@article{KrankeGirardLavand’hommeetal.2013,
  author    = {Kranke, Peter and Girard, Thierry and Lavand'homme, Patricia and Melber, Andrea and Jokinen, Johanna and Muellenbach, Ralf M. and Wirbelauer, Johannes and H{\"o}nig, Arnd},
  title     = {Must we press on until a young mother dies? Remifentanil patient controlled analgesia in labour may not be suited as a "poor man's epidural"},
  series = {BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth},
  journal   = {BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth},
  doi       = {10.1186/1471-2393-13-139},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-96262},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {Background The epidural route is still considered the gold standard for labour analgesia, although it is not without serious consequences when incorrect placement goes unrecognized, e.g. in case of intravascular, intrathecal and subdural placements. Until now there has not been a viable alternative to epidural analgesia especially in view of the neonatal outcome and the need for respiratory support when long-acting opioids are used via the parenteral route. Pethidine and meptazinol are far from ideal having been described as providing rather sedation than analgesia, affecting the cardiotocograph (CTG), causing fetal acidosis and having active metabolites with prolonged half-lives especially in the neonate. Despite these obvious shortcomings, intramuscular and intravenously administered pethidine and comparable substances are still frequently used in delivery units. Since the end of the 90ths remifentanil administered in a patient-controlled mode (PCA) had been reported as a useful alternative for labour analgesia in those women who either don't want, can't have or don't need epidural analgesia. Discussion In view of the need for conversion to central neuraxial blocks and the analgesic effect remifentanil has been demonstrated to be superior to pethidine. Despite being less effective in terms of the resulting pain scores, clinical studies suggest that the satisfaction with analgesia may be comparable to that obtained with epidural analgesia. Owing to this fact, remifentanil has gained a place in modern labour analgesia in many institutions. However, the fact that remifentanil may cause harm should not be forgotten when the use of this potent mu-agonist is considered for the use in labouring women. In the setting of one-to-one midwifery care, appropriate monitoring and providing that enough experience exists with this potent opioid and the treatment of potential complications, remifentanil PCA is a useful option in addition to epidural analgesia and other central neuraxial blocks. Already described serious consequences should remind us not refer to remifentanil PCA as a "poor man's epidural" and to safely administer remifentanil with an appropriate indication. Summary Therefore, the authors conclude that economic considerations and potential cost-savings in conjunction with remifentanil PCA may not be appropriate main endpoints when studying this valuable method for labour analgesia.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{KlinglerHeiderichGirardetal.2014,
  author    = {Klingler, Werner and Heiderich, Sebastian and Girard, Thierry and Gravino, Elvira and Heffron, James J. A. and Johannsen, Stephan and Jurkat-Rott, Karin and R{\"u}ffert, Henrik and Schuster, Frank and Snoeck, Marc and Sorrentino, Vincenzo and Tegazzin, Vincenzo and Lehmann-Horn, Frank},
  title     = {Functional and genetic characterization of clinical malignant hyperthermia crises: a multi-centre study},
  series = {Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases},
  volume    = {9},
  journal   = {Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases},
  number    = {8},
  issn      = {1750-1172},
  doi       = {10.1186/1750-1172-9-8},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-117630},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Background: Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a rare pharmacogenetic disorder which is characterized by life-threatening metabolic crises during general anesthesia. Classical triggering substances are volatile anesthetics and succinylcholine (SCh). The molecular basis of MH is excessive release of Ca2+ in skeletal muscle principally by a mutated ryanodine receptor type 1 (RyR1). To identify factors explaining the variable phenotypic presentation and complex pathomechanism, we analyzed proven MH events in terms of clinical course, muscle contracture, genetic factors and pharmocological triggers. Methods: In a multi-centre study including seven European MH units, patients with a history of a clinical MH episode confirmed by susceptible (MHS) or equivocal (MHE) in vitro contracture tests (IVCT) were investigated. A test result is considered to be MHE if the muscle specimens develop pathological contractures in response to only one of the two test substances, halothane or caffeine. Crises were evaluated using a clinical grading scale (CGS), results of IVCT and genetic screening. The effects of SCh and volatile anesthetics on Ca2+ release from sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) were studied in vitro. Results: A total of 200 patients met the inclusion criteria. Two MH crises (1\%) were triggered by SCh (1 MHS, 1 MHE), 18\% by volatile anesthetics and 81\% by a combination of both. Patients were 70\% male and 50\% were younger than 12 years old. Overall, CGS was in accord with IVCT results. Crises triggered by enflurane had a significantly higher CGS compared to halothane, isoflurane and sevoflurane. Of the 200 patients, 103 carried RyR1 variants, of which 14 were novel. CGS varied depending on the location of the mutation within the RyR1 gene. In contrast to volatile anesthetics, SCh did not evoke Ca2+ release from isolated rat SR vesicles. Conclusions: An MH event could depend on patient-related risk factors such as male gender, young age and causative RyR1 mutations as well as on the use of drugs lowering the threshold of myoplasmic Ca2+ release. SCh might act as an accelerant by promoting unspecific Ca2+ influx via the sarcolemma and indirect RyR1 activation. Most MH crises develop in response to the combined administration of SCh and volatile anesthetics.},
  language  = {en}
}