The effect of postoperative fasting on vomiting in children and their assessment of pain.

Background: Mandatory postoperative food intake has been shown to increase nausea and vomiting, and so postoperative fasting has become common practice even if patients request food or drink.

Objective: We sought to investigate whether postoperative fasting reduces the incidence of postoperative vomiting in children when compared with a liberal regimen in which they are allowed to eat and drink upon request.

Methods: One hundred forty-seven children scheduled for outpatient surgery were randomized to one of two groups.

Thoracic but not lumbar epidural anaesthesia increases liver blood flow after major abdominal surgery.

Background And Objective: Epidural blockade in major abdominal surgery bears the potential to increase gastrointestinal perfusion and thus to improve patient outcome. The aim of this study was to assess the differential influence of thoracic and lumbar epidural anaesthesia and analgesia (EAA) on blood lactate levels and central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO2) as parameters of global oxygen supply/demand ratio, as well as on the plasma disappearance rate of indocyanine green (PDR(ICG)), a noninvasive method to evaluate liver perfusion.

Methods: We enrolled 17 patients receiving thoracic and 17 patients receiving lumbar EAA in addition to general anaesthesia for major abdominal surgery.

[Postpartum cerebral venous sinus thrombosis after epidural anaesthesia].

Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis during pregnancy or puerperium is not a rarity. Nevertheless, it is often misdiagnosed. With the increasing use of regional anaesthesia in obstetrics the differential diagnosis of postdural puncture headache is often difficult.

Therapeutic effect of intrathecal morphine after posterior lumbar interbody fusion surgery: a prospective, double-blind, randomized study.

Study Design: Prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study.

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of 0.4 mg intrathecal morphine for postoperative pain control after posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) surgery.

Are women more sensitive to a pre-curarization dose of rocuronium than men?

Background: There is increasing evidence that there are gender-related differences in the pharmacodynamics of neuromuscular blocking drugs. However, it is not known whether gender influences the pharmacodynamics of a pre-curarizing dose.

Methods: In the first part, we measured the neuromuscular blockade after administration of rocuronium 0.