[Latex allergy].

The incidence of latex allergy has increased in the last decade in particular for medical and health care staff. The "L. Sacco" Hospital in Milan has developed an organisational model for dealing with clinical problems of patients allergic to latex who need to be admitted in hospital.

[Anesthesia of the brain stem after a retrobulbar block. Description of 2 cases].

The Authors report two cases of central nervous system complications after retrobulbar block. These complications have a 0.044% incidence in 4500 subsequent cases of retrobulbar blockade studied from 1981 to 1990.

[Hypoxemia after heart surgery. An exception or a normal development?].

The course of respiratory exchange through arterial blood gas analysis after coronary bypass-grafting and valvular replacement has been investigated in a cohort of 62 patients. Arterial blood gases were measured at baseline (the day before surgery), and then 1, 2, 3 and 9 days after surgery; in a subset of 18 patients, randomly selected from the same population, pulmonary function tests were also performed at baseline and repeated on day 9. Arterial blood gases showed a remarkable prevalence of hypoxaemia (as defined as arterial PaO2 less than 60 mmHg): 31% on the first, 50% on the second, and 40% on the third post-operative day; anemia and desaturated mixed venous blood were also prominent findings during the first two days.

[The use of the Bullard laryngoscope].

Eighty patients were submitted to orotracheal intubation with adult bullard laryngoscope blade. Use and advantages are described, especially in difficult intubation.

[Sedation with flunitrazepam and its antagonism with flumazenil in endoscopic urological procedures: our clinical experience].

Patients, especially males, do not easily stand endoscopic urological diagnostic examinations. So flunitrazepam (0.01 mg/kg IV) has been used to insure a suitable sedation.

[The non-depolarizing myorelaxants in orotracheal intubation. A clinical comparison].

The present study was designed to compare the rapidity of onset of neuromuscular blockade after administration of 5 different neuromuscular relaxants (succinylcholine, d-tubocurarine, pancuronium, atracurium and vecuronium) in 75 patients, randomly allocated in 5 treatment groups. The facilitation for endotracheal intubation was evaluated using a clinical score. The for onset relaxation was shorter when using succinylcholine.

[Effects of various caloric intakes on nitrogen metabolism of the body, the muscles and the viscera during total parenteral nutrition with aminoacidic solution enriched with branched-chain amino acids].

Nitrogen metabolism was studied in ten injured/septic patients by means of a two compartment model, differentiating muscle from non muscle (central) tissue. During fasting muscle tissue loses a consistent amount of aminoacids which is retained in part by central tissue, giving rise to a positive nitrogen balance, whilst three methyl histidine and body nitrogen output are elevated. Total parenteral nutrition (glucose 15 kcal kg-1 day-1, nitrogen 0.