Peter P. Bosomworth

Ketamine symposium--comments by moderator.

ETAMINE hydrochloride (CI 581) is K still not comfortably settled in place in the anesthesiologists daily practice. Although this drug underwent the most extensive pretesting program ever devised or required for an anesthetic agent (12,000 administrations), we are still uncovering new effects, applications, and changing methods of w. Undoubtedly, further refinements in use will occur in addition to extensive investigation of new drugs in the dissociativeanesthesia family.

Effect of sterilization technics on safety and durability of endotracheal tubes and cuffs.

TEXILIZATION of endotracheal tubes, cuffs, S airways, delivery tubes, and, possibly, face masks is now a common practice in many hospita1s.l-8 Most previous investigations of sterilizing technics have been concerned with the destruction of bacteria and spores rather than on the physical effects of the procedures.l, 2, 4-79 9 However, Stark and Pask,lO in one of the few studies of the effect of sterilizing technics on the useful life of endotracheal tubes and cuffs, concluded that mineral rubber endotracheal tubes sterilized in high and low vacuum autoclaves should be discarded after six sterilizations.

Anesthesia and digitalis toxicity. 3. Effect of lidocaine on ouabain-induced ventricular tachycardia.

During the past 3 years intravenous lidomine has been employed almost exclusively in this clinic for the treatment of ventricular arrhythmias occurring during anesthesia and surgery. Preference for this particular agent has been based upon its clinical efficacy and upon the observations of Harrison and coworkers9 who demonstrated in patients that 1 to 2 mg. per kg. of lidocaine administered intravenously was as effective as procainamide in protecting the ventricle against arrhythmias, and that its antiarrhythmic properties were produced without concomitant depression of heart contractile force or systemic arterial pressure.