BackgroundDesflurane is an excellent but expensive volatile anesthetic agent. Dexmedetomidine and propofol may decrease intraoperative desflurane consumption. This study aimed to compare the ...desflurane-sparing effect of dexmedetomidine and propofol in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgeries under bispectral index (BIS)-guided general anesthesia (GA).MethodsSixty-two adult patients, ASA (American Society of Anesthesiologists) physical status I or II, of either sex, aged between 18 and 60 years, were randomly allocated into group D or group P. Only group D patients received an intravenous (IV) bolus of dexmedetomidine (1 mcg/kg) over 15 minutes before induction. In both groups, GA was induced following the standard protocol with propofol infusion (0.5 mg/kg/min) until the BIS value dropped below 60. For maintenance, group D and group P patients received IV dexmedetomidine infusion (0.5 mcg/kg/h) and propofol infusion (50 mcg/kg/min), respectively. In both groups, desflurane dial concentration was adjusted between 3 and 8% to maintain the BIS within the range of 45-55. An hourly bolus of IV fentanyl (0.5 mcg/kg) and a half-hourly bolus of IV vecuronium (0.02 mg/kg) were administered. The total amount of desflurane consumed, duration of pneumoperitoneum, extra aliquots of propofol used during maintenance, number of boluses of IV atropine, fentanyl, and esmolol, time to attain Ramsay Sedation Score of 2 after extubation, time to first postoperative analgesic request at Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) score ≥ 4, time to reach a Modified Aldrete Score of ≥9, and incidence of any side effects were recorded. All the data were analyzed and compared using appropriate statistical tests, and a p-value of <0.05 was considered significant.ResultsThe final data analysis was performed on 60 patients. The mean desflurane consumption was clinically higher in group P patients than in group D, but the difference was statistically insignificant (p-value > 0.05). The mean induction dose of propofol was significantly less in group D than in group P (p-value < 0.05). After extubation, the difference in time to the first analgesic request (NRS ≥ 4) between the groups was statistically significant (p-value < 0.05). Group D patients had a residual intraoperative analgesic effect.ConclusionThe effects of dexmedetomidine and propofol infusions on desflurane consumption in laparoscopic surgeries are comparable, with minimal effects on intraoperative hemodynamics and postoperative recovery profiles.
Future experiments such as the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) will use very large Liquid Argon Projection Chambers (LArTPC) containing tens of kilotons of cryogenic medium. To be able to ...utilize sensitive volume of that size, current design employs arrays of wire electrodes grouped in readout planes, arranged with a stereo angle. This leads to certain challenges for object reconstruction due to ambiguities inherent in such a scheme. We present a novel reconstruction method (named "Wirecell") inspired by principles used in tomography, which brings the LArTPC technology closer to its full potential.
The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) will employ a set of Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers (LArTPC) with a total mass of 40 kt as the main components of its Far Detector. In order to ...validate this technology and characterize the detector performance at full scale, an ambitious experimental program (called "protoDUNE") has been initiated which includes a test of the large-scale prototypes for the single-phase and dual-phase LArTPC technologies, which will run in a beam at CERN. The total raw data volume that is slated to be collected during the scheduled 3-month beam run is estimated to be in excess of 2.5 PB for each detector. This data volume will require that the protoDUNE experiment carefully design the DAQ, data handling and data quality monitoring systems to be capable of dealing with challenges inherent with peta-scale data management while simultaneously fulfilling the requirements of disseminating the data to a worldwide collaboration and DUNE associated computing sites. We present our approach to solving these problems by leveraging the design, expertise and components created for the LHC and Intensity Frontier experiments into a unified architecture that is capable of meeting the needs of protoDUNE.
We report on a new analysis of neutrino oscillations in MINOS using the complete set of accelerator and atmospheric data. The analysis combines the ν(μ) disappearance and ν(e) appearance data using ...the three-flavor formalism. We measure |Δm(32)(2)| = 2.28-2.46 × 10(-3) eV(2) (68% C.L.) and sin(2)θ(23) = 0.35-0.65 (90% C.L.) in the normal hierarchy, and |Δm(32)(2)| = 2.32-2.53 × 10(-3) eV(2) (68% C.L.) and sin(2)θ(23) = 0.34-0.67 (90% C.L.) in the inverted hierarchy. The data also constrain δ(CP), the θ(23} octant degeneracy and the mass hierarchy; we disfavor 36% (11%) of this three-parameter space at 68% (90%) C.L.
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