BACKGROUND: Previous studies examining the pharmacodynamic effects of succinylcholine(SCC) on subsequent doses of nondepolarizing muscle relaxants showed potentiation with resultant prolonged respiratory depression or no interaction at all. The interaction between SCC and mivacurium especially has not been investigated in animal and other clinical studies. METHODS: The pharmacodynamic effects of SCC on mivacurium-induced neuromuscular blockade and its reversal were investigated in 10 cats of either sex using the anterior tibialis muscle-sciatic nerve preparation. RESULTS: There was no significant difference at the onset of mivacurium neummuscular blockade between the control group(1.81+/-0.48 min) and SCC-pretreated group(1.86+/-1.04 min). However the duration of action of mivacurium neuromuscular blockade was significantly longer in the SCC-pretreated group(33.08+/-19.13 min) than that of the control group(10.65+/-2.45 min). In the control group recovery indices(RI) were 2.35+/-1.01 min and 0.68+/-0.30 min at spontaneous recovery and antagonism with neostigmine, respectively and in the SCC-pretreated group they were 6.88+/-2.42 min and 1.90+/-0.64 min. RI were significantly shortened by antagonism with neostigmine whether or not SCC was pretreated. In the SCC-pretreated group, RI were significantly longer than in the control group at spontaneous recovery and antagonism with neostigmine. But the maximal recovery and antagonism effect were 100% in all cases. There was no sigriificant difference in the train-of-four ratios measured after antagonism with neostigmine between the control group(0.91+/-0.01) and the SCC-pretreated group(0.93+/-0.06). CONCLUSIONS: The prior administration of SCC prolonged the duration of mivacurium-induced neuromuscular blockade and delayed recovery but had no influence in antagonism with neostigmine in cats.
Animals ; Cats* ; Drug Interactions ; Neostigmine ; Neuromuscular Blockade* ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Succinylcholine*

Pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) is a serious postoperative complication. Prompt diagnosis of PTE is important but it is difficult because clinical manifestations of PTE are not obvious in most cases. A 59 year-old woman received cholecystectomy and choledocholithotomy under general anesthesia. At the 9th postoperative day, syncope, hypoxemia and hypotension were developed suddenly and the patient was transfered to intensive care unit. PTE was suspected with hemodynamic monitoring from pulmonary arterial catheter and echocardiography and diagnosed with lung perfusion scan and venogram of lower extremities. Proper cardiopulmonary support was done and the patient was recovered and discharged in improved condition. In conclusion, if a patient have syncopal attack with shock in postoperative period, PTE must be thought to be an one of possible causes of syncope and thoroughly investigated.
Anesthesia, General ; Anoxia ; Catheters ; Cholecystectomy ; Diagnosis ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Intensive Care Units ; Lower Extremity ; Lung ; Middle Aged ; Perfusion ; Postoperative Complications ; Postoperative Period ; Pulmonary Embolism* ; Shock ; Syncope

Nausea and vomiting are common problems after strabismus surgery in pediatric patients. We compared the effects of droperidol and ephedrine with conventional regimen consisting of halothane-N2O to the effects of conventional regimen itself, 69 children. ASA physical status l, ages 1-12yrs, were studied. Each child was randomly assigned to receive droperidol 0.04mg/kg., ephedrine 0.5mg/kg or normal saline 2ml intramuscularly, 10 minutes before the end of surgery. The incidence of postanesthetic nausea and vomiting was 17% in the droperidol group(p<0.05)., 13% in the ephedrine group(p<0.05), which were significantly less than the control group(43%). But there was no significant difference between droperidol group and ephedrine group. We concluded that droperidol and ephedrine have significant postoperative antiemetic effect in patients undergoing strabismus surgery.
Antiemetics ; Child* ; Droperidol ; Ephedrine ; Humans ; Incidence ; Nausea ; Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting* ; Strabismus* ; Vomiting

BACKGROUND: To maintain adequate oxygen delivery and oxygen consumption is essential to care of the critically ill patients. The authors undertook this study to evaluate the patterns of oxygen delivery and oxygen consumption in hemodynamically unstable patients. METHODS: Twenty hemodynamically unstable patients were studied. Pulmonary artery catheters were inserted and the hemodynamic variables including oxygen delivery and oxygen consumption were calculated immediately, and 1, 8, 24 hours, respectively after catheterization, and immediately before catheter removal. Patients were divided into survivor and nonsurvivor groups, and the hemodynamic data were compared. The same patients were divided into septic and nonseptic patient groups and same study was done. RESULTS: There were no statistical differences in oxygen delivery and oxygen consumption between the survivors and the nonsurvivors, and the septic and the nonseptic patients. But oxygen delivery and oxygen consumption of the survivors were higher than those of the nonsurvivors. CONCLUSIONS: Although we could not find statistical significance, we concluded that supranormal level of oxygen delivery and oxygen consumption could improve the outcome of critically ill patients.
Catheterization ; Catheters ; Critical Illness* ; Hemodynamics* ; Humans ; Oxygen Consumption* ; Oxygen* ; Pulmonary Artery ; Survivors*

Peripartum cardiomyopathy is a myocardial disease associated with pregnancy and leading to heart failure. A twenty-eight years old primipara was scheduled for a cesarean section due to a twin pregnancy. She had no previous cardiac or other systemic illness. But periodic episode of sudden hypertension, tachycardia, hypoxemia(PaO2/FiO2=58) and pulmonary edema were developed in the perioperative period. After being transferred to the intensive care unit, mechanical ventilation with positive end expiratory pressure was applied for six days and pulmonary infiltration subsided. However, two days after extubation, acute pulmonary edema redeveloped in both lung fields in spite of fluid restriction. In echocardiogram demonstrated global hypokinesia of the left ventricle with an ejection fraction of 31%. Dobutamine infusion was started and one day after infusion the pulmonary edema subsided. In conclusion echocardiogram would be helpful for diagnosis of peripartum cardiomyopathy and adequate cardiac support with assisted ventilation will improve prognosis.
Cardiomyopathies* ; Cesarean Section ; Diagnosis ; Dobutamine ; Edema ; Female ; Heart Failure ; Heart Ventricles ; Hypertension ; Hypokinesia ; Intensive Care Units ; Lung ; Perioperative Period ; Peripartum Period* ; Positive-Pressure Respiration ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Twin ; Prognosis ; Pulmonary Edema* ; Respiration, Artificial ; Tachycardia ; Ventilation

BACKGROUND: Midazolam is distinguished from other benzodiazepines by its water solubility, rapid onset, short duration, and lack of accumulation of active metabolites. These pharmacokinetic cbaracteristics support its use by continuous infusion. We evaluated the continuous infusion dose of midazolain for adequate sedation of ventilated patients with hemodynamic and respiratory monitoring. METHODS: We started continuous infusion of midazolam at a rate of 0.5~1.0 ug/kg/minute after bolus injection of 3.0 to 5.0 mg and adjusted infusion dose monitoring sedation scale in the 15 patients. Blood pressure, heart rate and central venous pressure were monitored before and 30 minute, 1, 2, 3 and 6 hours after midazolam infusion. Arterial blood gases were measured and peak inspiratory pressure was monitored. We evaluated liver and kidney function before start of infusion and after discontinuation of midazolam infusion. RESULTS: The mean loading dose, infusion rate and total dose of midazolam were 4.1+/-0.9 mg, 1.2+/-0.4 ug/kg/minute and 251.9+/-84.0 mg. The mean duration of infusion was 59.0+/-37.0 hours. After infusion, systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate and central venous pressure remained stable when compared with those of the preinfusion state. Arterial blood gas and peak inspiratory pressure remained unchanged. The function of liver and kidney did not deteriorate after infusion. CONCLUSIONS: Continuous infusion of midazolam at a rate of 1.2+/-0.4 ug/kg/minute after 4.1+/-0.9 mg intravenous bolus injection was a safe and effective method for sedation of ventilated patients in intensive care unit without hemodynamic disturbance.
Benzodiazepines ; Blood Pressure ; Central Venous Pressure ; Gases ; Heart Rate ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Hypnotics and Sedatives ; Intensive Care Units* ; Critical Care* ; Kidney ; Liver ; Midazolam* ; Solubility ; Ventilation

Blunt trauma of the chest and abdomen frequently result in cardiac injury. We experienced a 47 year-old male patient of myocardial contusion with aortic insufficiency after blunt chest trauma. On the secondd day after admission, the patient developed sudden hypoxemia and wide pulse pressure. A pulmonary arterial catheter was inserted and initial cardiac output and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure was 3.56 L/min/m(2) and 32 mmHg, respectively. There was akinesia of the anterior septum, anterior wall, inferior wall and inferior septum with aortic regurgitation(I/IV), and the ejection fraction was 25% on echocardiogram. Myocardial contusion with valvular injury was suspected. Dobutamine infusion was started and after five days the pulmonary capillary wedge pressure was decreased to 14 mmHg. The ejection fraction was increased to 69% in spite of decreasing dobutamine but aortic regurgitation(II/VI) remained. Therefore echocardiogram and pulmonary artery catheterization will be helpful to diagnose suspected cardiac contusion and for better outcome.
Abdomen ; Anoxia ; Blood Pressure ; Cardiac Output ; Catheterization, Swan-Ganz ; Catheters ; Contusions ; Dobutamine ; Heart ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pulmonary Wedge Pressure ; Thorax*

BACKGROUND: The APACHE II scoring system has been regarded as a useful tool in the assessment of the severity of injury and prognosis for acutely ill patients. Recently, there have been many reports that multiple organ failure(MOF) score is the better predictor of the mortality of critically ill patients than any other scoring system. The purpose of this study was to compare APACHE II score and MOF score for mortality prediction in critically ill patients. METHODS: 163 critically ill patients were studied. We analyzed the correlation between the mortality rate and the scores that were produced by APACHE II and MOF scoring system within the first 24 hours in the ICU. We analyzed the correlation between each score and the number of days of ICU stay. We also calculated the mortality rate according to the number of organ failure. RESULTS: 1) The APACHE II score and MOF score of the survivors(n=129) were 9 6 and 1 1, respectively and those of nonsurvivors(n=34) were 16 7 and 5 2(mean SD), respectively. 2) The r2 was 0.62 between APACHE II score and mortality rate, and 0.77 between MOF score and mortality rate. 3) The r2 was 0.06 between APACHE II score and ICU stay, 0.01 between MOF score and ICU stay. 4) The mortality rates were 0, 2, 20, 64, 73, 75 and 100 % in 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 organ failures, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The MOF score was more sensitive predictor of the mortality of critically ill patients than the APACHE II score.
APACHE* ; Critical Illness* ; Humans ; Critical Care ; Mortality* ; Multiple Organ Failure* ; Prognosis

Chronic fatigue of the respiratory muscles has contributed to the decreased ventilatory capacity and reduced excercise tolerance of individuals with COPD, especially in kyphoscoliosis. Nasal mask BiPAP has been shown to be useful for the patient with nocturnal muscle fatigue and COPD. A 35-year-old man with severe kyphoscoliosis was admitted to ICU due to acute respiratory failure. He had been diagnosed of COPD and had been intubated with mechanical ventilatory support for 7 times. This time he was intubated with ventilatory support, too, in ICU and readmitted to the ICU for severe hypoxemia and hypercarbia from general ward. Thereafter he refused the intubation. Nasal mask BiPAP ventilatory support system was applied and IPAP, EPAP level being adjusted to the 12, 4 cmH2O under monitoring vital signs and arterial blood gas analysis. His condition was improved and discharged home with support of nasal mask BiPAP system after 33 day-stay in the ICU.
Adult ; Anoxia ; Blood Gas Analysis ; Fatigue ; Humans ; Intubation ; Masks* ; Muscle Fatigue ; Patients' Rooms ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive* ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Respiratory Muscles ; Vital Signs

No abstract available.
Anesthesia, Epidural*