Perioperative management of myasthenia gravis patient for off pump coronary artery bypass surgery and thymectomy.

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by antibody-mediated immunologic reaction striking the acetylcholine receptors. The anesthesia concerns for patients with MG include the disease state, drug interactions, and the anesthetic medications particularly the neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs). The anesthesia management in these patients is meticulous and requires appropriate execution of knowledge. Besides, such patient for off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery is quite uncommon; hence, we report this case.

Focus-assessed transthoracic echocardiography: Implications in perioperative and intensive care.

Transthoracic echocardiography is a potent and appealing diagnostic tool by virtue of rapidity, noninvasiveness, and repeatability. Focus-assessed transthoracic echocardiography (FATE) forms quick guidance to interpret the echocardiographic information and relates it to the clinical context. It can be applied in the perioperative period, intensive care units (ICUs), and emergency situations, in trauma and as resuscitation aids. FATE intents to assess cardiac function including contractility, chamber size and hypertrophy, valvular dysfunction, cardiac tamponade, and pericardial and pleural effusions. Thence, FATE has become a quintessential scanning tool perioperatively and in ICUs.

Perioperative stroke - Prediction, Prevention, and Protection.

Stroke culminates into 6.2 million deaths annually and is thereby a leading cause of disability and death worldwide. In patients undergoing noncardiac, nonneurological surgery, perioperative stroke can eventuate into a catastropic aftermath with almost eight-fold rise in mortality. In cardiac, neurological, and carotid surgery, stroke rate accounts to be high (2.2%-5.2%) and is a significant instigator of morbidity and mortality as well. These facts kindle interest to review the predictive parameters, preventive measures, and all the possibilities in the management and protection against perioperative stroke.

Comparison of immediate extubation versus ultrafast tracking strategy in the management of off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Ultrafast tracking of anesthesia (UFTA) is practiced routinely, whereas immediate on-table extubation after off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) grafting surgery has many concerns. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the safety and feasibility of immediate extubation (IE) versus UFTA. METHODS: Sixty patients were enrolled who underwent OPCAB surgery. The two groups IE and UFTA had thirty patients each. Inclusion criteria were patients for OPCAB surgery including left main stenosis. Exclusion criteria were patients with Ejection Fraction(EF) <30%, with unstable hemodynamics, on intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP), with renal dysfunction, with associated valvular heart diseases, on inotropes, on temporary pacemaker, with intraoperative conversion to on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), who are chronic smokers, and with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Statistical analysis was done with Minitab 15 software. Descriptive statistics were summarized as mean, standard deviation, and percentage. Student's t-test was used to determine the significance of normally distributed parametric values. Z-test was used for proportion. Statistical significance was accepted at P < 0.05. RESULTS: OT extubation was found to be safe as no patient had reintubation or respiratory insufficiency. None of the patients in either group had postoperative myocardial infarction, stroke, low cardiac output, mediastinitis, and renal failure. Hypothermia, blood transfusion, atrial fibrillation, and re-exploration did not occur. Intensive Care Unit length of stay was similar in the two groups. Discharge day is statistically significant (P = 0.001), with 5.66 days in the IE group and 6.36 days in the UFTA group. Time spent in the operating room at the end of surgery is statistically significant, with 14.03 min in UFTA group and 33.9 min in IE group. CONCLUSION: IE appears to be safe and effective in OPCAB patients without any major complications. It can be achieved after fulfilling traditional extubation criteria but is confined to highly selective group of patients.

Single bolus dose of epidural magnesium prolongs the duration of analgesia in cardiac patients undergoing vascular surgeries.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Magnesium, a physiological antagonist of calcium and N-methyl-d-aspartate, has a role in the prevention of pain in patients undergoing surgery for peripheral vascular diseases with cardiac comorbidities such as ischaemic heart disease and coronary artery disease. The objective of our study was assessment of effects of epidural magnesium in cardiac patients undergoing vascular surgery. METHODS: Sixty patients of either sex American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status III undergoing surgeries for peripheral vascular diseases were enrolled. The control group had 30 patients who received levobupivacaine 0.25% 10 ml with fentanyl 50 µg while 30 patients in study group received levobupivacaine 0.25% 10 ml with fentanyl 50 µg and magnesium 100 mg. The primary outcome was duration of analgesia. Sedation score, pain assessment using visual analogue scale (VAS), systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR) and fentanyl consumption were also recorded. Statistical analyses were performed using Minitab 15 statistical software. RESULTS: Both groups were similar demographically and with respect to baseline HR, SBP, DBP and RR. In the study group, compared to the control group, duration of analgesia was 4.17 ± 1.07 h versus 1.55 ± 0.47 h (P < 0.01), sedation score were\ better (P = 0.003) and the VAS scores was lower (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Epidural magnesium, added to levobupivacaine and fentanyl as a single bolus dose effectively prolongs the duration of analgesia in high-risk cardiac patients undergoing peripheral vascular surgery.