children under all circumstances. In this article, the discussion concerning the use of cuffed endotracheal tubes in infants and small children is based on current data and arguments. Relevant facts about the anatomy of the upper airway are reviewed and tube products that are currently available, their correct use in infants as well as the inherent potential advantages and disadvantages related to their use are discussed. The overall incidence of iatrogenic damage after short lasting endotracheal intubation is low. However, acquired subglottic stenosis might represent a severe long-lasting complication. Regardless as to whether tubes with or without cuffs are used, a disproportion between the outer diameter of the tube and the inner diameter of the nonexpandable cricoid ring is the main reason for the genesis of this lesion. A continuous monitoring of the cuff pressure is recommended when using cuffed endotracheal tubes in this age group.
A 53-year-old woman diagnosed as having hereditary motor-sensory neuropathy Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease Type 2, underwent inguinal hernia surgery. In this patient CMT disease was manifested as distal muscle weakness and wasting. Anaesthetic experience with patients who have CMT disease is limited. Association to malignant hyperthermia is very unlikely although there is one case report that shows that there could be a relationship. We describe a total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) protocol with propofol and alfentanil without any muscle relaxants after fiberoptic intubation. The patient made an uneventful recovery and was discharged from the hospital on the fourth postoperative day. TIVA was a safe technique in this patient and should be considered as an alternative for patients presenting with CMT disease.
BACKGROUND: In preschool children, short-lasting surgical procedures are often performed under combined inhalational and regional anaesthesia with the child breathing spontaneously via a laryngeal mask airway (LMA). Despite widespread use, only limited data are available on haemodynamic, respiratory and metabolic effects of sevoflurane and halothane during LMA anaesthesia. METHODS: In an open-label, randomised, controlled study, 49 children (aged 3-8 years) were allocated to receive either sevoflurane or halothane in 60% nitrous oxide. After insertion of the LMA, end-tidal concentrations of sevoflurane or halothane were maintained at 1 MAC with the child ventilating spontaneously throughout the entire procedure. Analgesia was provided by caudal block. Haemodynamic and respiratory parameters were recorded, and capillary blood-gas samples were obtained repeatedly. RESULTS: Changes in heart rate (HR) and systolic blood pressure were similar in both groups during all observed periods, apart from a significantly higher increase in HR during inhalational induction with sevoflurane (P<0.05). Regression slope analysis during anaesthesia revealed a decrease of the respiratory rate of 5 breaths h-1 (P<0.001) and an increase of end-tidal PCO2 and capillary PCO2 of about 0.25 kPa h-1 (P<0.001), with no significant difference between the two groups. Base excess, calculated in capillary blood gas samples, did not change over time (P>0.5) in either group. CONCLUSIONS: The use of approximately 1 MAC sevoflurane or halothane in 60% N2O in children breathing spontaneously via LMA resulted in comparable haemodynamic, respiratory and metabolic changes, and clinically relevant deteriorations did not occur during the 65-min study period.
We report the anaesthetic management of a child with Prader-Willi syndrome and mitochondrial myopathy for open heart surgery. We used ketamine, fentanyl, rocuronium and caudal morphine together with a propofol infusion with no untoward effects. The implications of both conditions for anaesthesia are discussed.
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BACKGROUND: Experimental results suggest that the competence of the internal jugular vein (IJV) valve may be damaged when the IJV is cannulated for insertion of a central venous catheter. It has further been hypothesized that the risk of causing incompetence of the proximally located valve might be reduced by using a more distal site for venous cannulation. The present study evaluated these hypotheses in surgical patients. METHODS: Ninety-one patients without preexisting incompetence of the IJV valve were randomly assigned to undergo distal or proximal IJV cannulation (> or = 1 cm above or below the cricoid level, respectively). Color Doppler ultrasound was used to study whether new valvular incompetence was present during Valsalva maneuvers after insertion of a central venous catheter, immediately after removal of the catheter, and, in a subset of patients, several months after catheter removal, when compared with baseline findings before cannulation of the IJV. RESULTS: Incompetence of the IJV valve was frequently induced both by proximal and distal cannulation and catheterization of the IJV. Its incidence was higher after proximal than after distal cannulation (76% vs. 41%; P < 0.01) and tended to be so after removal of the catheter (47% vs. 28%; P = 0.07). Valvular incompetence persisting immediately after removal of the catheter did not recover within 8-27 months in most cases. CONCLUSIONS: Cannulation and catheterization of the IJV may cause persistent incompetence of the IJV valve. Choosing a more distal site for venous cannulation may slightly lower the risk of causing valvular incompetence but does not reliably avoid it.
OBJECTIVES: This study was undertaken to assess the feasibility, tolerance, haemodynamic and haematologic effects of an aggressive phlebotomy schedule for autologous blood donation (ABD) in adolescents undergoing major orthopaedic surgery. METHODS: Twenty adolescents were studied prospectively; 10 patients in group A donated 20% of the circulating blood volume on 2 occasions, whereas 10 patients in group B donated 10% on 4 occasions. RESULTS: The amount of blood donated, subjective tolerance, cardiovascular changes during the procedure and pre-operative haemoglobin level did not differ between the study groups (group A 111+/-16 vs. group B 106+/-10 g/l). The increase in erythropoietin was greater and occurred sooner in group A than in group B. CONCLUSION: In adolescents ABD is feasible with a reduced number of appointments as they demonstrate tolerance to phlebotomies with a volume which is double the standard per deposit.
UNLABELLED: In patients with difficult airways, the standard of care involves fiberoptic intubation under spontaneous ventilation. However, the safety and feasibility of a fiberoptic intubation teaching program has only been documented in paralyzed and apneic patients, whereas data obtained in patients under spontaneous respiration are limited and conflicting. We evaluated 100 anesthetized patients undergoing orotracheal fiberoptic intubation. Five anesthesia residents with no prior experience in fiberoptic laryngoscopy participated in the study. In a randomized fashion, each participant tracheally intubated 10 spontaneously breathing patients (Group A: sevoflurane anesthesia via an airway endoscopy mask) and 10 paralyzed patients (Group B: total IV anesthesia with propofol, fentanyl, atracurium). Overall rate of success (96%), defined as successful intubation of the trachea within two attempts, was not different between groups. During fiberoptic intubation, Spo2 values remained >95% in Group A, whereas Spo2 decreased to <95% in two patients in Group B. Failure to pass the tube into the trachea over the bronchoscope was encountered in four patients in Group A and in no patient in Group B. Our data suggest that it is safe to teach the use of fiberoptic intubation in anesthetized, spontaneously breathing patients with normal airway anatomy. IMPLICATIONS: Fiberoptic intubation under spontaneous respiration is a well established technique for management of difficult airways. Our study demonstrates the feasibility and safety of a novice training program for fiberoptic intubation under general anesthesia, not only in paralyzed patients but also in those breathing spontaneously.
Fibreoptic bronchoscopy (FB) is frequently associated with a decline in PaO2, whose degree and duration can be substantial especially in infants. The effect of a face mask, which allows the administration of 100% oxygen and continuous positive airway pressure during FB, on the incidence and severity of hypoxaemia was studied in thirty-one consecutive infants. Sedation was provided by intravenous propofol titrated to allow patient comfort. A transient fall in SpO2 <95% was recorded in 6/31 patients during endoscopy of the upper airway (lasting 1.6+/-1.1 min) and in 11/31 patients during endoscopy of the lower airways (lasting 1.4+/-1.1 min). Capillary blood gas analysis before and after endoscopy of the lower airways demonstrated an increase in the PCO2 6.4+/-1.3 to 7.3+/-1.4 kPa (49+/-10 to 56+/-11 mmHg). The risk of hypoxaemia in sedated infants breathing spontaneously is low when 100% oxygen and continuous positive airway pressure are administered during FB
BACKGROUND: In elderly patients undergoing ophthalmic surgery the loss of co-operation due to over-sedation, induced by drugs given preoperatively, may jeopardise the success of microsurgery performed under regional anaesthesia. The aim of this study was to compare the psychotropic effects of bromazepam and clorazepate-dipotassium, two benzodiazepines with predominantly anxiolytic and only weak sedative action. METHODS: A randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind study was designed to include 60 patients, ASA physical status II-III, older than 60 years scheduled for ophthalmic surgery under regional anaesthesia. The patients were randomised to receive either bromazepam (3 mg) or clorazepate-dipotassium (20 mg) or placebo. The study drugs were given at 10 p.m. the night before surgery and 90 min before surgery. Using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the patient's anxiety was assessed at the end of the preoperative visit, on the next morning before the study drug was given and on arrival at the operating theatre. RESULTS: Bromazepam induced a marked anxiolytic effect as documented by a significant reduction in the STAI State values after both applications (P<0.01). Clorazepate did not differ from placebo at any evaluation time with regard to the STAI and haemodynamic values. Sedative effects and oxygen saturation (SpO2) were comparable in all groups. CONCLUSION: Bromazepam is superior to clorazepate in its anxiolytic action and suitable as preoperative medication in the elderly patient because of lack of overt sedative effects.
We studied the haemodynamic changes during induction of anaesthesia in 50 ASA I and II children (1-12 yrs) undergoing minor elective surgery. The patients were randomly divided into two groups to receive either halothane (n = 25) or sevoflurane (n = 25) in a mixture of O2 and N2O (40:60) for mask induction of anaesthesia. Induction of anaesthesia was performed with an overpressure technique by administering rapid increases of gas concentrations, in increments of 1% up to 7% for sevoflurane and of 0.5% up to 3% for halothane. Induction was smooth and rapid in both groups but characterized by increases in heart rate and systolic blood pressure up to 20% especially in the sevoflurane group (P < 0.05); these increases in the latter group were significant compared with baseline and the halothane group (P < 0.05). No serious complications were observed. The authors conclude that more children experienced heart rate and blood pressure increases during the early stage of inhalational induction with sevoflurane compared with halothane.
UNLABELLED: In 144 anesthetized children aged 2-9 yrs, the safety and feasibility of orotracheal fiberoptic intubation, with and without an airway endoscopy mask, were assessed and compared with laryngoscopic intubation. Eight anesthesia residents with experience in adult fiberoptic intubation, but who were beginners in pediatric anesthesia, participated in this study. In a randomized fashion, each resident intubated 18 children (6 in each group). The time (mean +/- SD) to achieve successful intubation was different for laryngoscopic and fiberoptic intubation (34 +/- 17 s and 80 +/- 39 s, respectively; P < 0.001). The use of the airway endoscopy mask further prolonged fiberoptic intubation (167 +/- 121 s, P < 0.001). Spo2 values remained >95% in all patients during conventional laryngoscopy and fiberoptic laryngoscopy with a mask, whereas Spo2 decreased below 95% in 2 of the 48 patients during fiberoptic intubation without a mask. Both patients promptly recovered during ventilation via a face mask. We conclude that teaching the use of fiberoptic intubation in healthy, anesthetized children aged 2-9 yrs is safe and feasible. IMPLICATIONS: Fiberoptic intubation is a valuable technique of airway management. We studied the feasibility and safety of a training program that could be used for children more than 2 yrs old. This study demonstrates that fiberoptic intubation can be effectively practiced in pediatric patients without increased risk of side effects.
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