Search

Objectives: To analyze the knowledge of anesthesiology possessed by a group of medical students representative of medically trained individuals who have not yet worked in a hospital., Material and Method: Students in their fifth year of medical studies at the University of Valencia were invited to voluntarily and anonymously answer a questionnaire with dichotomous and multiple choice responses covering general and specific aspects of anesthesiology. The survey also collected personal and epidemiological data. One hundred eighty-five questionnaires were returned., Results: The results obtained were analyzed for correlations with epidemiological and personal data (sex, information received, prior anesthesia); no significant correlations were found between these data and correct response. It was believed by 78.4% that the anesthesiologist's function during surgery does not go beyond warning the surgeon of changes in vital signs. Nevertheless, 76.2% asserted that the anesthesiologist's function is to protect the patient during the perioperative period., Conclusion: In comparison with the general population, medical students' training has left them with inadequate understanding of anesthesiology.

Patients with myasthenia gravis respond unpredictably to muscle relaxants and more often suffer respiratory complications after surgery. We describe the use of total intravenous anesthesia with propofol and alfentanil without muscle relaxants is three myasthenic patients classified as Osserman I-IIB. Mean time since appearance of the disease was 1 year and all were undergoing transsternal thymectomy. Time in surgery ranged from 115 to 170 min and mean total dose of propofol was 1,374 mg. In all cases total intravenous anesthesia afforded good conditions for intubation, maintenance during surgery and rapid recovery from anesthesia, with early extubation.

Objectives: To compare the efficacy of propofol and midazolam as sedatives in non-premedicated patients receiving regional anesthesia., Material and Methods: Parameters measured were quality of sedation, intraoperative changes in hemodynamics, respiration and plasma biochemistry as compared with baseline, preinduction and post-anesthetic recovery levels. Forty patients were distributed randomly into two groups. Group P (n = 20) received an infusion of 1% propofol (10 mg/ml) at an initial rate of 6 mg/kg/h for 10 minutes, later decreased to 3 mg/kg/h. Group M (n = 20) received an infusion of 0.3% midazolam with an initial bolus of 0.06 mg/kg along with simultaneous infusion at a rate of 0.05 mg/kg/h., Results: Adequate sedation that was easily controlled during surgery was attained in both groups. The mean doses used were 336.7 +/- 33.7 mg in group P and 10.1 +/- 1.1 mg in group M. No significant changes in hemodynamic and respiratory parameters were observed. Differences between baseline and preinduction levels were found in some analyses, but significant changes during surgery were recorded only for HCO3-. There were no differences in recovery time from the moment infusion ceased until spontaneous eye opening and recall of date of birth. The degree of amnesia was greater in the midazolam group. The lesser amnesia with propofol meant that psychological measures were higher (p < 0.01). No differences in side effects were found., Conclusion: Continuous perfusion of propofol and midazolam for sedation in regional anesthesia are equivalent with respect to efficacy and safety.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to prospectively evaluate the results of continuous intradural anesthesia with 18G Tuohy needle and 20G catheter in geriatric patients., Material and Methods: We studied 70 patients with a mean age of 75.9 +/- 10.8 years who were subjected to orthopedic or traumatologic surgery of the lower extremities with a duration of 104.6 +/- 53.6 min., Results: Success index was 95.7%. The initial dose of 1% tetracaine was 10.36 +/- 3.96 mg, the second dose in 29 patients was 7.2 +/- 2.7 mg, the third in 7 cases was 7.40 +/- 2.47 mg, and the total dose was 14.56 +/- 5.6 mg. The metameric level was between T8 and T11 in 80.32% of patients. Peroperative complications were limited to paresthesia in 5 cases (7.14%) during insertion of the catheter, difficulties in catheter placement in one case (1.42%), and accidental catheter extraction during withdrawal of the needle in 2 cases (2.85%). Ten patients (14.28%) presented arterial hypotension (pressure decrease greater than 30% of baseline systolic arterial pressure). During the postoperative phase there were 3 cases of slight headache after dural puncture (4.28%) that recovered with conservative treatment, and one case of lumbalgia at the puncture zone (1.42%)., Conclusions: Continuous intradural anesthesia with the material used in this study is technically easy. It allows to accurately reach the desired metameric level, avoiding massive sympathetic blockade, and providing a steady hemodynamic condition. All these effects are essential for anesthesia in geriatric patients.

The safety of regional anesthesia lies on a set of factors, namely, selection of the adequate technique, skill and proper training from the part of anesthesiologists and use of right equipment. The needle, as a prolongation of the hand of the anesthesiologist, must provide references in technique either by itself or joined to an objective method of nerve localization; this will result in a high percentage of success without iatrogenesis. We have reviewed 1,132 cases of regional anesthesia and grouped them into: intradural anesthesia, epidural anesthesia, and plexus anesthesia. We have evaluated the equipment used according to the success and iatrogenesis directly produced by the needle. Results were analyzed by Fisher's exact test and were statistically significant in the three groups, a fact that would indicate some specificity of the characteristics of the needle in each group of techniques. It would seem reasonable to adopt those techniques appearing to be the most efficacious after analysis in order to increase percentage of success and achieve the greatest safety in the clinical practice of anesthesiologists.

A perivascular axillary plexus block was performed to 87 patients scheduled for orthopedic surgery of hand or arm using an electric nerve stimulator. A catheter was inserted for the postoperative pain control. The success rate was of 90.8% (79 cases); 65 patients (74.7%) presented a complete motor block. Complications were: arterial puncture (3), difficulty in inserting catheter (3), injection out of the sheath (1), pain at the electric stimulation (3). No allergic reactions nor neurologic complications were founded during a year of posterior control.