BACKGROUND: A thoracic epidural combined with general anesthesia may reduce the oxygen demand of the heart by cardiac sympathetic blockade, but it may also reduce the systemic and cardiac oxygen delivery due to hypoperfusion which is critical to patients with significant coronary lesions. This study was done to investigate the effects of thoracic epidural anesthesia on the systemic and cardiac oxygen supply/demand balance during coronary occlusion in dogs. METHODS: In 10 dogs, the left circumflex coronary artery was occluded, and then thoracic epidural anesthesia was given at the T5-6 or T6-7 level with 5 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine to block T1-T12 through the surgically introduced epidural catheter. Hemodynamic parameters and arterial, mixed venous and coronary sinus blood samples were obtained at baseline and 30 minutes after coronary occlusion. The same parameters were also measured at 30, 60, 90, 120 and 150 minutes after the epidural blockade. An epicardial 2D-echocardiogram was done by a cardiologist at baseline, 30 minutes after occlusion and 1 hour after the epidural blockade. RESULTS: Systemic oxygen delivery (O2 flux) was decreased after epidural anesthesia (p < 0.05), but oxygen consumption (VO2) was maintained throughout the experimental periods. Although the systemic oxygen extraction ratio (O2ER) was not changed, cardiac O2ER was increased at 90, 120 and 150 minutes after epidural anesthesia (p < 0.05). The end-diastolic noncontractile area of the left ventricle was increased, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure was increased 90 minutes after epidural anesthesia and cardiac output was decreased 120 minutes after epidural anesthesia (p < 0.05). CONCLSIONS: In the experimental canine model of coronary occlusion, thoracic epidural anesthesia induces diminished systemic oxygen delivery without deteriorating oxygen supply/demand balance. However, as PsO2 and SsO2 diminished and the noncontractile left ventricular area increased after epidural anesthesia in the setting of acute coronary occlusion, perioperative use of thoracic epidural anesthesia in patients of coronary disease should be done carefully in order not to aggravate myocardial ischemia.
Anesthesia, Epidural* ; Anesthesia, General ; Animals ; Bupivacaine ; Cardiac Output ; Catheters ; Coronary Disease ; Coronary Occlusion* ; Coronary Sinus ; Coronary Vessels ; Dogs* ; Heart ; Heart Ventricles ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Oxygen Consumption ; Oxygen* ; Pulmonary Wedge Pressure

Anesthetic care is usually provided for patients undergoing surgical procedures to make them unconscious and painless during surgery. Nowadays there are increasing therapeutic or diagnostic procedures performed outside operating room. Sedation is more frequently provided as healthcare during procedures for patient's comfort and safety by non-anesthesiologist or anesthesiologist. Early in 1999, ASA (the American Society of Anesthesiologists defined sedation and analgesia and established 4 states: minimal sedation, moderate sedation, deep sedation, and general anesthesia. Monitored anesthetic care implies the potential for a deep sedation and is always administered by an anesthesiologist. It is not always possible to predict how an individual patient will respond by nature of being a continuum of sedation. Hence, practitioners intending to induce a given level of sedation should be able to rescue patients whose level of sedation becomes deeper than initially intended. The standards for preoperative evaluation, intraoperative monitoring, anesthetic care, etc. are not different from those for general anesthesia.
Analgesia ; Anesthesia* ; Anesthesia, General ; Conscious Sedation ; Deep Sedation ; Delivery of Health Care ; Humans ; Methods ; Monitoring, Intraoperative ; Operating Rooms

BACKGROUND: A retrospective study was performed to evaluate postoperative mortality within 30 days following surgery. METHODS: The records of 31,806 patients who received operation under general anesthesia were reviewed. RESULTS: 1) Postoperative deaths were 184 cases, the ratio of which was comprising 0.57% of all surgical operative cases. 2) The highest ratio of the mortality in age group was 51~60 years group which was 24.5%, and in physical status it was ASA class III which was 36.4%. The highest ratio to the mortality rate in postoperative days was 8~30 days which was 45.1%. 3) The most common causes of death was low cardiac output due to heart failure on operating theater, and hypovolemic shock within postoperative 2 days, and intracranial problem within postoperative 7 days, and pulmonary complication within postoperative 30 days. CONCLUSION: We conclude that fatality rate could be decreased by intensive and multidisciplinary care for postoperaive complications as respiratory and renal failure.
Anesthesia, General ; Cardiac Output, Low ; Cause of Death ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Mortality ; Renal Insufficiency ; Retrospective Studies ; Shock

The need for a short-acting non-depolarizing neuromuscular blocking agent to replace succinylcholine chloride(succinylcholine) is recognized widely and attempts to find such a drug have been numerous. Atracurium besylate(atracurium) is one of the new series of neuromuscular blocking agents with little cardiovascular effect and is not dependent on hepatic and renal function for terminating its action because of its self-destroying mechanism. Because succinylchline may occasionally be contraindieated for intubation in parturients we studied the use of atracurium in 23 patients having cesarean section. All patients received 0. 5 mg/kg atracurium for intubation and neuromuscular relaxation. Hemodynamic changes, the time from the injection of atracurium to maximal twitch suppression, the time between atracurium administration and the return to 10% of control twitch height were recorded and observed the degree of vocal cord relaxation and conditions of intubation and evaluated the Apgar scores. 1) Mean arterial pressure and heart rate increased significantly after intubation compared with that of control and just before intubation but there were no significant changes in 5 minutes after intubation. 2) The 90% twitch suppression following atracurium administration was 75.6+/-20.9 seconds. 3) The return of 10% of control twitch height was 2449.3+/-1114.0 seconds. 4) Intubation conditions were excellent for 19 patients. 5) The Apgar scores of 20 neonates were high. These data suggest that the use of atracurium may be a useful alternative for induction for Cesarean section when succinylcholine is contraindicated.
Arterial Pressure ; Atracurium* ; Cesarean Section* ; Female ; Heart Rate ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Intubation ; Intubation, Intratracheal* ; Neuromuscular Blockade ; Neuromuscular Blocking Agents ; Pregnancy ; Relaxation ; Succinylcholine ; Vocal Cords

We noted hemoglobinuris during and after extracorporeal circulation for one case of mitral valve replacement. Laboratory results revealed autoimmune hemolytic anemia(AIHA) including a positive direct Coombs test. A patient with AIHA is serologically incompatible with his own red cells and with the red cells of most blood donors. Red cell transfusion is essential for the management of life threatenting anemia especially in this case. So it is essential, therefore, to have efficient clinician blood bank communication in order to arrive at a rational transfusion therapy for these patients.
Anemia ; Anemia, Hemolytic* ; Blood Banks ; Blood Donors ; Coombs Test ; Extracorporeal Circulation* ; Humans ; Mitral Valve

To evaluate the technique to provide rapid onset of anesthesia and postoperative pain control for cesarean section, we have used spinal anesthesia and epidural analgesia with a 26-gauge, long spinal needle through a 18-gauge Tuohy needle(Espocan) for elective cesarean section in twenty cases, 0.5% heavy bupivacaine 8-12mg was injected through spinal needle for anesthesia during operation, and then spinal needle was removed and epidural catheter was inserted into the epidural space for postoperative pain control. Ten milliliters of bupivacaine 0.125% with 0.45 mg buprenorphine was injected into epidural space through epidural catheter at the time of pain recognition in postoperative period. The results were as follows; 1) There were 5 cases(25%) of hypotension after spinal anesthesia. 2) There were 4 cases(20%) of complaint of pain during operation. 3) The time from injection of 0.5% heavy bupivacaine to onset of anethesia to T4 level is 3.8+/-1.5 minutes and the time from induction of spinal anesthesia to deliverly of infant is 10.1+/-2.9 minutes. 4) Two cases of postoperative headache were noted, but they were mild and relieved spontaneously. 5) Other analgesics were needed in two cases at postoperative periods. The technique is recommended for the anesthesia of cesarean section because it allows rapid onset of anesthesia with spinal anesthesia and gives advantages of postoperative pain control with epidural catheter.
Analgesia, Epidural* ; Analgesics ; Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, Spinal* ; Bupivacaine ; Buprenorphine ; Catheters ; Cesarean Section* ; Epidural Space ; Female ; Headache ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Infant ; Needles ; Pain, Postoperative ; Postoperative Period ; Pregnancy

There are many predisposing factors for acute pulmonary edema, namely, left ventricular failure due to cardiac disease or fluid overloading, hypoalbuminemia, pulmonary capillary endothelial damage from bacterial toxins or irritant gases, rare central nervous system injuries pulmonary hyersensitivity reactions, etc. Acute pulmonary edema following operations is a rare complication especially in a patient whose preoperative cardiopulmonary status was within normal limits. We present a case of unilateral pulmonary edema immediately following operation in a 46 year old male patient who had a modified pull-through operation due to tongue cancer and who had no evidence of preoperative cardiopulmonary disorders. The edema was relieved after 9 hours with intensive care of pulmonary edema such as IPPB with Omorphine, diuretics, corticosteroid, asemi-sitting position and frequent tracheal suction.
Bacterial Toxins ; Capillaries ; Causality ; Central Nervous System ; Diuretics ; Edema ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Hypoalbuminemia ; Critical Care ; Intermittent Positive-Pressure Breathing ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Noble Gases ; Pulmonary Edema* ; Suction ; Tongue Neoplasms

The changes in heart rate, systolic, mean and diastolic arterial blood pressure, and the plasma concentration of epinephrine and norepinephrine were measured before and thmughout the induction periods of anesthesia in 60 elective surgical patients in a randomized, double-blind manner to evaluate the effects of continuous intravenous infusion of esmolol for 1 minute at 500 ug/kg/min as a loading dose and for 4 minutes at 100 ug/kg/min as a maintenance dose. The control group (n=30) was given the continuous infusion of normal saline at the same volume-rate. During the study, anesthesia was maintained with N2O-O2-enflurane-vecuronium and controlled ventilation. In the esmolol group, statisticaUy, the heart rate at 1 minute after the intubation was less increased and systolic and diastolic pressure after 11 minutes were more decreased than the control group. And plasma norepinephrine concentration was elevated more than the control group at 3 minutes after the intubation. We concluded that the used infusion rate of esmolol blunted the hemodynamic changes following the laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation but it is still needed to find the dosage for complete blocking the adrenergic response.
Anesthesia ; Arterial Pressure ; Blood Pressure ; Epinephrine ; Heart Rate ; Hemodynamics* ; Humans ; Infusions, Intravenous* ; Intubation ; Intubation, Intratracheal* ; Laryngoscopy ; Norepinephrine ; Plasma ; Ventilation

In the modern practice of general anesthesia, endotracheal intubation is routinely used for controlled ventilation. To facilitating intubation, succinlycholine is the most valuable muscle relaxant. But succinylcholine has many untoward reactions such as elevation of intraocular pressure, increased plasma potassium, increased intragastric pressure, bradycardia and the development of postperative muscle pain, etc. Several attempts have study was intended to determine adequate doses of gallamine triethiodide for endotracheal intubation in patients to avoid the development of bradycardis. The authors measured the heart rate just beofre, immediately after and 5 minutes after intubation. The total number of patients in this study was 67, and the patients were divided into five groups: Group 1: consisting of 10 patients, receiving 1.5 mg/kg of gallamine triethiodide. Group 2: of 10 patients, receiving 2.0 mg/kg of gallamine. Group 3: of 22 patients, receiving 2.5 mg/kg of gallamine. Group 4: of 15 patients, receiving 3.0 mg/kg of gallamine. Group 5: of 10 patients, receiving 3.5 mg/kg of gallamine. The authors tried to choose the least difficult intubation after gallamine triethiodide, the amount administered and the patient's reaction to stimulation. The conclusions are summarized as follows: 1) The adequate dose of gallamine triethiodide for endotracheal intubation is 2.5mg/kg. 2) The duraion of action of gallamine triethiodide is dose dependent. 3) Increase of heart rate in each group is significant after gallamine triethiodide.
Anesthesia, General ; Bradycardia ; Gallamine Triethiodide* ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Intraocular Pressure ; Intubation ; Intubation, Intratracheal* ; Myalgia ; Plasma ; Potassium ; Succinylcholine ; Ventilation

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine the cardiac function and transcriptional response of the heart to propofol after ischemia-reperfusion. METHODS: Rat hearts were Langendorff-perfused using the modified Krebs-Henseleit buffer, and took 20 min stabilizing periods, 40 min ischemia periods, and then 120 min reperfusion period. The hearts were divided into 5 groups; Control: 180 min perfusion after stabilization, Ischemic: 40 min global ischemia after stabilization, followed by 120 min reperfusion, Pre: 2 micrometer propofol treatment was preformed only before ischemia, Post: 2 micrometer propofol treatment was performed only during reperfusion after ischemia, Pre/Post: 2 micrometer propofol treatment was performed both before and after ischemia. The measurement for cardiac performances, such as left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP), rate of left ventricular pressure generation (dP/dt), heart rate, and coronary flow were obtained. The expression profiles of isolated mRNA were determined by using Agilent microarray and real time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to confirm the microarray results for a subset of genes. RESULTS: The Post group showed better LVDP and dP/dt than the Ischemic group. But there were no significant differences in heart rate and coronary flow among the groups. On the results of RT-PCR, the expressions of Abcc9, Bard1, and Casp4 were increased, but the expressions of Lyz, Casp8, and Timp1 were decreased in the Post group compared with the Ischemic group. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that 2 micrometer propofol may provide cardioprotective effect, and modulate gene expression such as apoptosis, and K(ATP) ion channel related-genes during reperfusion in the isolated rat hearts.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Gene Expression ; Glucose ; Heart ; Heart Rate ; Ion Channels ; Ischemia ; Perfusion ; Propofol ; Rats ; Reperfusion ; RNA, Messenger ; Tromethamine ; Ventricular Pressure