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Anesthesia Blog

Blog (12)

FDA Medwatch Alert: Vecuronium Bromide For Injection by Sagent Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Recall - Elevated Impurity Result Detected

Posted 8 days ago by Drugs.com

ISSUE: Sagent Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced the voluntary nationwide recall of three lots of Vecuronium Bromide for Injection 10mg (NDC number 25021-657-10) manufactured by Mustafa Nevzat Ilac Sanayii A.S. (MN Pharmaceuticals) and distributed by Sagent. Sagent has initiated this voluntary recall of Vecuronium Bromide for Injection to the user level due to the discovery of an elevated impurity result detected during routine quality testing of stability samples at the 18-month interval. The elevated impurity result has the potential to result in prolonged neuromuscular blockade for critically ill patients with renal failure. BACKGROUND: Vecuronium Bromide for Injection is a neuromuscular blocking agent indicated as an adjunct to general anesthesia, to facilitate endotracheal intubation and to provide skeletal muscle relaxation during surgery or mechanical ventilation and is supplied i ... Read more

Related support groups: Anesthesia, Anesthetic Adjunct, Vecuronium, Norcuron

Secret of Anesthesia Revealed, Study Says

Posted 25 Oct 2012 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Oct. 25 – General anesthesia drugs really do put patients to sleep, suggests research conducted in mice. The study found that the drugs don't just turn wakefulness off, they also switch on important sleep circuits in the brain, according to the findings, which were published online Oct. 25 in the journal Current Biology. "Despite more than 160 years of continuous use in humans, we still do not understand how anesthetic drugs work to produce the state of general anesthesia," Dr. Max Kelz, an anesthesiologist at the University of Pennsylvania, said in a journal news release. "We show that a commonly used inhaled anesthetic drug directly causes sleep-promoting neurons to fire," Kelz said. "We believe that this result is not simply a coincidence. Rather, our view is that many general anesthetics work to cause unconsciousness in part by recruiting the brain's natural sleep ... Read more

Survival After General Anesthesia Vastly Improved: Study

Posted 20 Sep 2012 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Sept. 20 – The number of people who survive surgery when general anesthesia is used has improved dramatically over the past 50 years, Canadian researchers report. The improvement was noted worldwide, with most of the increases in survival seen in developed countries, the researchers added. Overall, there was a 90 percent drop in such deaths since before the 1970s. "Anesthesia safety continues to improve, and we should continue to find ways to make it even safer," said lead researcher Dr. Daniel Bainbridge, from the department of anesthesia and perioperative medicine at the University of Western Ontario. "We have done a good job to reduce risk of anesthesia," he said. "However, it is similar to the airline industry in that passengers tend to be very concerned about dying while flying, likewise they also are concerned about dying [while] under anesthesia, so the question is ... Read more

Anesthesia Before Age 3 May Raise Risk of Learning Delays: Study

Posted 20 Aug 2012 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Aug. 20 – Children younger than 3 who have even one surgical procedure requiring general anesthesia may be more likely to have deficits in language and abstract reasoning at age 10, a new study suggests. Australian researchers gave neuropsychological tests to more than 2,600 children; a little more than 300 were exposed to anesthesia before the age of 3 and nearly 2,300 were not. The tests measured language, cognitive function, motor skills and behavior at age 10. Previous studies have relied on parent or teacher assessments, standardized tests and school grades to assess learning delays in children exposed to anesthesia. "Children who were exposed to anesthesia had lower scores in language and abstract reasoning at age 10," said study author Dr. Caleb Ing, a pediatric anesthesiologist at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. Even a single ... Read more

FDA Medwatch Alert: Hospira Propofol Injectable Emulsion: Recall - Glass Vial Defect

Posted 17 Aug 2012 by Drugs.com

ISSUE: Hospira and FDA notified healthcare professional of a nationwide recall of three lots of Propofol Injectable Emulsion, 1%, 1g/100 mL, due to visible particles embedded in the glass to the user level. There may be potential for product to come into contact with the embedded particles and the particles may become dislodged into the solution. In the event in which particulate matter could be injected into a patient, there may be the potential for patient injury where medical intervention may be required. Risks associated with this defect could include tissue necrosis in one or more organsthat could result in stroke, myocardial infarction, respiratory failure, and loss of renal and hepatic function. See the Press Release for a listing of affected product lot numbers and expiration dates. BACKGROUND: The product is packaged in vials and indicated for the induction or maintenance of ... Read more

Related support groups: Anesthesia, Propofol, Diprivan, Propoven

FDA Medwatch Alert: Vecuronium Bromide For Injection Preservative Free (Bedford Laboratories): Recall - Particulate Matter

Posted 4 Jul 2012 by Drugs.com

[Posted 06/29/2012] ISSUE: Bedford Laboratories issued recall of Vecuronium Bromide For Injection, 20 mg vial – NDC #55390-039-10, Lot 2067134, Exp. Date 5/31/2013 - due to the discovery of particulate matter in a small number of vials. This recall is for lot 2067134 only. Particulate matter has been recognized as a potential health hazard. Adverse reactions may include vein irritation and phlebitis, clinically occult pulmonary granulomas detected at routine autopsy examination, local tissue infarction, severe pulmonary dysfunction, occlusion of capillaries and arteries, anaphylactic shock and death. To date, there have been no reports of any adverse events for the lot being recalled. BACKGROUND: Vecuronium Bromide is indicated as an adjunct to general anesthesia, to facilitate endotracheal intubation and to provide skeletal muscle relaxation during surgery or mechanical ventilation. ... Read more

Related support groups: Anesthesia, Vecuronium, Norcuron

Obese, Asthmatic Kids Need Special Care Under Anesthesia

Posted 19 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 19 – Obese children need special attention when they undergo anesthesia, two new studies suggest. In one study, researchers found that obese children with asthma suffer more complications from anesthesia than normal weight children with asthma. In the other study, researchers found that obese children require less of one type of anesthesia than normal weight kids. If a child is obese, has asthma or both, parents should expect close monitoring, said researcher Dr. Olubukola Nafiu, an assistant professor of pediatric anesthesiology at the University of Michigan. "Children who are obese and asthmatic have a twofold increased risk of developing respiratory problems when they are given anesthesia," Nafiu said. Both studies are scheduled for presentation Monday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists in Chicago. To determine if complications were ... Read more

General Anesthesia Does Not Boost Cancer Risk, Study Finds

Posted 3 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Oct. 3 – Among patients given general anesthesia for surgery, the length or depth of sedation was not linked to an increased risk of developing cancer within five years of the operation, Swedish researchers report. "Neither duration of anesthesia nor increased cumulative time with profound sevoflurane anesthesia was associated with an increased risk for new malignant disease within five years after surgery in previously cancer-free patients," study author Maj-Lis Lindholm, of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, concluded in a news release from the International Anesthesia Research Society. In conducting the study, researchers looked at data on almost 3,000 cancer-free Swedish surgical patients who were given sevoflurane – one of the most widely used inhaled anesthetics. The news release said other studies have raised the theory that anesthesia might reduce immune responses ... Read more

Could Surgery, Anesthesia While Very Young Hamper Kids' Development?

Posted 3 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Oct. 3 – Children younger than 2 who undergo multiple surgeries requiring general anesthesia may be up to three times more likely than other children to develop speech and language problems as they grow up, a new study suggests. However, experts cautioned that the finding appears to be restricted to very small children who require more than one surgery. "A single exposure to anesthesia in surgery has not been shown to be problem, so parents can be reassured that this is not likely to cause any problems," said study author Dr. Randall Flick, an associate professor of anesthesiology and pediatrics at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. "For children who have or will have repeated exposures to anesthesia, it's important that those families have a conversation with the surgeon and anesthesiologist to determine the risks and benefits in a broad context." The new findings are ... Read more

No Long-Term Effects Seen From Anesthesia in Infancy

Posted 29 Apr 2011 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, April 27 – Exposing young children to a brief, single anesthetic does not seem to cause long-term harmful effects on the brain, a finding that should reassure parents, researchers say. Previous studies in young animals have found evidence that anesthetics can cause developmental and behavioral problems, but whether the same is true in young children has been uncertain. In this new study, researchers compared the academic performance of two groups of ninth-grade students in Denmark: 2,689 who had inguinal hernia repair before they were 1 year of age, and 14,575 in the general population. There was no statistically significant difference in academic performance between the two groups, and the majority of students who had hernia repair in infancy showed no signs of neurological impairment, the investigators found. The study is published in the May issue of the journal ... Read more

When Given Control, Women Use Less Epidural Anesthesia During Delivery

Posted 10 Feb 2011 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Feb. 10 – If women are given control of the amount of epidural anesthesia they get during labor and delivery, they use about 30 percent less medication than when given a standard dose from a doctor, a new study shows. "We looked at patient-controlled epidural anesthesia, and found the women were basically as comfortable as women on a continuous dose, and there was a 30 percent reduction in the amount of anesthesia used," said study author Dr. Michael Haydon, a perinatologist at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center in California. Haydon is scheduled to present the findings Thursday at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine annual meeting in San Francisco. Research presented at meetings is generally preliminary, experts note, since it has not been subjected to the same rigorous scrutiny as research published in peer-reviewed medical journals. Epidural anesthesia is a common form ... Read more

Related support groups: Anesthesia

New Anesthesia May Be Safer for Critically Ill

Posted 23 Jul 2009 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, July 23 – A new variation of a common general anesthesia has been developed that may be safer for some patients. Preclinical studies done on rats put under with MOC-etomidate, a chemically altered version of the anesthetic etomidate, found the drug does not cause blood pressure to drop suddenly or slow adrenal gland activity, common side effects that can be fatal to the elderly or certain critically ill patients. "We have shown that making a version of etomidate that is broken down very quickly in the body reduces the duration of adrenal suppression while retaining etomidates benefit of keeping blood pressure much more stable than other anesthetics do," study leader Dr. Douglas Raines, of Massachusetts General Hospital's department of anesthesia, critical care and pain medicine, said in a hospital news release. Most general anesthetics cause blood pressure to fall, often ... Read more

Related support groups: Anesthesia, Amidate

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Sedation, Light Sedation, Local Anesthesia, Light Anesthesia, Anesthetic Adjunct, Reversal of Nondepolarizing Muscle Relaxants, Reversal of Sedation, Bronchospasm During Anesthesia, Postanesthetic Shivering, Coma Induction, Reversal of Anesthesia

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