BACKGROUNDSufentanil target controlled infusion (TCI) provides stable analgesia, better hemodynamic control than a bolus injection of intravenous anesthetics, anticipated recovery and improved quality of anesthesia during perioperative period. This study evaluated the accuracy and feasibility of TCI system for sufentanil at high concentrations in Chinese surgical patients.

METHODSTwelve low risk adult patients undergoing elective surgery under general anesthesia were included in this study. Sufentanil was administered with a specific TCI system incorporating the population pharmacokinetic data of sufentanil previously reported, using a target effect-site concentration of sufentanil 4 or 6 ng/ml. Sufentanil TCI duration was 30 minutes. Frequent arterial blood samples were taken during and up to 24 hours after sufentanil TCI for determination of plasma sufentanil concentrations by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry. The changes of circulatory system function during the procedure, recovery profile and adverse effects were recorded. Measured plasma sufentanil concentrations were compared with the values predicted by the TCI system. The bias (median performance error, MDPE), precision (median absolute performance error, MDAPE) and wobble (variability of performance error) of the sufentanil TCI system were determined.

RESULTSAll patients had stable cardiovascular variables during induction and maintenance of anesthesia. Time to eye opening and extubation were (5.6 + or - 1.7) minutes when TCI set to 4 ng/ml and (7.2 + or - 2.3) minutes when set to 6 ng/ml. There was no episode of agitation, muscle rigidity or intraoperative awareness. The bias (MDPE), precision (MDAPE) and wobble of the sufentanil TCI system were -3.7%, 18.9% and 19.6% respectively during TCI, and the MDPE, MDAPE and wobble were -29.1%, 31.7% and 15.0% respectively after TCI (up to 8 hours).

CONCLUSIONSThe TCI system programmed for sufentanil at 4 or 6 ng/ml was considered acceptable for clinical use in low risk Chinese surgical patients. But the relatively larger MDPE and MDAPE after TCI suggest improvements of the pharmacokinetic model are needed.

Adult ; Aged ; Anesthetics, Intravenous ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Female ; Humans ; Infusions, Intravenous ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sufentanil ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Young Adult

We examined whether pretreatment with a small dose of thiopental was effective in reducing pain induced by the intravenous injection of rocuronium. Withdrawal movement was used to assess pain reduction. Ninety patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups: patients in the control group were pretreated with 2 mL saline, and those in the thiopental group were pretreated with 2 mL (50 mg) thiopental. Thiopental 5 mg/kg was injected intravenously. After a loss of consciousness, the upper arm was compressed with a rubber tourniquet, and the pretreatment drugs were administered. Thirty seconds later the tourniquet was removed and 0.6 mg/kg rocuronium was administered. Withdrawal movement was assessed using a four-grade scale: no movement, movement limited to the wrist, to the elbow or to the shoulder. The frequency of withdrawal movement in the group pretreated with thiopental was lower than in the control group (34 vs. 13, p 0.05). We concluded that pretreatment with 2 mL (50 mg) thiopental is effective in reducing pain caused by the intravenous injection of rocuronium.
Thiopental/*therapeutic use ; Pain Measurement ; Pain/chemically induced/*prevention & control ; Neuromuscular Nondepolarizing Agents/*adverse effects ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Injections, Intravenous ; Humans ; Female ; *Anesthetics, Intravenous ; Androstanols/*adverse effects ; Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of propofol and isoflurane on surgical stress response and postoperative cognitive function in elderly patients.

METHODSSixty elderly patients scheduled for elective upper abdominal surgery with general anesthesia were randomized equally into propofol group and isoflurane group. The surgical stress response, postoperative Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) and the rate of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) were compared between the two groups.

RESULTSThe surgical stress response in propofol group was relatively stable. Compared with isoflurane group, the patients in propofol group showed significantly faster recovery of the MMSE scores with also lower rate of POCD.

CONCLUSIONCompared with isoflurane, propofol intravenous anesthesia is associated with rapid recovery of the cognitive function, stable surgical stress response and reduced adverse effects in elderly patients.

Abdomen ; surgery ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Anesthesia Recovery Period ; Anesthetics, Inhalation ; adverse effects ; Anesthetics, Intravenous ; adverse effects ; Cognition ; drug effects ; Cognition Disorders ; chemically induced ; Female ; Humans ; Isoflurane ; adverse effects ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications ; etiology ; Propofol ; adverse effects ; Stress, Physiological

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence of awareness during general anesthesia and analyze the risk factors in anesthetic practice and patient populations. METHODS: A total of 2 300 patients who underwent general anesthesia were included. Perioperative data and anesthetic drugs were collected prospectively. Patients were interviewed twice postoperatively with the same structured questionnaire. Each patient was classified into categories as no awareness, possible awareness, and awareness. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients (0.91%) definitely reported awareness, and another 205 (8.91%) reported possible awareness. Few of the patients with awareness required psychological intervention. ASA physical status III-IV and propofol maintenance were associated risk factors of awareness. CONCLUSION The incidence of intraoperative awareness is high in the clinical practice in major medical centers.
Adult ; Anesthesia, General ; adverse effects ; Anesthetics, Intravenous ; adverse effects ; Awareness ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intraoperative Complications ; epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Propofol ; adverse effects ; Risk Factors

PURPOSE: Opioids may affect changes in the corrected QT interval (QTc) during anesthetic induction. This study examine whether a single bolus of remifentanil would prolong QTc after laryngeal mask airway (LMA) insertion during sevoflurane induction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty women of American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status 1 (ASA PS1) undergoing gynecological surgery were studied. All patients were induced using three vital capacity inhalation inductions with 5% sevoflurane. Two minutes after induction, the inspiratory concentration of sevoflurane was reduced to 2%. Using double-blinded randomization, patients were allocated into one of two groups, receiving either saline (placebo group, n = 20) or 0.25 microg.kg-1 remifentanil (remifentanil group, n = 20) over a period of thirty seconds. Sixty seconds later, LMA insertion was performed. Recordings were taken with a 12-lead electrocardiogram at baseline, 2 min after induction and 1 and 3 min after LMA insertion. QTc was calculated by Bazett's formula. The mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) were also measured at each time point. RESULTS: The QTc interval was significantly prolonged in the placebo group as compared to the remifentanil group at 1 min after LMA insertion (467.8 +/- 16.5 vs. 442.7 +/- 21.3 ms, p < 0.001). However, there was no significant difference in QTc at 3 min after LMA insertion between the two groups. MAP and HR were significantly higher in the placebo group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: A single bolus of remifentanil is safe method to attenuate prolonged QTc associated with insertion of LMA.
Adult ; Anesthetics, Inhalation/adverse effects/*pharmacology ; Anesthetics, Intravenous/administration & dosage/*pharmacology ; Electrocardiography/drug effects ; Female ; Gynecologic Surgical Procedures/adverse effects ; Heart Rate/*drug effects ; Humans ; Methyl Ethers/adverse effects/*pharmacology ; Middle Aged ; Piperidines/*pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo explore the preventive effect of etomidate-induced myoclonus by different concentrations of target-controlled infusion of remifentanil.

METHODSA total of 120 cases undergoing general anesthesia were randomly divided into 4 groups according to different concentrations of target controlled infusion of remifentanil using plasma target controlled infusion ( Minto model) , in which the target concentration was set as 1 f.Lg/L ( group A) , 2 f.Lg/L ( group B) , 3 f.Lg/L ( group C) , and 4 f.Lg/L ( group D) . Five minutes after the balance of effect compartment, induction with etomidate 0. 3 mglkg was conducted intravenously. The intensity and duration of myoclonus was recorded.

RESULTSThe incidence of etomidate-induced myoclonus was 70.9%, 33.3%, 26.7%, and 0 in groups A, B, C, and D, respectively. Along with the increase of the remifentanil concentration, the incidence of severe myoclonus gradually reduced, which was significantly lower in group B and C than in group A ( P < 0. 05). When the concentration reached 4 f.Lg/L, bradycardia and apnea appeared.

CONCLUSIONMyoclonus induced by etomidate under general anesthesia can be prevented by target controlled infusion of remifentanil, with 2-3 f.Lg/L being the optimal concentration.

Adult ; Anesthetics, Intravenous ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; Etomidate ; adverse effects ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myoclonus ; chemically induced ; prevention & control ; Piperidines ; administration & dosage

OBJECTIVE: To determine the maximum dose of continuously infused mivacurium for intraoperative neuromonitoring and observe its adverse effects in thyroid surgery. METHODS: Twenty-eight patients undergoing thyroid surgery with intraoperative neuromonitoring received continuous infusion of mivacurium at the initial rate of 5.43 μg?kg?min, and the infusion rate for the next patient was adjusted based on the response of the previous patient according to the results of neurological monitoring. The depth of anesthesia was maintained with sevoflurane and remifentanil during the surgery. The LD50 and 95% of mivacurium were calculated using Brownlee's up-and-down sequential method. RESULTS: The LD50 of continuously infused mivacurium was 8.94 μg?kg?min (95% : 8.89- 8.99 μg?kg?min) during thyroid surgery, which did not affect neurological function monitoring. Transient chest skin redness occurred after induction in 9 patients (32.1%). None of the patients experienced intubation difficulties or showed intraoperative body motions during the surgery. CONCLUSIONS In patients undergoing thyroid surgery under anesthesia maintained by inhalation and intravenous infusion, the LD50 of mivacurium was 8.94 μg?kg?min (95% : 8.89-8.99 μg?kg?min) for continuous infusion, which does not cause serious adverse effects during the operation.
Anesthesia ; Anesthetics, Inhalation ; Anesthetics, Intravenous ; Humans ; Intraoperative Neurophysiological Monitoring ; methods ; Lethal Dose 50 ; Mivacurium ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; Neuromuscular Nondepolarizing Agents ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; Remifentanil ; Sevoflurane ; Thyroid Gland ; surgery

Although rare, intraoperative anaphylaxis can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. Aquafol(R) (Daewon Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Seoul, Korea), a microemulsion propofol, was developed to eliminate lipid solvent-related adverse events, and was used in clinical anesthesia since 2009 with little data about severe side effects such as anaphylaxis. A healthy 16-yr-old male patient who had past medical history with two previous operations of no complications developed cardiovascular shock with generalized erythema following administration of microemulsion propofol during anesthesia induction. Intravenous injection of epinephrine and steroid rescued him. He remained in a stable state without any problems postoperatively and was discharged. Clinicians should consider this rare but serious complication during induction of anesthesia with propofol.
Adolescent ; Anaphylaxis/*chemically induced/drug therapy ; Anesthetics, Intravenous/*administration & dosage/adverse effects ; Bronchodilator Agents/therapeutic use ; Dexamethasone/therapeutic use ; Emulsions/chemistry ; Epinephrine/therapeutic use ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use ; Humans ; Injections, Intravenous ; Male ; Propofol/*administration & dosage/adverse effects

PURPOSE: To investigate and compare the effects of propofol and midazolam on inflammation and oxidase stress in children with congenital heart disease undergoing cardiac surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-two ASA class I-II children with congenital heart disease undergoing cardiac surgery were randomly divided into two groups: propofol combined with low dose fentanyl (PF group, n = 16) and midazolam combined with low dose fentanyl (MF group, n = 16). Tracheal extubation time and length of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) stay were recorded. Blood samples were taken before operation (T0), at 2 h after release of the aorta cross-clamp (T3) and at 24 h after operation (T4) to measure interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-8, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. Myocardium samples were collected at 10-20 min after aorta cross-clamp (T1) and at 10-20 min after the release of the aorta cross-clamp (T2) to detect heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression. RESULTS: Tracheal extubation time and length of ICU stay in PF group were significantly shorter than those of the MF group (p < 0.05, respectively). After cardiopulmonary bypass, IL-6, IL-8 and MDA levels were significantly increased, and the SOD level was significantly reduced in both two groups, but PF group exhibited lower IL-6, IL-8 and MDA levels and higher SOD levels than the MF group (p < 0.05, respectively). The HO-1 expression in the PF group was significantly higher than that in MF group at the corresponding time points (p < 0.05, respectively). CONCLUSION: Propofol is superior to midazolam in reducing inflammation and oxidase stress and in improving post-operation recovery in children with congenital heart disease undergoing cardiac surgery.
Anesthesia, Intravenous/*adverse effects ; Anesthetics, Intravenous/*adverse effects ; Cardiac Surgical Procedures/*adverse effects ; Child ; Female ; Heart Defects, Congenital/*surgery ; Heme Oxygenase-1/blood ; Humans ; Inflammation/*chemically induced ; Interleukin-6/blood ; Interleukin-8/blood ; Male ; Malondialdehyde/blood ; Midazolam/*adverse effects ; Oxidative Stress/*drug effects ; Propofol/*adverse effects ; Superoxide Dismutase/blood

Etomidate and midazolam are the most popular drugs among the induction agents for emergent endotracheal intubation. The purpose of this study was to compare the incidence of adrenal insufficiency and mortality between the septic shock patients who received etomidate (ETM group) and those who received midazolam (MDZ group). Between November 2004 and September 2006, 65 patients were analyzed in this study. The hospital mortality rate was 36% in the ETM group (n=25) and 50% in the MDZ group (n=40), which was not statistically significant (p=0.269). The incidence of relative adrenal insufficiency was significantly higher in the ETM group than in the MDZ group (84% and 48%, respectively; p=0.003). On multivariate analysis, the use of etomidate was the only significant factor affecting the incidence of relative adrenal insufficiency (odds radio, 5.59; 95% confidence interval, 1.61- 19.4). In conclusion, we think that physicians who treat patients with septic shock should be aware that etomidate can cause adrenal insufficiency, and should start corticosteroids if etomidate is administered.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones/therapeutic use ; Adrenal Insufficiency/chemically induced/complications ; Aged ; Anesthetics, Intravenous/*adverse effects ; Etomidate/*adverse effects ; Female ; Humans ; *Intubation, Intratracheal ; Male ; Midazolam/*adverse effects ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Shock, Septic/complications/drug therapy/*mortality