Practical Points in Anesthesia

The volume of the pulse diminishes during protracted narcosis. The volume may be expected to decrease about one-third in the course of an hour, and as much as one-half in a two hours’ anesthesia. If, in a chloroform or anaesthol anesthesia, the pulse gives the impression, to the palpating finger, of having lost more than one-half of its original volume, stimulation is indicated. If ether feeding through the Schimmelbusch mask, and |Camphor-Ether| one drachm of 25% camphor-ether hypodermatically do not improve the volume notably, an intravenous infusion of physiological saline at 98°-105° F. should be given without delay. If the anesthesia has been conducted with ether instead of anaesthol or chloroform, |Strychnine| camphor-ether stimulation is not in place; the resort is to strychnine stimulation instead—one twentieth of a grain of strychnine sulphate hypodermatically, which may be repeated in half an hour. If there is no prompt improvement |Venous Infusion| in the condition of the pulse, the intravenous infusion should not be postponed. It must also be borne in mind that, not drugs, but infusion of fluid alone can make good any great loss of blood.