Speculum - University of Melbourne

26 SPECULUM
that pre-medication should always be considered
on an individual basis.
3. Dosage:— The dosages of drugs as
usually quoted are for healthy young adults.
These amounts must be reduced for patients
who are old or in a depressed state of
health.
Doses for children may be calculated on
an "Age" or a "Weight" basis. Young's
Formula which calculates the dose as
Age in years
X adult dose
Age plus 12
is satisfactory for children above the age of
3 years, but in general, is less accurate than
Clark's Formula (Weight in lbs./150 x
adult dose), which is applicable to children
of all ages, and is more related to physical
development.
4. Relation to Anaesthetic: —Pre-anaesthetic
medication must be related to the
type of anaesthetic which it is proposed
to give. If, for example, the anaesthetic
agent is one from which recovery may
be slow (eg., trichlorethylene), large doses
of hypnotics or narcotics should be avoided,
otherwise long periods of unconsciousness
may result. On the other hand, if the
The uses of
"NOVOCAIN"
TRADE
MARK
The original Local Anaesthetic
are constantly extending:
INTRAVENOUS APPLICATION
RECTAL DRIP APPLICATION
POST OPERATIVE PAIN
"NEURAL" . . . THERAPY
Samples and Literature on request to
J. L. BROWN & CO.
123 William Street, Melbourne
••■■••••■
anaesthetic agent to be used is one from
which recovery is usually rapid (eg., cyclopropane
or nitrous oxide) a sufficient dose
of analgesic or narcotic drug is required,
otherwise the patient may awake rapidly
with acute awareness of severe pain.
Vomiting after cyclopropane is fairly
common, but the incidence is reduced if
hyoscine is used pre-operatively instead of
atropine.
5. Loss of Heat Control:— Because
atropine and hyoscine upset body heat
regulation they should be used in minimal
doses in hot weather. (Excessive bedding
and clothing should be avoided.)
6. Chlorpromazine or Ganglion Blocking
Agents:— These drugs are undesirable
prior to the administration of the potent
inhalational agents as they upset the mechanisms
of circulatory homeostasis to such
an extent that circulatory depression may
ensue. If the patient is already taking
these drugs (Chlorpromazine, hexamethonium
bromide, etc.), it is probably best to
avoid the potent inhalational anaesthetic
agents.
7. Ideosyncrasy:— Abnormal reactions
to the drugs ordinarily used for preanaesthetic
medication are sufficiently common
for the possibility to be constantly remembered.
Drugs Used in Pre -Anaesthetic Medication
Drugs used for Pre-anaesthetic medication,
with a few exceptions, fall into one of
two groups:
a. Anti-parasympathetic drugs (also
called anti-parasympathomimetic,
parasympatholytic, or parasympathetic
antagonists).
COMPLAN
The complete planned food
• Quickly prepared
• Easily digested
• Contains all the essential vitamins
and minerals in addition to balanced
proportions of protein, carbohydrat
and fat.
A GLAXO PRODUCT
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