Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0020440 (hypercapnia)
 7,939 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Acute postoperative hypertension (APH) has been documented in the PACU. Over half of the patients who exhibit APH have pre-existing primary hypertension. Sustained blood pressure (BP) elevation increases the risk of myocardial ischemia, infarction, surgical site bleeding, or cerebral hemorrhage in these patients. Following surgery and anesthesia, increased sympathetic stimulation caused by a high level of circulating catecholamines can lead to APH. Some direct perioperative stimulants include pain, anxiety, hypoxia, hypercapnia, hypothermia, shivering, volume overload, and bladder distension. Nursing interventions are directed toward identifying and relieving the cause of APH. Antihypertensive drug therapy with vasodilators or adrenergic inhibitors is used if initial nursing interventions are not effective. Vasodilators frequently used are hydralazine, sodium nitroprusside, and nitroglycerin. Nicardipine has recently been introduced as an intravenous calcium channel blocker. Vasodilators are effective in BP reduction but may cause reflex tachycardia when used alone. Adrenergic inhibitors, such as esmolol and labetalol, block alpha and/or beta receptors to decrease heart rate and BP. Labetalol's effectiveness, relative freedom from side effects, and ease of administration have made it a useful drug in the treatment of APH.
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PMID:Acute postoperative hypertension in the hypertensive patient. 173 70

Calcium channel blockers such as nicardipine act as arterial vasodilators and are effective in the treatment of hypertension. Although they are also effective tocolytic agents, fetal effects have not been fully studied. Fifteen chronically catheterized near-term ewes were studied. Maternal and fetal cardiorespiratory parameters were measured in the control period and again 15 minutes after maternal venous infusion of angiotensin II. Nicardipine 20 micrograms/kg/min was given over 2 minutes and maternal and fetal cardiorespiratory parameters and fetal blood flow were measured 5.30 and 60 minutes later. Nicardipine reversed maternal hypertension and produced transient tachycardia. Fetuses responded initially with transient bradycardia and then developed hypercapnia and acidemia (p less than 0.03) by 60 minutes after nicardipine. Fetal placental blood flow decreased and vascular resistance increased by 5 minutes after nicardipine but returned toward control values after 30 minutes. Unexpectedly we observed the death of five fetuses by 65 minutes after nicardipine. We conclude that the administration of nicardipine in the hypertensive ewe results in significant alterations of fetal cardiorespiratory status and placental function that may lead to acidemia.
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PMID:Fetal vascular responses to maternal nicardipine administration in the hypertensive ewe. 280 19