Sixty unpremedicated patients presenting for day-care arthroscopy surgery were allocated randomly to receive diclofenac 1 mg kg-1 i.m., fentanyl 1 microgram kg-1 i.v. or no analgesic during the course of anaesthesia. Patients receiving fentanyl had slightly, although not significantly prolonged recovery times. Patients receiving diclofenac had significantly improved postoperative visual analogue pain scores compared with patients receiving placebo medication (P less than 0.05). With fentanyl, pain scores were reduced also, but the effect was not statistically significant. Both fentanyl and diclofenac produced significant reduction in postoperative analgesic requirements (P less than 0.05). We conclude that diclofenac 1 mg kg-1 i.m. was an effective analgesic for arthroscopic procedures on the knee and is a useful alternative to opioids for day-care patients.

No abstract

We have studied the effect of i.v. flumazenil 0.01 mg kg-1 on the amnesia and sedation caused by midazolam 2 mg and 5 mg i.v. in volunteers in order to determine the relationship between the actions of the antagonist on these two effects. Midazolam caused dose-dependent central neural depression as assessed by critical flicker fusion frequency, and dose-dependent amnesia for word cards. In subjects given flumazenil 5 min after administration of midazolam, fusion frequency readings and memory were restored to levels comparable to those before midazolam administration. These two effects of flumazenil were similar in time course and extent, suggesting that they share the same mechanism of action. Flumazenil given alone had no effect on memory. The study has demonstrated anterograde amnesia following benzodiazepine administration and antagonism by flumazenil. There was neither retrograde amnesia nor retrograde antagonism of amnesia.

SummaryPharmaseal continuous flushing devices were tested with regard to flow characteristics into simulated arterial and venous pressure systems. Two driving pressures were used and it was found that variation in driving pressure made a significant difference to the flow, while arterial or venous pressure made no signgcant difference. The $ow devices had a wide variation although they were all of the same type. The fluid volume delivered was in the region of 100 ml in a 24-hour period,

We have studied the cardiovascular effects of 1 MAC end-tidal concentrations of halothane and isoflurane in young (n = 40) and elderly (n = 40) adult patients using non-invasive techniques. Cardiac output was measured by Doppler ultrasonography. Halothane reduced heart rate, systolic, mean and diastolic arterial pressures and cardiac index in both age groups (P < 0.05). Isoflurane reduced systolic, mean and diastolic arterial pressures also, but reduced cardiac index and heart rate only in the older patients (P < 0.05). Halothane depressed cardiovascular state significantly more than isoflurane in the younger adults (P < 0.05), but cardiovascular depression was similar for the two agents in the older age group. The decreases in systolic and diastolic pressures in the older patients were significantly greater with isoflurane compared with halothane (P < 0.05).