Two cases of asystolic cardiac arrests managed with therapeutic hypothermia.

Poor neurological outcome is a common sequel of prolonged cardiac arrest. Although Therapeutic Hypothermia (TH) for neuroprotection has been a subject for research for over Half a century, its use has been limited because of many controversies and lack of clear guidelines. However for over two decades there has been a revival of interest in mild therapeutic hypothermia (32-34°C) for neuroprotection. However its use after primary asystolic cardiac arrest has been questioned. Herein presenting two cases of prolonged asystolic arrest (39 minutes and 25 minutes); where therapeutic hypothermia was successfully used in following prolonged cardio pulmonary resuscitation. On patients who were in deep coma after resuscitation, TH was applied for 24 hours as per institutional protocol with full neurological recovery in both the cases. Therapeutic hypothermia might have a potential role in even in non-shockable arrests and should be considered in every successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation with poor neurological status.

Circular External Fixator Removal in the Outpatient Clinic Using Regional Anaesthesia: A Pilot Study of a Novel Approach.

Introduction: External fixator (EF) devices are commonly used in the management of complex skeletal trauma, as well as in elective limb reconstruction surgery for the management of congenital and acquired pathology. The subsequent removal of an EF is commonly performed under general anaesthesia in an operating theatre. This practice is resource-intensive and limits the amount of time available for other surgical cases in the operating theatre. We aimed to assess the use of regional anaesthesia as an alternative method of analgesia to facilitate the EF removal in an outpatient setting. Design and methods: This prospective case series evaluated the first 50 consecutive cases of EF removal in the outpatient clinic between 10/06/22 and 03/02/23. Regional anaesthesia using ultrasound-guided blockade of peripheral nerves was administered using 1% lidocaine due to its rapid onset and short half-life. Patients were assessed for additional analgesia requirements and then were asked to evaluate their experience and perceived pain using the visual analogue scale (VAS). Results: Fifty patients were included in the study. The mean age was 46.8 years (range 21-85 years). About 54% of the patients were male patients (N = 27). Post-procedure, all patients indicated positive satisfaction ratings, each participant responded as either 'satisfied' (N = 6), 'very satisfied' (N = 24) or 'highly satisfied' (N = 20). In addition, 90% of the participants reported that they would opt for this method of EF removal again in future. The VAS for pain immediately following completion of the procedure was low, with a mean score of 0.36 (range 0-4), where a score of 0 = 'No pain', and 10 = 'worst pain possible'. The median score was 0. Conclusion: We present the first description of outpatient EF removal using regional anaesthesia, with a prospective case series of 50 fully conscious patients from whom the EF was removed. This novel technique is likely to be cost-effective, reproducible, and safe. This technique reduces the burden of EF removal from an operating list and also improves the patient's experience when compared with other forms of conscious sedation. By eliminating the use of Entonox and methoxyflurane for sedation and analgesia, this technique also demonstrates a method of improving environmental sustainability. How to cite this article: Williams LM, Stamps G, Peak H, et al. Circular External Fixator Removal in the Outpatient Clinic Using Regional Anaesthesia: A Pilot Study of A Novel Approach. Strategies Trauma Limb Reconstr 2023;18(1):7-11.

Ultrasonographic Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter as a Surrogate Measure of Raised Intracranial Pressure in Severe Pregnancy-induced Hypertension Patients.

CONTEXT: It is a well-known fact that severe pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) can be disastrous at times as it can cause a lot of complications to both pregnant women and her baby. Hence, it is always desirable to know the extent of severity by a real-time and easily accessible modality like ultrasound. AIMS: The aim of the study was to evaluate the incidence of raised intracranial pressure (ICP) in severe preeclampsia and eclampsia patients using ocular ultrasonography with optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) measurement. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This study design was a prospective and clinically controlled blinded observational study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After taking necessary permissions from the Institution Ethical Committee, 75 patients were enrolled for the study. However, finally, 25 patients in severe preeclampsia and 24 in eclampsia group were compared with 25 normal term antenatal women. Demographic profiles, hemodynamic parameters, laboratory markers for severity of PIH, and ultrasonographic OSND were measured. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: They were statistically analyzed and compared using one-way ANOVA and Tukey's test. Value of P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: All the three groups were comparable in terms of age, body weight, gestation age, gestity, and the number of primigravida in each group. There was a significant difference (P < 0.05) in mean levels of hepatic aminotransferase levels and platelet counts between groups. Aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase levels were much higher in Group II and III as compared to Group I, while platelet levels were lower in study groups indicating increase in severity of PIH. There was also a significant difference for systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure (P < 0.001) as both were significantly higher in study groups. Among severe PIH groups (Group II and III), the difference was comparable. CONCLUSIONS: OSND is a surrogate marker for raised ICP in severe PIH patients. It is a rapid, bedside, noninvasive, and readily accessible tool and could be a part of a holistic approach for managing such patients.

Spectroscopic properties of Ho3+ ions doped in tellurite glass.

Spectroscopic properties of Ho3+ doped tellurite glass (1 mol.% of Ho3+) have been studied. The absorption and fluorescence spectra have been recorded and analysed using the Judd-Offelt theory. The analysis indicates that Ho doped tellurite glasses can show lasing on the 5F4 (5S2)-5I8 transition (548.0 nm).

General anesthesia in tetanus patient undergoing emergency surgery: A challenge for anesthesiologist.

Tetanus is an acute often fatal disease produced by gram positive obligate anaerobic bacterium Clostridium tetani. Tetanolysin damages local tissue and provides optimal conditions for bacterial multiplication. It is therefore important to perform a wide debridement of any wound suspected of being a portal of entry for the bacteria. Little evidence exists to recommend specific anesthetic protocols. We encountered a child scheduled for fracture both bone forearm with developing tetanus. Initial management done with intravenous (i.v) diazepam, phenobarbitone, and metronidazole. After premedication with midazolam and fentanyl, induction was done by propofol 60 mg, vecuronium 2.5 mg, ventilated with O2+ N2O 50:50 with sevoflurane 2% and tracheal intubation was done with 5.5 ID cuffed PVC endotracheal tube. Anesthesia was maintained with sevoflurane 2% and vecuronium intermittently when required. Intraop vitals were stable. On completion of surgery, reversal given and patient was extubated uneventfully and shifted to recovery room. Little evidence exists to recommend specific anesthetic technique for tetanus patient posted for surgery. When present, obvious wounds should be surgically debrided. Ideally patients considered for surgery should undergo anesthesia and surgery before severe autonomic dysfunction develops. Most anesthetic managements are based on limited evidence. However, we used sevoflurane and vecuronium successfully, further study is needed to establish their efficacy and safety. Major challenges lie in the control of muscle rigidity and spasm, autonomic disturbances and prevention of complications.

A terrorist bomb blast, a real challenge for any tertiary care health provider.

Multiple casualties and the complex set of injuries in survivors of a terrorist bomb blast poses a real challenge to health care providers. We are presenting three such cases, first case suffered a fracture of both bone lower limb bilaterally along with head injury (foreign bodies were impacted in the scalp and brain parenchyma). Following primary resuscitation, patient shifted to operation theatre after a quick computerized tomography scan and external fixator applied in general anesthesia using the rapid sequence induction. No active neurosurgical intervention was done. As this patient had acute post-traumatic stress response, he was subjected to low pressure hyperbaric oxygen therapy (pressure of 1.5 ATA for 60 min a day for 10 days) and group counseling. He had good recovery except one lost a limb because of extensive neurovascular damage due to blast. Second case had much more extensive damage involving multiple organ systems. He had blast lung, big cerebrovascular hemorrhage along with gut perforation. Despite best possible surgical and intensive care interventions, patent developed multiple organ failure and unfortunately we lost our patient. Third case was of a right sided globe rupture resulted from blast induced flying foreign bodies. After primary survey and initial resuscitation evisceration done for the damaged eye and patient later on discharged with necessary instruction (including warning signs) for follow-up.

Massive hemothorax: A rare complication after supraclavicular brachial plexus block.

Plexus block is the preferred anesthesia plan for upper limb surgeries. Among the known complications, hematoma formation following the vascular trauma is often occur but this complication is frequently underreported. We present a case where a massive hemothorax developed post operatively in a patient who underwent resection of giant cell tumor of the right hand radius bone followed by arthroplasty under brachial plexus block using supraclavicular approach. This case report attempts to highlight the essence of remaining vigilant postoperatively for first initial days after brachial plexus block, especially after failed or multiple attempts. Ultrasound guided technique in combination with nerve stimulator has proven to be more reliable and safer than traditional techniques.

Comparison of recovery profile for propofol and sevoflurane anesthesia in cases of open cholecystectomy.

OBJECTIVE: Sevoflurane and propofol are considered to be the agents of choice in surgeries of short duration due to their better recovery profile and few post-operative complications. This study was designed to compare the early recovery profile of sevoflurane and propofol anesthesia in patients undergoing open cholecystectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 60 patients of either sex with American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1 and 2 scheduled for elective cholecystectomy were prospectively randomized into two groups. Group S (30 patients) were maintained with sevoflurane anesthesia (1-2%), while in Group P (30 patients) were maintained with propofol infusion (75-125 µg/kg/min) in both the groups the anesthetic concentration/dose was so adjusted to keep hemodynamic parameter (mean arterial pressure and heart rate) within 15% of their respective baselines values. RESULTS: It was observed that there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) between there early recovery profile that includes spontaneous eye opening (7.5 ± 1.6 min for sevoflurane group and 6.9 ± 1.7 min for propofol group), following simple verbal command (9.2 ± 2.2 min for sevoflurane group and 8.9 ± 1.9 min for propofol group) and extubation time (10.7 ± 2.3 min for sevoflurane group and 10.3 ± 2.0 min for propofol group) but there was a significant difference (P < 0.05) in incidence of post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in both groups. CONCLUSION: Propofol is as good as sevoflurane for maintenance of anesthesia in surgeries like open cholecystectomy with an added advantage of lower incidence of PONV owing to its intrinsic antiemetic properties.