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Canadian Journal of Anesthesia, Vol 33, 32-35, Copyright © 1986 by Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society

Negative Pressure in the Middle Ear in Children After Nitrous Oxide Anaesthesia

DEREK BLACKSTOCK MB FFARCS(I) FRCPC1 and MARK A. GETTES MD1

1 Department of Anaesthesia, Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia

Address correspondence to: Dr. Derek Blackstock, Department of Anaesthesia - 1H13, Children' s Hospital, 4480 Oak Street, Vancouver, B.C., V6H 3V4.

A study was conducted to measure the pressure in the middle ear in healthy children, following nitrous oxide anaesthesia.

Premedication with chloral hydrate and scopolamine orally was similar in all patients and awake patients received thiopentone 4-5 mg·kg-1for induction of anaesthesia. All received nitrous oxide (66 per cent) in oxygen and halothane or isoflurane as required. Exposure to nitrous oxide varied from 17-100 minutes, mean 47 minutes.

All patients developed negative pressure in one or both ears in the first day following anaesthesia. This is a higher incidence than previously reported and may be explained by the inability of children to equilibrate negative middle ear pressure via the eustachian tube.

Key Words: ANAESTHETICS, GASES: nitrous oxide • EAR: middle; ANAESTHESIA: paediatrics






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Copyright © 1986 by the Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society.