A randomized, double-blind, close-ranging, pilot study of intravenous granisetron in the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting in patients abdominal hysterectomy.

Background And Objective: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a frequent and unpleasant experience that may increase postoperative complications and costs. For surgical procedures with a high risk of PONV, prevention is preferable to treatment. In this study, the authors explore the dose-response relationship between granisetron administered just prior to the end of surgery and post-operative nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing abdominal hysterectomy.

Spontaneous acute thoracic epidural hematoma causing paraplegia in a patient with severe preeclampsia in early labor.

This is a case of acute spontaneous thoracic epidural hematoma in a laboring patient at term who presented with severe preeclampsia and acute spinal cord compression, paraplegia, and sensory loss below T8. In early labor, at home, the patient experienced sudden lumbar back pain that progressed to mid-scapular pain leading to paraplegia and T8 sensory loss within one hour of onset of pain. Her symptoms were caused by a spontaneous thoracic epidural hematoma.

Intraoperative transcranial ultrasonic monitoring for cardiac and vascular surgery.

The brain is the only organ not routinely monitored by any direct method during the administration of anesthesia. Anesthesiologists rely primarily on indirect physiologic evidence provided by blood pressure, peripheral pulse oximetry, heart rate, and respiratory and anesthetic gas concentrations to determine that brain blood flow and oxygenation are adequate. The reasons for this practice are that: (1) after millions of anesthetics significant numbers of adverse neurologic outcomes have not occurred, (2) the interpretation of transcranial Doppler, electroencephalogram, and near-infrared cerebral oximetry requires experienced personnel, and (3) the evidence of cost-benefit to support monitoring is limited.

Polymerized bovine hemoglobin solution as a replacement for allogeneic red blood cell transfusion after cardiac surgery: results of a randomized, double-blind trial.

Background: Blood loss leading to reduced oxygen-carrying capacity is usually treated with red blood cell transfusions. This study examined the hypothesis that a hemoglobin-based oxygen-carrying solution can serve as an initial alternative to red blood cell transfusion.

Methods: In a randomized, double-blind efficacy trial of HBOC-201, a total of 98 patients undergoing cardiac surgery and requiring transfusion were randomly assigned to receive either red blood cell units or HBOC-201 (Hemopure; Biopure Corporation, Cambridge, Mass) for the first three postoperative transfusions.