Comparing the Efficacy of Transforaminal and Caudal Epidural Injections of Calcitonin in Treating Degenerative Spinal Canal Stenosis: A Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is the most common indication for lumbar surgery in elderly patients. Epidural injections of calcitonin are effective in managing LSS. Objectives: This study aimed to compare the efficacy of transforaminal and caudal injections of calcitonin in patients with LSS. Methods: In this double-blind randomized clinical trial, LSS patients were divided into two equal groups (N = 20). The first group received 50 IU (international units) of calcitonin via caudal epidural injection (CEI), and the second group received 50 IU of calcitonin via transforaminal epidural injection (TEI). The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire (ODI) were used to assess the patient's pain and ability to stand, respectively. Visual Analogue Scale and ODI scores were recorded and analyzed. Results: The results showed that caudal and TEIs of calcitonin significantly improved pain and ability to stand during follow-up compared to before intervention (P < 0.05). Additionally, CEI of calcitonin after 6 months significantly reduced pain in LSS patients compared to TEI of calcitonin (P < 0.05). However, no significant difference was observed between the two epidural injection techniques in improving the patient's ability to stand (P > 0.05). Conclusions: The results of the study indicate that epidural injection of calcitonin in long-term follow-up (6 months) had a significant effect on improving pain intensity and mobility in patients with LSS, and its effect on pain in the TEI method was significantly greater than that in the CEI method.

The Effect of Epidural Infusion of Dexmedetomidine on Postoperative Analgesia After Thoracotomy: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: The unique analgesic properties of dexmedetomidine have led anesthesiologists to use it as an alternative to relieve pain after major surgeries. Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the effect of continuous injection of thoracic epidural dexmedetomidine on analgesia after thoracotomy. Methods: In this randomized, double-blind clinical trial, 46 patients (18 to 70 years old) who were candidates for thoracotomy surgery were randomly assigned to receive ropivacaine alone or combined with dexmedetomidine after epidural anesthesia as postoperative epidural anesthesia. The postoperative sedation rate, pain score, and opioid use were assessed within 48 hours after surgery and compared between the 2 groups. Results: Comparing the mean postoperative sedation scores indicated no difference between the 2 study groups. The pain score assessment showed a lower pain score 6 to 36 hours after surgery in the group receiving concurrent ropivacaine and dexmedetomidine than in the group receiving ropivacaine alone. In the 2 groups receiving ropivacaine with and without dexmedetomidine, the rate of morphine administration after surgery was 43.4% and 65.2%, respectively, indicating no difference. However, the first group received significantly lower doses of morphine after the end of surgery (3.26 ± 0.90 mg vs. 7.04 ± 1.48 mg; P = 0.035). Conclusions: A combination of ropivacaine and dexmedetomidine as epidural analgesia can lead to lower postoperative pain scores and reduced doses of opioids required.

Higher anxiety and perceived trauma among COVID-19 patients: a prospective comparative study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, and traumatic stress are not rare during infectious outbreaks, as the COVID-19 pandemic has posed a great concern to the general population. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether experiencing psychiatric symptoms during COVID-19 is the result of the burden of carrying an illness or the COVID-19 itself. METHOD: Two hundred ten subjects and three different groups of participants (COVID-19 patients, university staff, and orthopedic patients) were recruited. They answered a demographic questionnaire, Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) test for OCD symptoms, Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) for perceived trauma, Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) for anxiety, and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) for depression assessments using phone or face-to-face interviews. RESULT: At least one OCD symptom was observed in 85.7% of the subjects. However, there was no significant difference between the 3 groups (p = 0.2194). Perceived trauma was significantly higher among COVID-19 patients followed by university staff and orthopedic patients (23.73, 16.21, 11.51 mean IES-R scores respectively, p = 8.449e-14). COVID-19 patients also showed higher anxiety (mean BAI score: 17.00) than the university staff and orthopedic patients' group (9.22 and 5.56 respectively) (p = 6.175e-08). BDI score did not show much variation for depression, the mean score was 9.66, 9.49, and 6.7 for the COVID-19 patients, university staff, and orthopedic patients respectively, (p = 0.2735). CONCLUSION: Perceived trauma and anxiety symptoms are significantly higher in COVID-19 patients and the symptoms of OCD and depression do not differ between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 people, so the necessity of screening and following treatment of patients with COVID-19 should be kept in mind. TRIAL REGISTRATION: IR.IUMS.FMD.REC.1399.761.

Effect of bupivacaine intraperitoneal and intra-abdominal bicarbonate in reducing postoperative pain in laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a double-blind randomized clinical trial study.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to compare the effect of bupivacaine intraperitoneal with intra-abdominal bicarbonate in reducing postoperative pain in laparoscopic cholecystectomy. RESULTS: In this double-blind randomized clinical trial study, 58 patients underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy referred to a hospital in Tehran, Iran (2019), were assigned into three groups: at the end of the surgery, spraying 50 cc of bupivacaine 0.2% through the laparoscopic port; or rinsing the abdomen with 5.7% bicarbonate dissolved in 1000 cc of normal saline; or abdominal lavage with normal saline. Pain of patients was evaluated according to visual analogue scale criteria and means Ramsay score in recovery times, 2, 8 and 24 h and post-operative analgesia satisfaction score at 2 and 24 h were also evaluated. The mean age of range was 44.26 ± 13.13 years, 44 female patients and 14 male patients. The mean Ramsay score in recovery, 2, 8 and 24 h postoperative times was not significantly different among the groups. Comparing post-operative analgesic satisfaction scores in recovery, 2 and 24 h revealed no significant difference among the groups. We found that use of bupivacaine intraperitoneal and intra-abdominal bicarbonate decreased pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy but the decrease was more in bupivacaine group than bicarbonate group. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Retrospectively registered, IRCT20180723040570N1; date of registration: 2019-06-24.

Chronic fatigue syndrome and cognitive deficit are associated with acute-phase neuropsychiatric manifestations of COVID-19: A 9-month follow-up study.

The preva lence of long-COVID symptoms is rising but it is not still possible to predict which patients will present them, and which types of symptoms they will present. We followed up 95 patients with confirmed COVID-19 for 9 months to identify and characterize long-COVID symptoms. Easy fatigability was the most common symptom (51.04%), followed by anxiety (38.54%), dyspnea (38.54%), and new-onset headache (38.54%). There was no association between COVID-19 severity in the acute phase and the number of long-COVID symptoms (F(1,93) = 0.75, p = 0.45), and cognitive function (MoCA) scores (F(1,90) = 0.073, p = 0.787) at follow-up. Being female (F(1,92) = - 2.27, p = 0.02), having a higher number of symptoms (F(1,93) = 2.76, p = 0.0068), and experiencing constitutional neuropsychiatric symptoms (F(1,93) = 2.529, p = 0.01) in the acute phase were associated with having chronic fatigue syndrome at follow-up. Moreover, constitutional neuropsychiatric symptoms in the acute phase were associated with a lower MoCA score (F(1,93) = 10.84, p = 0.001) at follow-up. Specific clinical presentations such as constitutional neuropsychiatric symptoms in the acute phase might be predictors of debilitating long-COVID symptoms such as chronic fatigue syndrome and cognitive deficits.

A Comparison of effect of preemptive versus postoperative use of ultrasound-guided bilateral transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block on pain relief after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Nowadays, there are various methods to manage pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The aim of this study was to compare the effectof preemptive versus postoperative use of ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane (USG-TAP) block on pain relief after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. In this single-blinded randomized clinical trial, the patients who were candidates for laparoscopic cholecystectomy were randomly divided into the two groups (n = 38 per group). In the preemptive group (PG) after the induction of anesthesia and in the postoperative group (POG) after the end of surgery and before the extubation, bilateral ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block was performed on patients using 20 cc of ropivacaine 0.25%. Both groups received patient controlled IV analgesia (PCIA) containing Acetaminophen (20 mg/ml) plus ketorolac (0.6 mg/ml) as a standard postoperative analgesia and meperidine 20 mg q 4 h PRN for rescue analgesia. Using the numerical rating scales (NSR), the patients' pain intensity was assessed at time of arrival to the PACU and in 2th, 4th, 8th, 12th, 24th h. Primary outcome of interest is NSR at rest and coughing in the PACU and in 2th, 4th, 8th, 12th, 24th h. Secondary outcomes of interests were the time to first post-surgical rescue analgesic and level of patients' pain control satisfaction in the first 24 h. The USG-TAP block significantly decreased pain score in the POG compared to the PG, and also the pain was relieved at rest especially in 8 and 12 h (p value ≤ 0.05) after the surgery. Pain score after coughing during recovery at 2, 8 and 12 h after the operation were significantly decreased. (p value ≤ 0.05) The patient satisfaction scores in the POG were significantly higher in all times. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of rate of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), indicating that patients in the POG had significantly lower incidences of the PONV compared tothe PG. The time to first analgesic request was significantly shorterin the POG, which was statistically significant (p value = 0.089). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of consumption of analgesics. The postoperative TAP block could offer better postoperative analgesia than preepmtive TAP block.

Efficacy of Oxygen-Ozone Therapy and Platelet-Rich Plasma for the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Meta-analysis and Systematic Review.

Context: This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effect of the intra-articular injection of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and oxygen-ozone therapy and provided an evidence-based methodology to treat KOA. Method: Databases, including Cochrane Library, PubMed, and EMBASE, were searched. The retrieval period was before 2021. Two reviewers performed the process of screening and data extraction. Mean differences were calculated [95% confidence interval (CI)] with an inverse-variance method and fixed effect model. Meta-analysis was performed using the latest version of STATA version 16. Results: A total of 12 studies out of 769 articles were evaluated. The mean difference of visual analog scale score between ozone and control groups in the first month after injection was -0.02 (MD, -0.02; 95% CI: -0.32, 0.28; P < 0.05). Mean differences of WOMAC pain, stiffness, and physical function score between baseline and after PRP were -3.53 (MD: -3.53; 95% CI: -4.04, -3.02; P = 0.00), -0.60 (MD: -0.60; 95% CI: -4.0 - 0.864, -0.34; P = 0.00), and -5.96 (MD: -5.96; 95% CI: -7.83, -4.09; P = 0.00). Conclusions: Our results showed that to treat knee osteoarthritis, using PRP for a longer period of 6 - 12 months after the intervention shows better clinical results, while oxygen-ozone therapy has short-term results.

Unilateral Right-Sided Ultrasound-Guided Erector Spinae Plane Block for Post-Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Analgesia: A Randomized Control Trial.

Background: Post-laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) pain control is still an issue postoperatively. Objectives: We investigated the effectiveness of the unilateral right-side ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block (ESPB) on post-LC pain intensity and opioid consumption. Methods: This is a parallel-arm randomized control trial on 62 adult patients with an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status ≤ 2 who underwent LC. The patients were randomized into 2 groups (the block group [BG] and the control group [CG]; n = 31 per group). BG received a single-shot right-sided T7 ESPB with 20 mL of 0.2% ropivacaine at arrival time in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). CG) received no regional anesthesia. Both groups received patient-controlled intravenous fentanyl and rescue meperidine for analgesia. The primary outcome was the pain intensity determined using a Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) in the first 24 hours after surgery. Secondary outcomes included total fentanyl and meperidine consumption within 24 hours. Results: Median pain scores were significantly higher in CG at rest and with coughing up to 12 hours after surgery compared with BG. Pain scores were higher in CG with a cough at 24 hours compared with BG (median 1 [interquartile range (IQR) 1, 2] vs. 1 [1, 0]; P = 0.0005). Total fentanyl consumption and meperidine consumption within 24 hours were significantly lower in BG compared with CG (median 60 µg [IQR 60, 90] vs 250 µg [90, 300]; P < 0.0001 and median 20 µg [IQR 10, 20] vs 25 [20, 25]; P = 0.002, respectively). Conclusions: A single-shot, right-sided, unilateral ESPB decreases post-LC opioid consumption and pain.

The effect of influenza vaccine on severity of COVID-19 infection: An original study from Iran.

Background: The COVID-19 infection is a novel virus that mainly targets the respiratory system via specific receptors without any coronavirus-targeted therapies. Many efforts have been made to prepare specific vaccines for COVID-19 or use of prefabricated vaccines of other similar viruses, especially severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and influenza (flu). We aimed to evaluate the effects of previous flu vaccine injection on severity of incoming COVID-19 infection. Methods: We conducted a large cross-sectional study of 529 hospitalized Iranian COVID patients to evaluate the severity of disease courses in patients with or without previous flu vaccination history using some main factors like length of hospitalization, need for the intensive care unit (ICU) admission and length of stay in the ICU for comparison between COVID-19 infected patients with or without flu vaccination history. For the quantitative data, we used independent-samples t and Mann-Whitney tests. The qualitative data were calculated using the Fisher exact and chi-square tests in IBM SPSS Statistics version 22 (SPSS Inc) and P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: There were no significant differences in the demographic data of patients, disease, and severity-related parameters between the 2 groups. It means that there were not any significant differences between patients with and without history of flu vaccination regarding mean days of hospitalization, percentage of needing to be admitted to the ICU, days being admitted to the ICU (8.44±6.36 vs 7.94±8.57; 17% vs 11.5%; and 1.17±3.09 vs 0.92±3.04, retrospectively) (p=0.883, 0.235, and 0.809, respectively). In the laboratory tests, in comparison between patients with and without history of previous flu vaccination, only lymphocytes count in the vaccine positive group was higher than the vaccine negative group (20.82±11.23 vs 18.04±9.71) (p=0.067) and creatine phosphokinase (CPK) levels were higher in the vaccine negative group (146.57±109.72 vs 214.15±332.06) (p=0.006). Conclusion: We did not find any association between flu vaccination and decrease in disease severity in our patients. It seems that patients with previous history of flu vaccination may experience less laboratory abnormalities in some parameters that could be interpreted in favor of lower overall inflammation; however, this study cannot answer this definitely because of its design. As we collected retrospective data from only alive discharged patients and had no healthy control group, we could not discuss the probable effect of the vaccine on the mortality rate or its probable protective role against the infection. We need more well-designed controlled studies with different populations in different geographic areas to address the controversies.

Comparison of Ultrasound-Guided Supra-scapular Plus Axillary Nerve Block with Interscalene Block for Postoperative Pain Management in Arthroscopic Shoulder Surgery; A Double-Blinded Randomized Open-Label Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Post-arthroscopic shoulder surgery pain is severe enough to interfere with initial recovery and rehabilitation. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate the analgesic effects of postoperative ultrasound-guided suprascapular plus axillary nerve blocks superficial subepidermal axon bundles (SSAB) with interscalene block (ISB) in arthroscopic shoulder surgery. METHODS: In this single-blind randomized, open-label clinical trial, 80 candidates of elective arthroscopic shoulder surgery were randomly allocated to receive either SSAB or ISB at a postoperative care unit. The severity of resting and changing position pain was measured using visual analogue scale (VAS) score at 4h, 8h, 12h, 16h, and 24h, postoperatively. Timing of first opioid request, 24h dose requirement, patients' satisfaction rate, and side effects were also recorded. All registered data were analyzed using SPSS software version 23 for Windows (SPSS, Chicago, IL). RESULTS: Resting and changing position pain scores were comparable between SSAB and ISB groups in the most time intervals. At 12h, moving and resting pain was significantly lower in ISB than SSAB group, while moving pain was more severe in ISB group at 24h assessment. Patient satisfaction scores were comparable between the two groups except for 12h assessment. Time to first analgesic requirement and total dose of 24h opioid requirement were not significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Suprascapular plus axillary nerve block could be an effective and safe alternative for interscalene block for pain management after arthroscopic shoulder surgery.

Comparison of the effect of insulin glargine and regular insulin on perioperative glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus under insulin treatment during vitrectomy surgery under general anesthesia: A randomized clinical trial study.

Background: Perioperative glycemic control is an important factor in the clinical management of a patient with diabetes mellitus under surgery. Poorly controlled long-term hyperglycemia not only predisposes individuals to systemic complications of diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular morbidity but also increases the risk of anesthesia and weakens the outcome of the surgery. Given the importance of the issue and the limited studies on glucose control using insulin glargine during surgery, we aimed to investigate the effects of glargine on glucose control in patients with diabetes mellitus during vitrectomy surgery. Methods: This randomized, double-blind trial was conducted in two groups of 35 patients with diabetes mellitus under treatment with insulin. In the control group, the patients received regular insulin based on the blood glucose and the sliding scale, and in the intervention group, they received insulin glargine (0.3 unit/kg) before surgery. From the start of the operation up to 3 hours of the surgery blood glucose of the patients was measured every 45 minutes and once 6 hours after the operation, and if needed, the regular insulin was injected. Data were analyzed using SPSS 16. Frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation (SD) were used to describe the data. To compare the quantitative variables, the independent t-test or U-Mann-Whitney test was used. For comparison of the qualitative variables, Chi-square test or Fischer's exact test and repeated measure ANOVA was employed. The significance level (P-value) was considered as p<0.05. Results: Use of insulin glargine was associated with significantly lower blood glucose levels compared to regular insulin at 90-minutes (p=0.004), 135 minutes (p=0.001), and 6 hours after the operation (p=0.005). Conclusion: Glycemic control using glargine compared to regular insulin has a better performance with less need for surplus insulin dose administration during surgery.

Effects of ketamine versus dexmedetomidine maintenance infusion in posterior spinal fusion surgery on acute postoperative pain.

BACKGROUND: One of the most challenging issues after posterior spinal fusion (PSF) surgery is providing appropriate pain control measures to enhance recovery of the patients. We aimed to compare effects of ketamine versus dexmedetomidine infusion during maintenance of anesthesia on acute postoperative pain in PSF surgery. METHODS: In a double-blinded randomized clinical trial, 87 patients candidates for PSF surgery were randomly assigned into three groups. Anesthesia protocol for all groups was the same except: the first group received 0.2 mcg/kg/h dexmedetomidine infusion, the second received 0.1 mg/kg/h ketamine infusion, and control group received normal saline infusion as a placebo. Pain intensity by VAS scale and level of sedation by Ramsey scale were assessed, and amount of opioid prescribed after surgery was measured and compared for patients during the recovery and at 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24 h after surgery in three groups, and hypotension and bradycardia during operation were reported. RESULTS: There was a significant difference among the groups regarding pain intensity and amount of opioids during recovery and at 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24 h after surgery. Pain intensity and amount of opioids for ketamine and dexmedetomidine groups were significantly lower than those in the controls during recovery and at the hours after surgery. There was no significant difference regarding bradycardia and hypotension and level of sedation during recovery and at the hours after surgery. CONCLUSION: Both ketamine and dexmedetomidine infusions during maintenance of anesthesia are effective in reducing acute postoperative pain effectively after PSF surgery.

Effects of calcitonin addition on epidural injection in patients with degenerative spinal canal stenosis: a randomized double blind clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: Back pain is reported to be the fifth most common reason for referral a patient to a physician and the most common disability in modern society. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of calcitonin addition on epidural injection in patients with degenerative spinal canal stenosis in comparison with epidural triamcinolone injection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The clinical trial study was performed on 40 patients with degenerative spinal stenosis, referred to pain clinic of RasoulAkram Hospital in 2018, who were randomly divided into two intervention and control groups, including 20 individuals in each group. In the intervention group, 50 units of calcitonin were injected with 8 cc of ropivacaine 0.2% while 80 mg of triamcinolone with 8 cc of ropivacaine 0.2% was injected in the control group. Functional disability was evaluated based on the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and pain ratings were assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). RESULTS: Pain at 4 and 8 weeks after the procedure was significantly different between the two groups. A significant difference in the patient disability index was observed between two groups at 8 and 12 weeks after the procedure. On the other hand, the rate of analgesic consumption at 4, 8 and 12 weeks after the procedure was significantly decreased in the calcitonin group (P <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Based on our results, injection of calcitonin into the epidural space can reduce the pain of the patients and their analgesic consumption compared to the group receiving steroids through the epidural space.

Adding Dexmedetomidine to Bupivacaine in Ultrasound-guided Thoracic Paravertebral Block for Pain Management after Upper Abdominal Surgery: A Double-blind Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Paravertebral blocks are one of the possible postoperative pain management modalities after laparotomy. Adjuvants to local anesthetics, including alpha agonists, have been shown to lead to better pain relief and increased duration of analgesia. Objectives: The aim of this study is to examine the effect of adding dexmedetomidine to bupivacaine for ultrasound-guided paravertebral blocks in laparotomy. Methods: In this double-blind, randomized controlled trial (RCT), we enrolled 42 patients scheduled for T6 to T8 thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) for analgesia after laparotomy. The patients were randomly assigned into two groups of BD (bupivacaine 2.5 mg/mL 20 mL plus dexmedetomidine 100 µg) and B (bupivacaine 20 mL alone). Following surgery, intravenous fentanyl patient-controlled analgesia was initiated. The numerical rating scale (NRS) for pain, sedation score, total analgesic consumption, time to first analgesic requirement, side effects (such as nausea and vomiting), respiratory depression, and patients' satisfaction during the first 48 hours of evaluation were compared in the two groups. Results: Pain scores and mean total analgesic consumption at the first 48 hours in the BD group were significantly lower than Group B (P = 0.03 and P < 0.001, respectively). The time of first analgesic request was significantly longer in BD group (P < 0.001). Sedation scores and side effects did not differ significantly between the two groups. Conclusions: Adding dexmedetomidine to bupivacaine for TPVB after laparotomy yielded better postoperative pain management without significant complications.

Neuropsychiatric manifestations of COVID-19 can be clustered in three distinct symptom categories.

Several studies have reported clinical manifestations of the new coronavirus disease. However, few studies have systematically evaluated the neuropsychiatric complications of COVID-19. We reviewed the medical records of 201 patients with confirmed COVID-19 (52 outpatients and 149 inpatients) that were treated in a large referral center in Tehran, Iran from March 2019 to May 2020. We used clustering approach to categorize clinical symptoms. One hundred and fifty-one patients showed at least one neuropsychiatric symptom. Limb force reductions, headache followed by anosmia, hypogeusia were among the most common neuropsychiatric symptoms in COVID-19 patients. Hierarchical clustering analysis showed that neuropsychiatric symptoms group together in three distinct groups: anosmia and hypogeusia; dizziness, headache, and limb force reduction; photophobia, mental state change, hallucination, vision and speech problem, seizure, stroke, and balance disturbance. Three non-neuropsychiatric cluster of symptoms included diarrhea and nausea; cough and dyspnea; and fever and weakness. Neuropsychiatric presentations are very prevalent and heterogeneous in patients with coronavirus 2 infection and these heterogeneous presentations may be originating from different underlying mechanisms. Anosmia and hypogeusia seem to be distinct from more general constitutional-like and more specific neuropsychiatric symptoms. Skeletal muscular manifestations might be a constitutional or a neuropsychiatric symptom.

Effects of ultrasound guided ganglion stellate blockade on intraoperative and postoperative hemodynamic responses in laparoscopic gynecologic surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Laparoscopic gynecologic surgery is one of the most well-known procedures. Pneumoperitoneum with carbon dioxide insufflation can cause unfavorable hemodynamic effects due to catecholamine and vasopressin release. AIM: To examine the effects of stellate ganglion block on hemodynamic response and postoperative pain. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In a prospective double blinded randomized parallel study we included 40 patients with ASA physical status I and II, aged between 18 and 50 years with a gynecologic problem candidate for laparoscopic surgery under general anesthesia. The patients were randomly divided into two groups. Fifteen minutes before anesthesia induction, the patients underwent ultrasound guided stellate ganglion block with 10 ml of lidocaine 1% and the control group underwent stellate ganglion block using 10 ml of distilled water as placebo. After induction of general anesthesia, systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate were recorded, especially after blowing of CO2 gas, the position change, depletion of CO2, and tracheal extubation in recovery. The postoperative pain was calculated using the visual analogue scale (VAS) at three times (0, 30, and 24 h after surgery). RESULTS: Our results showed that mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate did not show any significant difference at the measurement times (p > 0.05), and mean VAS of patients in the two groups was significantly different for the three measurement times except 24 h after surgery (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Stellate ganglion block before laparoscopic gynecologic surgery has no significant effect on intraoperative and postoperative hemodynamic responses; however, it can decrease VAS in the early postoperative period.

A Comparison of the Effect of Fractionated and Bolus Dose Injection on Spinal Anesthesia for Lower Limb Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: In previous clinical trials and a small number of studies, the fractional injection of anesthetics led to reduced physiological complications and hemodynamic stability and increased duration of anesthesia. OBJECTIVES: The present study intended to compare the effect of fractionated and bolus dose injection of bupivacaine and fentanyl on spinal anesthesia for lower limb fracture surgeries. METHODS: In this randomized, double-blind clinical trial, 70 patients with lower limb fractures were divided into groups of bolus spinal anesthesia (Group A) and fractional spinal anesthesia (Group B). Group A received a bolus dose of 25 µg fentanyl plus 15 mg bupivacaine 0.5% intrathecally at a rate of 0.2 mL/sec and were laid down in supine position after 45 seconds. In Group B, a half dose of the mixture, i.e., 25 µg fentanyl plus 15 mg bupivacaine 0.5% mixture, was injected intrathecally, and then, the other half was injected after 45 seconds while the needle was still in place. Afterward, the patients were immediately laid down in the supine position. Hemodynamic changes in the sensory and motor blockage parameters were recorded in both groups. RESULTS: The motor blockage onset time was shorter in Group B compared to Group A (P = 0.026). Moreover, the sensory blockage duration was longer (P = 0.035), and the highest level of sensory blockage was lower (P = 0.008) in Group B compared to Group A. CONCLUSIONS: Fractional spinal anesthesia led to a longer duration and more favorable levels of sensory blockage compared to the bolus method. In addition, hemodynamic changes and complications occurred less frequently following this procedure.

Clinical Characteristics of Critically Ill Patients Infected with COVID-19 in Rasoul Akram Hospital in Iran: A Single Center Study.

BACKGROUND: Knowledge about clinical features of critically ill patients with COVID-19 still lacks adequate information up to now. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to describe and compare the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of critically ill patients with COVID-19 in Rasoul Akram Hospital. METHODS: In this case series, 70 critically ill patients with COVID-19 admitted in ICU wards of Rasoul Akram Hospital, Tehran, Iran, from 29 February to 25 April 2020 were enrolled. Demographic and clinical characteristics, laboratory data, and outcomes of the patients were all collected and compared between deceased and recovered patients. RESULTS: Fifty-six cases had died of COVID-19, and 14 patients had fully recovered and discharged. The median age of the patients was 68 years old, ranging from 22 to 91 years, 66% were men, 80% had one or more comorbidities, and hypertension was the most common comorbidities (45% of deceased cases). The most common signs and symptoms at the onset of illness were SPO2 depression (92%) and dyspnea (90%). Dyspnea was significantly more common in deceased patients (95%) than recovered patients (70%) (P = 0.048). Most patients had lymphopenia (80%). The number of patients who needed mechanical ventilation in the deceased patients was 53 (95%), which was significantly more than the recovered patients (10 [70%]) (P = 0.048). CONCLUSIONS: The mortality rate of critically ill patients with COVID-19 is very high, and the patients with dyspnea and required mechanical ventilation are at higher risk for death.