No abstract

We have compared three bolus and infusion regimens of remifentanil on the cardiovascular response to laryngoscopy and orotracheal intubation in three groups of 20 ASA I-II female patients, in a randomized, double-blind study. Patients in group 1 received glycopyrolate 200 micrograms i.v. followed by a bolus dose of remifentanil 1 microgram kg-1 over 30 s and an infusion of remifentanil at a rate of 0.5 microgram kg-1 min-1. The other patients received remifentanil 0.5 microgram kg-1 over 30 s and an infusion of 0.25 microgram kg-1 min-1 with (group 2) or without (group 3) pretreatment with glycopyrrolate 200 micrograms. All patients then received a sleep dose of propofol, rocuronium 0.6 mg kg-1 and 1% isoflurane with 67% nitrous oxide in oxygen. Laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation were performed 3 min later. Heart rate and arterial pressure were recorded at 1-min intervals from before induction of anaesthesia until 5 min after intubation. Baseline heart rate was similar in all groups, but decreased in group 3 (no glycopyrrolate) after induction and remained significantly lower after intubation compared with the other groups (P < 0.05). Heart rate and arterial pressure increased slightly after intubation in each group but there were no significant differences in mean arterial pressure between groups at any time. The incidence of bradycardia (one patient in group 2) and hypotension (two patients in groups 1 and 2 and three patients in group 3) was low.

. (2017) The developing landscape of diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for spinal cord injury in cerebrospinal fluid and blood. Spinal Cord, 55(2), pp. 114-125.There may be differences between this version and the published version. You are advised to consult the publisher's version if you wish to cite from it.http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/133380/

In a randomized double-blind study, we compared the effect of remifentanil and alfentanil on the cardiovascular response to laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation in patients on long-term treatment for hypertension. Forty ASA II-III patients were allocated to receive (i) remifentanil 0.5 microg kg(-1) followed by an infusion of 0.1 microg kg min(-1) or (ii) alfentanil 10 microg kg(-1) followed by an infusion of saline; all patients received glycopyrrolate 200 microg before the study drug. Anaesthesia was induced with propofol and rocuronium and maintained with 1% isoflurane and 66% nitrous oxide in oxygen. Laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation were performed after establishment of neuromuscular block. Arterial pressure and heart rate (HR) were measured non-invasively at 1 min intervals from 3 min before induction until 5 min after intubation. Systolic (SAP), diastolic and mean arterial pressure decreased significantly after induction in both groups (P<0.05). Maximum increases in mean SAP after laryngoscopy and intubation were 35 and 41 mm Hg in the remifentanil and alfentanil groups, respectively. After intubation, arterial pressure did not increase above baseline values in either group. HR remained stable after induction of anaesthesia, but increased above baseline values after intubation. Mean maximum HR was 87 beats min(-1) for the remifentanil group (12 beats min(-1) above baseline; P=0.065) and 89 beats min(-1) for the alfentanil group (15 beats min(-1) above baseline; P<0.05). There were no significant differences between groups in HR or arterial pressure at any time. There were no incidences of bradycardia. Seven patients in the remifentanil group and four in the alfentanil group received ephedrine for hypotension (i.e. SAP<100 mm Hg).

There is increasing interest in the identification of biomarkers that could predict neurological outcome following a spinal cord injury (SCI). Although initial American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (AIS) grade is a good indicator of neurological outcome, for the patient and clinicians, an element of uncertainty remains. This preliminary study aimed to assess the additive potential of routine blood analytes following principal component analysis (PCA) to develop prognostic models for neurological outcome following SCI. Routine blood and clinical data were collected from SCI patients (n = 82) and PCA used to reduce the number of blood analytes into related factors. Outcome neurology was obtained from AIS scores at 3 and 12 months post-injury, with motor (AIS and total including all myotomes) and sensory (AIS, touch and pain) abilities being assessed individually. Multiple regression models were created for all outcome measures. Blood analytes relating to ''liver function'' and ''acute inflammation and liver function'' factors were found to significantly increase prediction of neurological outcome at both 3 months (touch, pain, and AIS sensory) and at 1 year (pain, R 2 increased by 0.025 and total motor, R 2 increased by 0.016). For some models ''liver function'' and ''acute inflammation and liver function'' factors were both significantly predictive, with the greatest combined R 2 improvement of 0.043 occurring for 3 month pain prediction. These preliminary findings support ongoing research into the use of routine blood analytes in the prediction of neurological outcome in SCI patients.