The effect of Lidocaine on the viability of cultivated mature human cartilage cells: an in vitro study.

Purpose: More and more orthopedic procedures are performed in an outpatient setting. A commonly used strategy in pain management is the intra-articular injection of local anesthetics. Recent attention has been drawn to their possible toxic effect on chondrocytes.

Manual versus target-controlled infusion remifentanil administration in spontaneously breathing patients.

Background: The combination of propofol-remifentanil for procedural deep sedation in spontaneously breathing patients is characterized by the frequent incidence of side effects, especially respiratory depression. These side effects may be due to either the drug combination or the drug delivery technique. Target-controlled infusion (TCI) might optimize drug delivery.

Postoperative results after desflurane or sevoflurane combined with remifentanil in morbidly obese patients.

Background: This randomized prospective study with blinded postanesthesia care unit (PACU) observers compared the recovery profiles in morbidly obese patients who received sevoflurane or desflurane for maintenance of anesthesia in combination with a remifentanil target controlled infusion (TCI).

Methods: 50 morbidly obese patients scheduled for laparoscopic gastric banding were included to receive BIS-guided sevoflurane or desflurane anesthesia with BIS-triggered inhalation boli in combination with remifentanil TCI. In the PACU, the following recovery scores were investigated: Modified Aldrete score, a modified Observers' Assessment of Alertness/Sedation Scale (OAA/S), pain numerical rating scale (NRS), oxygen saturation (SpO(2)) and postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV).

Remifentanil used to supplement propofol does not improve quality of sedation during spontaneous respiration.

Study Objective: To evaluate whether the use of remifentanil to supplement propofol during spontaneous respiration confers any benefits in terms of quality of sedation and recovery, or in terms of reduction in propofol requirements.

Design: Prospective, randomized, double-blind study.

Setting: University hospital.

Ambulatory electrical external cardioversion with propofol or etomidate.

Study Objective: To compare, in pairwise fashion, the effects of propofol and etomidate during ambulatory cardioversion and early recovery.

Design: Clinical, prospective, randomized, blinded, monocenter, pairwise, comparative study

Setting: OR and recovery area of the electrophysiological department, University Hospital Ghent, Belgium.

Patients: 34 patients with atrial arrhythmia who were scheduled for repetitive electrical cardioversion, of whom 25 patients completed the study.