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The electrical stimulation of acupoint (ESA) releases several endogenous neuropeptides, which play important roles in management of pain and inflammation. ESA with low and high frequencies has been shown to release different neuropepides, suggesting its various therapeutic effects. Pain and edema are major problems for ankle sprain. However, there have been few reports on the effects of ESA for ankle sprain. We aimed to investigate that ESA can reduce pain and edema resulting from ankle sprain,

Many factors are associated with the development of low back pain. Among them, exercise, obesity, smoking, age, educational level and stress are the most common. This study examined the association of these factors with low back pain. An additional aim was to determine a procedure for preventing low back pain. This study analyzed the responses to a questionnaire sent to 772 individuals who had undergone a medical examination at this hospital in 2003 and excluded the individuals who had shown sym

Purpose: Arrhythmias after an esophagectomy (most commonly atrial fibrillation) are a significant contributing factor to patient morbidity. However, the significance of an intraoperative arrhythmia is not completely understood. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the occurrence and risk factors for developing intraoperative arrhythmias in patients undergoing an esophagectomy. Materials and Methods: We reviewed the records of 427 patients who underwent a transthoracic esophagecto

Purpose: Total knee replacement is one of the most painful orthopedic procedures, and effective pain relief is essential for early mobility and discharge from hospital. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether addition of single-injection femoral nerve block to epidural analgesia would provide better postoperative pain control, compared to epidural analgesia alone, after total knee replacement. Materials and Methods: Thirty-eight patients received a single-injection femoral nerve block with

This study was designed to determine whether early gabapentin treatment has a protective analgesic effect on neuropathic pain and compared its effect to the late treatment in a rat neuropathic model, and as the potential mechanism of protective action, the α2δ1-subunit of the voltage-dependent calcium channel (α2δ1-subunit) was evaluated in both sides of the L5 dorsal root ganglia (DRG). Neuropathic pain was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats by a surgical ligation of left L5 nerve. For the ear

Background: We performed a prospective, randomized study to investigate the relations between BIS (bispectral index, BISTM monitor), AAI (mid-latency AEP, A-line ARX index) and depth of sedation, and assessed two different memory functions at OAA/S score 2 under spinal anesthesia. Methods: 44 ASA physical status 1-2 patients, scheduled for elective total knee replacement arthroplasty were randomly allocated to either the BIS group (22) or the AEP group (22). Under spinal anesthesia, patients we

Background: This study evaluated the position and relationship between the right internal jugular vein (IJV) and the surrounding external landmarks using ultrasonography. Methods: Fifty-four patients undergoing central vein access for cardiac surgery were enrolled in this study. The IJV, carotid artery (CA) and sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM) at the cricoid cartilage level in 15o trendelenburg position with 30o head rotation were examined using a two dimensional ultrasound transducer of a TEE

Simultaneous acupuncture to two or more acupoints has been used to improve acupuncture-induced effects in clinical practice. However, there is little evidence supporting the effects of simultaneous electroacupuncture (EA). This study examined whether simultaneous EA with 2 and 2 Hz or 2 and 100 Hz can produce synergic effects on ankle-sprained pain in rats. Methods: Ankle sprain pain was induced by manually overextending the lateral ligament of the right ankle in rats. Electrical stimulation wi

=Caudal Epidural Injection with a Guidewire-Reinforced Epidural Catheter inPatients with Herniated Nucleosus PulposeJustin Sangwook Ko, M.D., Seok Jin Lee, M.D., Hee Youn Hwang, M.D., Woo Seok Sim, M.D.,Soo Joo Choi, M.D., Jie Ae Kim, M.D., Chung Su Kim, M.D., Tae Soo Hahm, M.D.,Gaab Soo Kim, M.D., Hyun Sung Cho, M.D., and Tae Hyeong Kim, M.D.

Pseudo-Meigs’ syndrome is characterized by the presence of a benign ovarian tumor associated with ascites and a right-sided hydrothorax. The major problem associated with pseudo-Meigs’ syndrome is the respiratory distress caused by a giant mass in the peritoneal space, massive ascites and pleural effusion. Even if there are no respiratory problems prior to surgery, potential respiratory dysfunction can occur during the peri-anesthetic period, leading to hypoxia, hypercapnea and respiratory acido

Persistent neurologic injury is a rare but feared complication of neuroaxial anesthesia.Local anesthetics are believed to be an important cause.A 68-year-old man with an ASA physical status of 2 was scheduled to undergo elective knee arthroplasty.He had no clinical evidence of neurological deficits before the operation. Spinal anesthesia was administered using 10 mg of 0.5% bupivacaine and 20μg of fentanyl without difficulty or complications during the procedure.On the second postoperative day,

Background: The stimulation and selection of an effective acupoint is important for producing effective analgesia in electraoacupuncture. This study examined the effect of electroacupuncture to different acupoints and investigated the effective acupoint for ankle-sprained pain in rats. Methods: A Sprain was produced by manually overextending the lateral ligament of the right ankle in rats. Electrical stimulation was delivered individually to five acupoints: bilateral Yangno (SI6s), contralater

Background: Patients experience preoperative anxiety which stimulates the release of catecholamines. They have influences on serum K+ level by shifting them into the intracellular space. The purpose of this study is to determine whether there is a correlation between anxiety and the serum potassium level immediately before induction of anesthesia. Methods: Thirty patients were asked about their anxiety levels at 7：00 pm of the day before surgery and immediately before induction of anesthesia: 0

We report here on a case of a female patient with involuntary movements that lasted for approximately 8 hours after being administered a single dose of ramosetron, a highly selective serotonin 5-hydroxytryptamine type 3 (5-HT3) receptor antagonist,to prevent postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) at the end of general anesthesia with using propofol. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of involuntary movement related to ramosetron. (Anesth Pain Med 2011; 6: 143∼145)

Electrical stimulation of acupoint (EA), a form of electrotherapy, involves passing an electrical current via pairs of acupuncture needles attached to a device that generates an electrical pulse. This electrical generator is used to control and adjust the stimulus parameters. EA is quite similar to traditional acupuncture in that the same points are stimulated. However, EA stimulates a larger area than a specific point. In addition, greater control of stimulus parameters is possible with EA, whi