Somatostatin and endoscopic sclerotherapy are widely used in the treatment of acute variceal bleeding. Although objective evidence does exist about the advantages of either treatment, data comparing both procedures are scarce. In order to compare the effectiveness and safety of somatostatin and sclerotherapy in the treatment of acute variceal bleeding, 70 consecutive cirrhotic patients suffering from esophageal variceal hemorrhage and meeting the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to treatment with somatostatin (35 patients) or sclerotherapy (35 patients). No differences in age, sex, alcohol intake, etiology of cirrhosis and severity of liver failure were found between groups. Failure of treatment (defined as persistence of bleeding despite therapy or subsequent rebleeding within the 48-hr trial period) occurred in seven patients (20%) in the somatostatin group and in six (17.1%) in the sclerotherapy group (NS). Early rebleeding occurred in seven of 28 patients (25%) in the somatostatin group and in five of 29 (17.2%) in the sclerotherapy group (NS). Mortality within the first 6 wk was no different between both groups: 10 (28.5%) and eight (22.8%) in the somatostatin and sclerotherapy groups, respectively. Sclerotherapy, but not somatostatin, was associated with major complications in five cases (14.2%) (p = 0.026), two of which resulted in patient's death. These results suggest that somatostatin is safer, and as effective as sclerotherapy, in controlling acute variceal bleeding until an elective treatment can be established.

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In this multicenter, randomized study, we compared ease of insertion, postinsertion hemodynamic repercussion, quality of ventilation, and the capacity to achieve a "hands-free" anesthesia delivery between two new devices: the ProSeal laryngeal mask airway (PLMA) and the Laryngeal Tube (LT). The incidence of postoperative laryngopharyngeal discomfort was examined after short surgical interventions in spontaneously breathing patients. After induction with fentanyl and propofol, the respective airways were inserted into 70 adult ASA physical status I and II patients (35 patients in each group). First-attempt insertion success rates were more frequent for the PLMA (77% versus 51%; P < 0.05), but success rates were similar (100% versus 97%) after 3 attempts. The anesthesiologists considered that insertion of the PLMA was easier (P < 0.001). Expired tidal volume was larger with the PLMA (404.9 versus 328.4 mL; P < 0.005) and the ability to achieve hands-free ventilation was more frequent with the PLMA (32 versus 21 cases; P < 0.004). Positional maneuvers with the LT to correct ventilation deficiencies were not always completely effective (5 of 13). There were no differences in the incidence of intolerance, sore throat, dysphagia, and/or dysphonia between the two devices. We conclude that the PLMA showed greater ease of insertion and reliability than the LT for use in nonparalyzed anesthetized patients.

We describe a case of transient pain in both legs after spinal anaesthesia with a hyperbaric solution of 5% lignocaine delivered in a single bolus through a 22-gauge Quincke needle. The patient remained in a supine decubitus position throughout surgery and 31 h later pain was referred bilaterally to the L3 and L4 dermatomes.

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