Trends but not individual values of central venous oxygen saturation agree with mixed venous oxygen saturation during varying hemodynamic conditions.

Background: Previous studies found contradictory results regarding the question whether mixed venous oxygen saturation (Svo2) and central venous oxygen saturation (Scvo2) are equivalent. The inconsistency of study results may result from different study designs and different, partly questionable, statistical approaches.

Methods: The authors performed a prospective clinical trial comparing individual oxygen saturation values as well as the trend of values in blood from the superior vena cava (Scvo2), the right atrium (Srao2), and the pulmonary artery (Svo2) during varying hemodynamic situations.

Different F-wave recovery after neuromuscular blockade with pancuronium and mivacurium.

We performed this study to assess the recovery period after neuromuscular blockade by electromyographic F-wave analysis, a method that supplies more information about more proximal parts of the motor system than conventionally used methods, e.g., mechanomyography (MMG).

Propofol impairs the central but not the peripheral part of the motor system.

Propofol provides some degree of muscle relaxation. Previous studies have investigated the effects of propofol on either the central or peripheral parts of the motor system. In this study, we simultaneously assessed both central (spinal) and peripheral effects.