Levetiracetam-Induced Hepatic Dysfunction.

Although levetiracetam is the antiepileptic of choice in patients after hepatic transplantation and patients with hepatic dysfunction, we report a patient in whom levetiracetam was the most probable cause of hepatic dysfunction. Treatment of this hepatic dysfunction is to have a high degree of suspicion and withdraw the drug at the earliest to prevent morbidity and rarely mortality. Though rare, this is an important unwanted side effect of this highly useful medication.

Transesophageal echocardiographic evaluation of left ventricular systolic and diastolic function in response to 20% mannitol and 3% hypertonic saline infusion in neurosurgical patients undergoing craniotomy.

Background: Mannitol and hypertonic saline (HS) are routinely used during craniotomy. Both increase myocardial preload and reduce afterload, and may improve cardiac output. It is not currently known whether this results in an improvement in the global myocardial function.

A retrospective analysis of stridor after vestibular schwannoma surgery.

Background: Transient lower cranial nerve deficits may occur after surgery in the posterior cranial fossa. Stridor has been reported after cerebellopontine angle epidermoid resection. The aim of this retrospective study is to find out whether any preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative factors lead to stridor after resection of vestibular schwannoma.

The effect of gabapentin premedication on postoperative nausea, vomiting, and pain in patients on preoperative dexamethasone undergoing craniotomy for intracranial tumors.

Background: In patients undergoing craniotomy, the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is 55% to 70% and that of moderate to severe postoperative pain is 60% to 84%. We hypothesized that gabapentin plus dexamethasone would be superior, compared with placebo and dexamethasone in reducing the incidences of PONV and pain after craniotomy.

Methods: Patients undergoing craniotomy received either placebo (group D) or gabapentin (600 mg) (group GD) premedication orally, 2 hours before induction of anesthesia.

Effect of operating microscope light on brain temperature during craniotomy.

Background: Operating microscopes used during neurosurgery are fitted with xenon light. Burn injuries have been reported because of xenon microscope lighting as the intensity of xenon light is 300 W. We designed this study to find out if the light of operating microscope causes an increase in temperature of the brain tissue, which is exposed underneath.

Ketamine has no effect on oxygenation indices following elective coronary artery bypass grafting under cardiopulmonary bypass.

Cardiopulmonary bypass is known to elicit systemic inflammatory response syndrome and organ dysfunction. This can result in pulmonary dysfunction and deterioration of oxygenation after cardiac surgery and cardiopulmonary bypass. Previous studies have reported varying results on anti-inflammatory strategies and oxygenation after cardiopulmonary bypass.

Evaluation of propofol-ketamine anesthesia for children undergoing cardiac catheterization procedures.

The aim of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of the continuous intravenous administration of a combination of propofol and ketamine for children undergoing cardiac catheterization procedures (CCP). Thirty-two children scheduled for CCP in a university teaching hospital were included in this prospective randomized study. Patients in group 1 (n = 15) were given a combination of propofol (25 microg/kg per minute) and ketamine (25 microg/kg per minute), whereas patients in group 2 (n = 17) received a combination of propofol (25 microg/kg per minute) and ketamine (12.