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Because no completely effective antiemetic exists for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), we hypothesize that a multimodal approach to management of PONV may reduce both vomiting and the need for rescue antiemetics in high-risk patients. After IRB approval, women undergoing outpatient laparoscopy were randomized to one of three groups. Group I (n = 60) was managed by using a predefined multimodal clinical care algorithm. Patients undergoing the same surgical procedure who received a standard balanced outpatient anesthetic with ondansetron 4 mg (Group II, n = 42) or placebo (Group III, n = 37) prophylaxis were chosen to establish baseline incidence of nausea and vomiting. None of the Group I patients vomited before discharge, compared with 7% in Group II (P = 0.07) and 22% in Group III (P = 0.0003). However, one patient (2%) in Group I required treatment for symptoms in the postanesthesia care unit, compared with 24% in Group II (P<0.0001) and 41% in Group III (P< 0.0001). Time to discharge-ready was significantly shorter in Group I (128, 118-139 min; mean, 95% confidence interval) versus Group II (162, 145-181 min; P = 0.0015) and Group III (192, 166-222 min; P = 0.0001). Patient satisfaction with control of PONV was not different between Group I and Group II. Return to normal daily activity and overall satisfaction were not different among groups. Multimodal management resulted in a 98% complete response rate and a 0% incidence of vomiting before discharge; however, this improvement did not result in an increased level of patient satisfaction when compared with routine monotherapy prophylaxis. We conclude that both multimodal management and routine monotherapy antiemetic prophylaxis resulted in an increased level of patient satisfaction than symptomatic treatment in this high-risk population.

Although PONV is unpleasant, the data indicate little difference in outcomes when routine prophylactic medications are administered versus simply treating PONV should symptoms occur.

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The selection and administration of neuromuscular blocking (NMB) drugs in intensive care unit (ICU) patients remain controversial. We compared the dose-response and recovery pharmacodynamics of a new intermediate-acting NMB drug, cisatracurium besylate, to the intermediate-acting NMB drug, vecuronium (VEC), in a prospective, randomized, double-blind, multicenter study in critically ill adults. After informed consent, 58 mechanically ventilated ICU patients from five medical centers were randomized to receive either cisatracurium or VEC. Fifty-four of the 58 patients received NMB drugs before entering this study but demonstrated at least partial recovery (> or = one twitch) in the train-of-four (TOF) response before initiation of the NMB study drug. NMB drug infusion was titrated by peripheral nerve stimulation to maintain at least one twitch in the TOF response. NMB drugs were infused for 1-5 days. After discontinuation of NMB drug infusion, recovery of neuromuscular transmission was monitored with an accelerometer. NMB drug infusion for 28 cisatracurium patients averaged 2.6 +/- 0.2 (mean +/- SEM) micrograms.kg-1.min-1 with a mean duration of 80 +/- 7 h. After discontinuing cisatracurium administration, recovery to 70% TOF ratio averaged 68 +/- 13 min. The mean infusion rate for 30 VEC patients was 0.9 +/- 0.1 micrograms.kg-1.min-1 with a mean duration of 66 +/- 12 h. Neuromuscular recovery after VEC averaged 387 +/- 163 min, which was significantly longer (P = 0.02) than that after cisatracurium. Prolonged recovery of neuromuscular function after discontinuation of NMB drug infusion (identified by the primary investigator at each medical center) was reported in two cisatracurium patients and 13 VEC patients (P = 0.002), and occurred despite the routine use of neuromuscular twitch monitoring. Seven VEC and one cisatracurium patients died during the infusion of study drug or within 48 h after discontinuation of the NMB drug infusion. In summary, we found recovery of neuromuscular function after discontinuation of NMB drug infusion in ICU patients is significantly faster with cisatracurium than with VEC. In addition, routine neuromuscular monitoring was not sufficient to eliminate prolonged recovery and myopathy in ICU patients.

Oral CP-122,721 200 mg decreased emetic episodes compared with ondansetron (4 mg intravenously) during the first 24 h after gynecologic surgery; however, there was no difference in patient satisfaction.

Despite a homogeneous population of healthy male subjects and weight-based dosing, there was 10- to 75-fold intersubject variability in plasma dopamine concentrations, making standard pharmacokinetic modeling of less utility than for other drugs. The data suggest marked intraindividual and interindividual variability in dopamine distribution and/or metabolism. Thus, plasma dopamine concentrations in patients receiving dopamine infusion at identical rates may vary profoundly. Our data suggest that dosing dopamine based on body weight does not yield predictable blood concentrations.

No abstract