No abstract available.
Intubation, Intratracheal*

Postoperative brain damage is one of most serious complications of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). To prevent brain damage during CPB, adequate cerebral perfusion for cerebral oxygen demand should be maintained. This study monitored jugular venous oxyhemoglobin saturation (SjO₂), which reflects the overall balance of cerebral oxygen supply and demand, intermittently in 10 patients undergoing cardiac surgery. At the initiation of CPB, in spite of a significant decrease in mean arterial pressure, SjO₂ did not change, and it was stable during the hypothermic period of CPB. But a significan reduction in SjO₂ was observed during the rewarming period, and SjO₂ had an inverse linear correlation with esophageal temperature. Furthermore, the percent decrease of SjO₂ was related to rewarming speed. Therefore, therapeutic approaches for SjO₂ desaturation include slower rewarming, increasing cerebral blood flow, decreasing the cerebral metabolic rate for oxygen, increasing oxygen content, and increasing perfusion flow rate.
Arterial Pressure ; Brain ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Cerebrovascular Circulation ; Humans ; Oxygen ; Oxyhemoglobins* ; Perfusion ; Rewarming ; Thoracic Surgery

BACKGROUND: In previous our retrospective study, we concluded that administered fluid volume, duration of operation, operative procedures and anesthetic techniques were the major factors of postoperative urinary retention. However, the administered fluid volume, age, types and duration of the operation confined to hemorrhoidectomy was questioned as a precipitating factor. The high retention rate in spinal anesthesia is also questioned. METHODS: We investigated these possible precipitating factors of urinary retention in healthy patients (n=154) undergoing hemorrhoidectomy. The patients were randomly divided into three different anesthetic techniques: caudal (2% lidocaine 300 mg with 1 : 200,000 epinephrine), spinal (0.5% tetracaine 5 mg with epinephrine 0.1 mg or 5% lidocaine 40 mg) and general (enflurane, N2O, vecuronium). Urinary retentin was searched according to above factors following surgery. RESULTS: The overall urinary retention rate was 46.1%. The retention rate in patients with spinal anesthesia was higher than that in those with other anesthetic techniques (p<0.05). There was no significant difference between patients with lidocaine and tetracaine spinal anesthesia in urinary retention rate. The administered fluid volume in patients with urinary retention was significantly higher than that of patients without retention (p<0.05). Age, duration and types of hemorrhoidectomy did not significantly affect urinary retention rate. CONCLUSIONS: Restriction of fluid administration and avoidance of spinal anesthesia are necessary in reducing postoperative urinary retention following hemorrhoidectomy.
Anesthesia, Spinal ; Epinephrine ; Hemorrhoidectomy* ; Humans ; Lidocaine ; Precipitating Factors ; Retrospective Studies ; Surgical Procedures, Operative ; Tetracaine ; Urinary Retention*

BACKGROUND: This study examined hemodynamic variables, oxygen delivery, extraction, and consumption in response to acute progressive hypoxia and hypercarbia in the setting of apnea. METHODS: Apnea was induced in 9 healthy mongrel dogs by disconnecting animals from mechanical ventilation of 30 minutes with pure oxygen. Hemodynamic variables, oxygen transport, extraction, and consumption were rapidly and repeatedly measured using pulmonary arterial and arterial catheters until cardiac output was undetectable. RESULTS: The baseline PaO2, PaCO2, pH, base excess were 318 +/- 137 mm Hg, 36 +/- 3.5 mm Hg, 7.30 +/- 0.06, 6.81 +/- 2.65 mmol/l respectively. Hypercarbia and hypoxemia (76 +/- 33 mm Hg) was first noted at 1 and 4 minute respectively. Base excess was not changed. Indices of preload (PCWP and CVP) were increased early in the time course (p<0.05). In contrast, indices of afterload (SVR) increased later, just before cardiac decompensation began (p<0.05). No significant reduction of cardiac output, oxygen delivery, extraction, and consumption was detected just until abrupt cardiac decompensation started, 5 minute. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that the early increase in preload was primarily due to hypercarbia whereas the late increase in afterload was due to hypoxemia, but the main cause of acute cardiac decompensation was a critical decrease in arterial oxygen tension with some contribution of increased preload and afterload.
Animals ; Anoxia ; Apnea* ; Cardiac Output ; Catheters ; Dogs* ; Hemodynamics* ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Oxygen* ; Respiration, Artificial

BACKGROUND: Patients receiving an elective total knee replacement (TKR) are frequently older and immobilized. The related decline in respiratory function and structural changes may place these patients at an increased risk of perioperative pulmonary complications. METHODS: This study reviewed the data of 239 consecutive procedures performed by a single surgeon. The data examined included the patient's characteristics (age, gender, height, weight and body mass index [BMI]); concurrent pulmonary comorbidity (presence vs. absence); anesthetic techniques (general vs. spinal); types of operation (unilateral vs. bilateral); duration of operation (< 4 vs. > or = 4 hr); duration of tourniquet inflation (< 2 vs. > or = 2 hr); number of perioperative transfusions (< or = 4 vs. > or = 5 units); and American society of anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status. Pulmonary complications were grouped together as a single outcome. A Chi-square test and multiple logistic regression analysis were used to identify the risk factors. A P value < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Pneumonia, pulmonary edema, pulmonary congestion, atelectasis and pulmonary embolism were the pulmonary complications (n = 28; 11.7%) examined. Age, gender, BMI, pulmonary comorbidity, type and duration of surgery, duration of tourniquet inflation, anesthetic technique and ASA physical status were not associated with pulmonary complications. Only the number of packed cells transfused (> or = 5 units) was found to be associated with the pulmonary complications (odds ratio 5.21; P = 0.015). In particular, transfusions were related to pneumonia, pulmonary edema, pulmonary congestion and pulmonary embolism (P < 0.01). However, atelectasis was not related to any of the potential risk factors including the anesthetic technique. CONCLUSIONS: Transfusion requirements may be an important risk factor of the early postoperative pulmonary complications in patients receiving a TKR.
Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee* ; Body Mass Index ; Comorbidity ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) ; Humans ; Inflation, Economic ; Logistic Models ; Pneumonia ; Pulmonary Atelectasis ; Pulmonary Edema ; Pulmonary Embolism ; Risk Factors* ; Tourniquets

BACKGROUND: Rocuronium is suitable for short operations and rapidly controlling the airway on account of its rapid onset and intermediate action. However, the intravenous administration of rocuronium can cause pain and withdrawal movement in children. This study evaluated the effect of diluting rocuronium from 10 mg/ml to 1 or 0.67 mg/ml with 0.9% NaCl on the withdrawal response associated with the intravenous administration of rocuronium with the intubation dose. METHODS: Ninety pediatric patients undergoing general anesthesia were randomized into one of three groups; Group OR (only rocuronium 0.6 mg/kg, n = 30), Group SR10 (rocuronium 0.6 mg/kg diluted with 0.9% NaCl to 1 mg/ml, n = 30), Group SR15 (rocuronium 0.6 mg/kg diluted with 0.9% NaCl to 0.67 mg/ml, n = 30). After the loss of consciousness by a thiopental sodium 5 mg/kg injection, the patients from each group received the 0.6 mg/kg premixed rocuronium, respectively. Patients' withdrawal response to the injection were graded using a 4-point scale (Grade 0, 1, 2, 3). RESULTS: The incidence and the intensity of the withdrawal response were significantly lower in the SR10 and SR15 groups than in the OR group (P < 0.05). In the SR15 group, the intensity of the withdrawal response was under grade 2 in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: Diluting rocuronium to 0.67 mg/ml is a simple and effective method for preventing withdrawal movements during an intravenous rocuronium injection.
Administration, Intravenous ; Anesthesia, General ; Child ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intubation ; Thiopental ; Unconsciousness

Acute urinary retention is a common complication following anorectal surgery. However, the cause of this complication is poorly understood. We investigated the influence on postoperative urinary retention of age, sex, premedicants, intraoperative fluid volume administered, surgeon, operating time, type of operation, anesthetic technique in 278 patients undergoing elective surgery for benign anorectal disease by a review of the charts. The results were as follows. The overall urinary retention rate was 31.7%. Age, sex, premedicants (narcotics, anticholinergics), surgeon did not correlate with urinary retention. Increasing age was associated with a relatively high incidence of urinary retention, but the difference did not reach statistical significance (P=0.054). The variables of intraoperative fluid volume administered (>200 ml), anesthetic technique (spinal anesthesia vs. general or caudal anesthesia), type (hemorrhoidectomy, especially including multiple mucosal ligation or sphincterotomy) of the operation, and operating time (>30 min) correlated significantly with retention (P<0.05). Urinary retention was 2, 7 and 3 times more likely to occur in patients who had duration of operation more than 30 minutes, hemorrhoidectomy, and spinal anesthesia respectively. After all above variables were controlled for, duration and type of the procedure and anesthetic technique remained significantly correlated with retention (P<0.05). We concluded that operating time of more than 30 minutes, hemorrhoidectomy (especially using multiple mucosal ligations or sphincterotomy), and spinal anesthesia were significant precipitating factors, but could not determine whether age and intraoperative fluid volume administered were associated with urinary retention with this retrospective study.
Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, Spinal ; Hemorrhoidectomy ; Humans ; Incidence ; Ligation ; Precipitating Factors ; Retrospective Studies ; Urinary Retention*

To identify the epidural space various methods have been recommended and the methods are divided into two major categories, either loss of resistance or negative pressure technics. A s#yringe technic to feel loss-of-resistanse is now widely used clinically due to its reliability and simplicity. However, in some instances, it is very difficult to recognize the epidural space despite using the above methods so that the need for a more safe and easier one is required. After the patient is placed in a sitting flexed position, an 18 gauge Tuohy needles is inserted epidurally at the lumbar area with a saline filled CVP manometer connected via a 3-way stopcock, then a sudden drop of pressure is usually observed and a fluctuation of the pressure can be observed in the water column of the manometer according to the changes in positions, respiration and heart beat. Although this method can be criticized because the technique is somewhat cumbersome and is difficult for retrial when the dura has been punctured, the authors appreciate the experimental values of the technic and suggest its aduantanges as follows: 1) it is a visual thchnic. 2) the measurement of epidural pressure is possible. 3) it prevents back-drip of local anesthetic solution with a 3-way stopcock. 4) it is useful as an index for determination of local anesthetic volume to be injected.
Epidural Space* ; Heart ; Humans ; Needles ; Respiration ; Water

A total of 33 patients with infective endocarditis were observed in the Guro and Hye Hwa Hospitals of Korea University Between September, 1981 and Feb, 1987. Among thses patients four patients presented with heart murmur and heart failure and had vegetation like findings observed on the two dimensional echocardiography. But these patients did not have any fever or leukocytosis in the peripheral blood and the repeated blood cultures were negative. They showed the immunologic phenomena of infective endocarditis such as microscopic hematuria in 4 patients, rheumatoid factor in 3 patients, false positive VDRL in one patient. The serum complement was decreased in 2 patients in whom it was checked. We report these 4 patients because we think these patients might be in the clinical stage in which the infecting organism is spontaneously cleared but the immunologic sequelae are remained.
Complement System Proteins ; Echocardiography ; Endocarditis* ; Fever ; Heart Failure ; Heart Murmurs ; Hematuria ; Humans ; Korea ; Leukocytosis ; Rheumatoid Factor

Spinal cord infarction as a complication of spine surgery occurs rarely. Herein, a case of spinal cord infarction, which developed in a 69 year old woman following posterior decompression and internal fixation for a T11 bursting fracture, is descirbed. The anesthetic induction and intraoperative course were uneventful, except at the end of the procedure, where her blood pressure suddenly dropped from 130/90 to 90/60 mmHg. The patient was aggressively treated with a transfusion and vasopressor, the blood pressure then returned to its usual value within 10 minutes. However, during a physical examination in the recovery room, the patient was found to have flaccid lower limbs, with impaired sensory function below the T8 level. Her cord diameter had increased, and a high signal lesion was observed within the thoracic spinal cord, from T9 to T12 level on T2-weighted MR images, which was diagnosing as a spinal cord infarction, was and showed no improvement despite the immediate and aggressive treatment.
Aged ; Blood Pressure ; Decompression ; Female ; Humans ; Infarction* ; Lower Extremity ; Physical Examination ; Recovery Room ; Sensation ; Spinal Cord* ; Spine*