Effect of Different Administration Routes of Dexmedetomidine on Postoperative Delirium in Elderly Patients Undergoing Elective Spinal Surgery: A Prospective Randomized Double-Blinded Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Intravenous dexmedetomidine has been reported to decrease the occurrence of postoperative delirium (POD) in elderly patients. Nevertheless, some previous studies have indicated that intratracheal dexmedetomidine and intranasal dexmedetomidine are also effective and convenient. The current study aimed to compare the effect of different administration routes of dexmedetomidine on POD in elderly patients. METHODS: We randomly allocated 150 patients (aged 60 years or more) scheduled for spinal surgery to receive intravenous dexmedetomidine (0.6 µg/kg), intranasal dexmedetomidine (1 µg/kg) before anesthesia induction, or intratracheal dexmedetomidine (0.6 µg/kg) after anesthesia induction. The primary outcome was the frequency of delirium during the first 3 postoperative days. The secondary outcomes were the incidence of postoperative sore throat (POST) and sleep quality. Adverse events were recorded, and routine treatment was performed. RESULTS: Compared with the intranasal group, the intravenous group had a significantly lower occurrence of POD within 3 days (3 of 49 [6.1%] vs 14 of 50 [28.0%]; odds ratio [OR], 0.17; 95% confidence intervals [CIs], 0.05-0.63; P < .017). Meanwhile, patients in the intratracheal group had a lower incidence of POD than those in the intranasal group (5 of 49 [10.2%] vs 14 of 50 [28.0%]; OR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.10-0.89; P < .017). Whereas, there was no difference between the intratracheal and intravenous groups (5 of 49 [10.2%] vs 3 of 49 [6.1%]; OR, 1.74; 95% CI, 0.40-7.73; P > .017). The rate of POST was lower in the intratracheal group than that in the other 2 groups at 2 hours after surgery (7 of 49 [14.3%] vs 12 of 49 [24.5%] vs 18 of 50 [36.0%], P < .017, respectively). Intravenous dexmedetomidine had the lowest Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score on the second morning after surgery (median [interquartile range {IQR}]: 4 [3-5] vs 6 [4-7] vs 6 [4-7], P < .017, respectively). Compared with the intranasal group, the intravenous group had a higher rate of bradycardia and a lower incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting ( P < .017). The intranasal group was associated with the highest incidence of hypertension ( P < .017). CONCLUSIONS: For patients aged ≥60 years undergoing spinal surgery, compared with the intranasal route of dexmedetomidine, intravenous and intratracheal dexmedetomidine reduced the incidence of early POD. Meanwhile, intravenous dexmedetomidine was associated with better sleep quality after surgery, and intratracheal dexmedetomidine resulted in a lower incidence of POST. Adverse events were mild in all 3 administration routes of dexmedetomidine.

Opioid-Free Anesthesia for Pain Relief After Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial.

Purpose: To compare the efficacies of opioid-free anesthesia (OFA) and opioid-based anesthesia (OBA) in laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). Patients and Methods: A total of 150 patients who underwent 3-port LC procedures were randomly divided into an OFA group with esketamine, dexmedetomidine and lidocaine intravenous combined with local anesthetic incision infiltration or an OBA group with remifentanil combined with local anesthetic incision infiltration. The primary outcome was the consumption of rescue analgesics within 24 hrs after surgery. Secondary outcomes included time to LMA removal, time to orientation recovery, time to unassisted walking, sleep quality on the night of surgery, time to first flatus, hemodynamics during induction of general anesthesia, postoperative pain level on the visual analog scale (VAS), incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) and global satisfaction score (GSS) within 24 hrs after surgery. Results: Both the consumption of rescue analgesics and the time to first flatus in the OFA group were significantly lower than those in the OBA group (P < 0.001 and P = 0.029, respectively). However, the time to LMA removal and the time to orientation recovery were significantly longer in the OFA group than in the OBA group (P < 0.001). In addition, the VAS scores at 2 hrs and 8 hrs after surgery and HR at laryngeal mask airway insertion in the OFA group were significantly lower than those in the OBA group (P = 0.002 and P = 0.001, and P =0.016, respectively). Conclusion: OFA may be beneficial for patients undergoing LC in that it could decrease the dosage of postoperative analgesics and pain intensity and even shorten the time to first flatus after surgery.

Effect of a Local Anesthetic Injection Kit on Pain Relief and Postoperative Recovery After Transumbilical Single-Incision Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy.

Purpose: This study was conducted to explore whether incisional infiltration using a local anesthetic injection kit could better relieve postoperative pain and enhance the quality of recovery compared with ultrasound-guided rectus sheath block (RSB) or conventional local anesthetic infiltration in patients undergoing transumbilical single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy (SILC). Patients and Methods: A total of 60 patients undergoing SILC with American Society of Anesthesiology functional status scores of I-II were randomized into the rectus sheath block group (RSB group), conventional local wound infiltration group (LAI-I group) and incisional infiltration using a local anesthetic injection kit group (LAI-II group). The primary outcomes were the patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) demand frequency within 48 hours after the operation and postoperative pain measured by a visual analog scale (VAS) at 2 h, 4 h, 8 h, 24 h, and 48 h after surgery. Secondary outcomes were the total procedure times, cumulative consumption of anesthetic drugs, duration of surgery, duration and awaking time of anesthesia, early recovery indicator and side effects. Results: The PCIA demand frequency in LAI-II group was significantly lower compared with patients in the RSB and LAI-I group (both P < 0.001). Moreover, the total procedure times in LAI-I and LAI-II group was significantly shorter than that in the RSB group (P < 0.001, respectively), but it was comparable between LAI-I and LAI-II group (P = 0.471). Though lower at 2h and 4h postoperative in LAI-II group, pain scores at each time point had no statistical differences among three groups. There were no significant differences among three groups for other outcomes as well. Conclusion: The effect of ultrasound-guided RSB and conventional local anesthetic infiltration in SILC patients were found to be similar in terms of relieving postoperative pain and promoting recovery. Incisional infiltration using a local anesthetic injection kit can significantly reduce the demand frequency of PCIA, which serves as a rescue analgesic.