The introduction of total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) and the use of volatile induction/maintenance anaesthesia (VIMA) has led to the rediscovery of 'single agent' anaesthesia, eliminating the transition phase from induction to maintenance. We compared quality, patient acceptability and cost of TIVA using target control infusion (TCI) with propofol and VIMA with sevoflurane. Forty patients undergoing spinal surgery of 1-3 h were assigned to one of two groups. Group I received propofol-air-oxygen for induction followed by propofol-air-oxygen for maintenance. Group II received 8% sevoflurane-oxygen for induction and sevoflurane-oxygen-nitrous oxide for maintenance. Propofol had a significantly faster mean (SD) induction time (67 (20) s) than sevoflurane (97 (38) s) but was associated with double the incidence of involuntary movements. Although not significant, twice the number of interventions by the anaesthetist were required to maintain an adequate level of anaesthesia in the sevoflurane group. Emergence times, characteristics, postoperative nausea, vomiting and pain were unaffected by the anaesthetic technique. However, a more predictable emergence time was found following sevoflurane. Cardiovascular stability was good and comparable in both groups. The majority of patients found either technique acceptable and would choose the same anaesthetic again. Induction and maintenance was substantially cheaper with sevoflurane (28.06 Pounds) compared with propofol (41.43 Pounds).

The Neurological Outcome Scale for Traumatic Brain Injury (NOS-TBI) is a measure adapted from the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), and is intended to capture essential neurological deficits impacting individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) (see Wilde et al., 2010 ). In the present study we evaluate the measure's construct validity via comparison with a quantified neurological examination performed by a neurologist. Spearman rank-order correlation between the NOS-TBI and the neurological examination was rho = 0.76, p < 0.0001, suggesting a high degree of correspondence (construct validity) between these two measures of neurological function. Additionally, items from the NOS-TBI compared favorably to the neurological examination items, with correlations ranging from 0.60 to 0.99 (all p < 0.0001). On formal neurological examination, some degree of neurological impairment was observed in every participant in this cohort of individuals undergoing rehabilitation for TBI, and on the NOS-TBI neurological impairment was evident in all but one participant. This study documents the presence of measurable neurological sequelae in a sample of patients with TBI in a post-acute rehabilitation setting, underscoring the need for formal measurement of the frequency and severity of neurological deficits in this population. The results suggest that the NOS-TBI is a valid measure of neurological functioning in patients with TBI.

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Premedication with nalbuphine and morphine delayed gastric emptying in the period after operation, but oral diazepam did not. All three drugs delayed co-ordinated intestinal motility, although nalbuphine did so for less than half as long as morphine. This property of nalbuphine, if confirmed, could make it a valuable analgesic drug in the period after operation.

Summary