Nausea and vomiting after dexamethasone versus droperidol following outpatient laparoscopy with a propofol-based general anesthetic.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this randomized, double-blinded study was to compare the incidence and severity of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) after dexamethasone versus droperidol following gynecologic laparoscopy, a group at high risk for developing PONV. METHODS: Ninety-five patients who underwent a propofol-based general anesthetic received either dexamethasone 0.17 mg/kg i.v., or droperidol 0.02 mg/kg i.v., just prior to abdominal incision. Nausea, retching, vomiting, degree of sedation, and discharge times were assessed in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU), and the Ambulatory Care Unit (ACU). Following hospital discharge (24 h), the patients were contacted by telephone to assess any further complications. RESULTS: PONV in the PACU (14.6% vs. 14.9%) and ACU (8.3% vs. 14.9%) was as common after dexamethasone as after droperidol. PONV following hospital discharge was, however, less common after dexamethasone than after droperidol (4.2% vs. 17.0%, P = 0.041). Postoperatively, no complications of therapy were detected. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that PONV is similar with dexamethasone and droperidol, but dexamethasone may have a longer duration of action in patients undergoing gynecologic laparoscopy.

The effect of esmolol pretreatment on the incidence of regional wall motion abnormalities during electroconvulsive therapy.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is associated with dramatic increases in arterial blood pressure and heart rate (HR) that may precipitate new left ventricular regional wall motion abnormalities (RWMAs) suggestive of myocardial ischemia. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of pretreatment with esmolol on the incidence of RWMAs after ECT. Thirteen patients served as their own controls and, in a random fashion, received a standard succinylcholine/methohexital anesthetic for one of two ECT sessions, and an identical anesthetic with esmolol 1 mg/kg for their other ECT session. Systolic (SBP), diastolic (DBP), mean arterial pressures (MAP) and HR were recorded after drug administration and before ECT and at 1-, 2-, 4-, 5-, 10-, and 15-min intervals after ECT. Echocardiograms were obtained at baseline, after drug administration, 1 min after ECT, and at recovery 15 min later. All patients had significant increases in SBP, DBP, and MAP at 1, 2 and 4 min after ECT versus baseline, whereas HR was significantly faster at all times in the control sessions. HR was significantly slower after anesthetic induction until 2 min after ECT in the esmolol versus the control group (P < 0.05). New RWMAs were seen in only 1 of 26 (4%) ECT sessions, despite the presence of baseline RWMAs in 31% of the patients. We conclude that contrary to previously reported data, new RWMAs after ECT are uncommon. Consequently, this study was unable to demonstrate any beneficial effect of pretreatment with esmolol on the incidence of ECT-induced RWMAs.

Do-not-resuscitate orders in the presurgical patient.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To assess the policy and practice of anesthesiology departments in regard to their management of the presurgical do-not-resuscitate (DNR) patient. DESIGN: Questionnaire distributed to the program directors of 156 accredited residency programs in anesthesiology in the contiguous United States. SETTING: University hospital. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: One hundred twelve of the 156 accredited U.S. programs responded to the questionnaire. The majority (81%) of programs that have a DNR policy for the presurgical patient suspend the order prior to surgery. However, only 50% of the institutions responding have standing policies, and of those that do not, only 40% plan to initiate such a policy. CONCLUSIONS: The need for a written policy for the DNR patient undergoing surgery is exemplified by the low percentage of institutions that have existing policies.

Efficacy of ephedrine in the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting.

Although reported in the aerospace literature and anecdotally by anesthesiologists, the putative antiemetic effect of ephedrine remains unquantitated. We therefore prospectively studied ephedrine as an antiemetic agent in the perioperative setting in 97 patients undergoing general anesthesia for outpatient gynecologic laparoscopy. Patients were assigned in a double-blind randomized fashion to receive a standardized general anesthetic followed by an intramuscular dose of either ephedrine (0.5 mg/kg), droperidol (0.04 mg/kg), or saline before the conclusion of surgery. Nausea, retching, or vomiting, as well as the degree of sedation and discharge times, were assessed in the recovery room and for 24 h postoperatively. Ephedrine was found to have a significantly antiemetic effect (P less than 0.05) when compared with placebo and an antiemetic effect similar to that of droperidol. Sedation scores were also significantly less in the ephedrine group than in both placebo and droperidol groups. Finally, variations in mean arterial blood pressure among the three groups were not statistically significant. We conclude that ephedrine is an effective antiemetic agent with minimal sedative side effects in patients undergoing outpatient laparoscopy.

A single bolus dose of esmolol in the prevention of intubation-induced tachycardia and hypertension in an ambulatory surgery unit.

The efficacy of a single bolus dose of esmolol in the prevention of intubation-induced tachycardia and hypertension was studied in a double-blind manner. Thirty patients from the Ambulatory Surgery Unit at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center were prospectively randomized to receive a placebo, 100 mg of esmolol, or 200 mg of esmolol immediately prior to induction (2.5 to 3.0 minutes before intubation). The groups were similar in demographic characteristics and with regard to preoperative blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR). Anesthetic management was standardized for all patients. Esmolol 100 mg (1.4 +/- 0.3 mg/kg) and 200 mg (2.6 +/- 0.7 mg/kg) significantly (p less than 0.05) blunted the maximum increases in HR and BP following intubation. The average maximum HR increase in the placebo group was 40% as opposed to 16% in the esmolol 100 mg group and 14% in the esmolol 200 mg group. Both esmolol groups blunted the tachycardic response over a 4-minute postintubation time period. The average maximum BP increase was 47% in the placebo group versus 22% and 19% in the esmolol 100 mg and esmolol 200 mg groups, respectively. There were no significant differences between the two esmolol groups. This study demonstrates the efficacy of a single bolus dose of esmolol in blunting the tachycardic and hypertensive responses to laryngoscopy and intubation in an ambulatory surgery setting.

Bromide intoxication secondary to pyridostigmine bromide therapy.

The diagnosis of bromide intoxication is often aided by the detection of a low or negative anion gap due to the laboratory detection of bromide as chloride. A 59-year-old woman with myasthenia gravis who received a large dose of pyridostigmine bromide developed postoperative psychosis and was diagnosed as having bromide intoxication. The diagnosis was suspected in the setting of a negative anion gap and only later confirmed by direct measurement of the serum bromide level. To our knowledge , this is the first reported case of bromide intoxication due to pyridostigmine bromide administration.