Effect of perioperative beta blockade in patients with diabetes undergoing major non-cardiac surgery: randomised placebo controlled, blinded multicentre trial.

Objectives: To evaluate the long term effects of perioperative beta blockade on mortality and cardiac morbidity in patients with diabetes undergoing major non-cardiac surgery.

Design: Randomised placebo controlled and blinded multicentre trial. Analyses were by intention to treat.

On-pump versus off-pump coronary artery bypass: independent risk factors and off-pump graft patency.

Objective: Current knowledge on off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) generally stems from single surgeons' experience or from series where OPCABs constituted a minor fraction of coronary operations. The present center decided to venture as far into OPCAB as possible during 1999. The present series thus represents the average surgeon's experience.

Pollution with nitrous oxide using laryngeal mask or face mask.

Background: As environmental pollution by nitrous oxide may influence the health of the personnel working in operating theatres, the incidence and magnitude of nitrous oxide (N2O) leakage, when using a face mask or a laryngeal mask airway (LMA) for controlled ventilation, were studied in 34 patients scheduled for elective cystoscopy.

Methods: A semi-closed gas delivery ventilation system with active scavenging was used. The N2O concentrations were measured every 8 s at a position 30 cm above the patient's mouth with a N2O gas monitor (GD 200, Simrad Optronics).

Tactile evaluation of the response to double burst stimulation decreases, but does not eliminate, the problem of postoperative residual paralysis.

Background: Routine perioperative monitoring with accelero-myography might prevent residual block, whereas routine tactile evaluation of the response to train-of-four (TOF) nerve stimulation does not. The purpose of this prospective, randomised and blinded study was to evaluate the effect of manual evaluation of the response to double burst stimulation (DBS3.3) upon the incidence of residual block.

Total intravenous anaesthesia with propofol or etomidate.

In combination with fentanyl, propofol was compared with etomidate for total intravenous anaesthesia in 21 women (ASA Grades I-II) admitted for elective hysterectomy. They received either propofol (bolus 1.5 mg kg-1, infusion 9 mg kg-1 h-1 for 10 min thereafter 6 mg kg-1 h-1) or etomidate (bolus 0.