A case of cervical spondylitis during stellate ganglion block.

We report a case of cervical spondylitis that developed during treatment with a series of stellate ganglion blocks. A 65-year-old man was scheduled for 10 sessions of stellate ganglion block for treatment of right-sided deafness of sudden onset due to Ramsay Hunt syndrome. Administration of betamethasone was started 5 days before the first block and was continued for 6 weeks.

Determining the plasma concentration of ketamine that enhances epidural bupivacaine-and-morphine-induced analgesia.

N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists enhance opioid-induced analgesia. The plasma concentration of ketamine, an NMDA receptor antagonist that enhances epidural morphine-and-bupivacaine-induced analgesia, is not known. We examined 24 patients with lung carcinoma or metastatic lung tumor who underwent video-assisted thoracic surgery in a placebo-controlled, double-blind manner 4 h after emergence from anesthesia.

Effect of low-dose ketamine on redistribution hypothermia during spinal anesthesia sedated by propofol.

Mild hypothermia is a common complication during spinal anesthesia and may induce a serious adverse outcome. We investigated the effect of low-dose ketamine infusion on the core temperature during spinal anesthesia sedated by propofol infusion. Twenty patients who were scheduled to undergo spinal anesthesia were assigned to one of two groups: after intrathecal injection of bupivacaine, patients who received infusion of ketamine (0.