EDITOR: Phenytoin is generally prescribed to patients with supratentorial tumours to decrease the risk of seizures. Earlier studies showed that plasma phenytoin concentration may not be in the therapeutic range despite continued therapy [1]. During craniotomy for a supratentorial tumour, an intraoperative loading dose of phenytoin is generally used to prevent postoperative seizures [2,3]. In ou...

We have investigated the haemodynamic changes in response to induction of anaesthesia and tracheal intubation in patients who received either thiopentone 5 mg kg-1 or propofol 3 mg kg-1 followed by atracurium 0.5 mg kg-1 and fentanyl 1.5 micrograms kg-1. Anaesthesia was maintained with 0.6% enflurane and 50% nitrous oxide in oxygen with assisted ventilation. Cardiac output and heart rate (HR) w...

Median nerve somatosensory evoked responses (MnSSERs) were recorded in nine neurologically normal adult cardiac patients before and during the administration of high-dose fentanyl. MnSSERs were recorded prior to induction and at t = 20 min and t = 45 min postinduction. Fentanyl was administered as a slow bolus (53.2 +/- 9.1 micrograms X kg-1), followed by a continuous infusion at 10-20 microgra...

We have investigated the influence of active warming before and during operation on blood loss, transfusion requirements, duration of stay in the post-anaesthesia care unit (PACU) and perioperative costs in 40 patients undergoing major abdominal surgery. Patients were allocated randomly to one of two groups: in the study group (n = 20), patients were actively warmed using forced air for 30 min ...

A technique was developed to study microcolony formation by silicone-immobilized bacteria on polycarbonate membrane filters under anaerobic conditions. A sudden shift to anaerobiosis was obtained by submerging the filters in medium which was depleted for oxygen by a pure culture of bacteria. The technique was used to demonstrate that preinduction of nitrate reductase under low-oxygen conditions...