Measurement of cerebral blood flow and volume with positron emission tomography during isoflurane administration in the hypocapnic baboon.

Using positron emission tomography, cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebral blood volume (CBV) were measured after the addition of isoflurane (1.3 vols %, end-tidal concentration) to neuroleptanesthesia (fentanyl/droperidol) in hypocapnic baboons. The study was designed to determine whether isoflurane, when administered during hypocapnia, acted as a cerebral vasodilator to increase either CBF or CBV.

Pulling versus guiding: a modification of retrograde guided intubation.

We describe a modification of retrograde guided intubation. With the help of a gliding knot fixed around the side hole of the tracheal tube, we use the catheter to pull and guide the tracheal tube down the larynx and trachea. The technique offers several advantages: it is surprisingly fast, relatively atraumatic, easy to perform, and eliminates most causes of failure.

Changes in CSF pressure after mannitol in patients with and without elevated CSF pressure.

In view of the current concern that rapid infusion of mannitol might initially aggravate intracranial hypertension, the effects of a mannitol infusion on lumbar cerebrospinal fluid pressure (CSFP) were investigated in 49 patients. The studies were performed when the patients were under general anesthesia prior to elective craniotomy for tumor resection or intracerebral aneurysm clipping. The patients were divided into two groups: 24 patients with normal CSFP (Group I, mean CSFP 10.