The effect of ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane block on pulmonary function in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a prospective randomized study.

BACKGROUND: Transversus abdominis plane block (TAPB) is commonly used for postoperative pain control after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. However, few studies have analyzed its effect on pulmonary function. The goal of this study was to elucidate the effect of ultrasound-guided bilateral TAPB on pulmonary function preservation and analgesia after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. METHODS: We enrolled 58 patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Among them, 53 were randomized to group T (n = 27) and group C (n = 26). Group T and group C received ultrasound-guided bilateral TAPB with 40 ml of 0.375% ropivacaine and 40 ml of 0.9% normal saline, respectively. Visual analog scale (VAS) scores, patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) consumption, forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), FEV1/FVC, peak expiratory flow rate (PEF), and modified Borg scale scores were measured until 24 h post-surgery. RESULTS: The VAS scores were significantly lower in group T than in group C at 1 and 8 h after the surgery. PCA consumption was significantly lower in group T than in group C at all postoperative time points. FEV1, PEF, and FEV1/FVC were more preserved in group T than in group C at 1 h. Group T had significantly lower modified Borg scale scores than did group C at 1 and 8 h. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound-guided TAPB is effective in pulmonary function preservation and pain control after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Therefore, it could be a great option for multimodal analgesia, preservation of pulmonary function, prevention of pulmonary complications including atelectasis, and promotion of postoperative recovery after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. CLINICAL REGISTRATION: This study was enrolled in the Clinical Research Information Service (Clinical Research Information Service, KCT0004435, Hwa Yong Shin, 2019-08-19).

Effect of Flumazenil on Emergence Agitation after Orthognathic Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Flumazenil, a gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor antagonist, can promote arousal even under general anesthesia without the use of benzodiazepines. We hypothesized that flumazenil could promote arousal and reduce emergence agitation in patients undergoing orthognathic surgery with sevoflurane anesthesia. One hundred and two patients were randomly allocated to the control or flumazenil group. Saline or flumazenil was administered at the end of the surgery. The incidence of emergence agitation was measured by using Aono's four-point scale, with scores of 3 and 4 indicating emergence agitation. The primary outcome was the incidence of emergence agitation. Secondary outcomes included duration of emergence agitation and time intervals between the discontinuation of anesthetics, first response, extubation, and post-anesthesia care-unit discharge readiness. The incidence of emergence agitation was 58.3% and 38.9% in the control and flumazenil groups, respectively, but it was not statistically significant. However, the duration of emergence agitation was shorter in the flumazenil group (p = 0.012). There were no significant differences in the time intervals between the discontinuation of anesthetics, first response, and extubation. Although flumazenil did not reduce the incidence of emergence agitation in patients undergoing orthognathic surgery with sevoflurane anesthesia, it can be considered as an option for awakening patients in terms of improving emergence profiles.

Perioperative Magnesium for Postoperative Analgesia: An Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews and Updated Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

The purpose of this study was to summarize and evaluate evidence on the effectiveness of perioperative magnesium as an adjuvant for postoperative analgesia. We conducted an umbrella review of the evidence across systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effect of perioperative magnesium on pain after surgical procedures. Two independent investigators retrieved pain-related outcomes and assessed the methodological quality of the evidence of included studies using the A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) tool, and the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system. In addition, an updated meta-analysis of postoperative pain-related outcomes with a trial sequential analysis (TSA) was conducted. Of the 773 articles initially identified, 17 systematic reviews and meta-analyses of 258 RCTs were included in the current umbrella review. Based on the AMSTAR tool, the overall confidence of the included systematic reviews was deemed critically low to low. Pain score, analgesic consumption, time to first analgesic request, and incidence of analgesic request were examined as pain-related outcomes. According to the GRADE system, the overall quality of evidence ranged from very low to moderate. While the updated meta-analysis showed the beneficial effect of perioperative magnesium on postoperative analgesia, and TSA appeared to suggest sufficient existing evidence, the heterogeneity was substantial for every outcome. Although the majority of included systematic reviews and updated meta-analysis showed a significant improvement in outcomes related to pain after surgery when magnesium was administered during the perioperative period, the evidence reveals a limited confidence in the beneficial effect of perioperative magnesium on postoperative pain.