The Effect of Recruitment Maneuver on Static Lung Compliance in Patients Undergoing General Anesthesia for Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Single-Centre Prospective Clinical Intervention Study.

Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine whether the use of an alveolar recruitment maneuver (RM) leads to a significant increase in static lung compliance (Cstat) and an improvement in gas exchange in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Material and Methods: A clinical prospective intervention study was conducted. Patients were divided into two groups according to their body mass index (BMI): normal-weight (group I) and pre-obese and obese grade I (group II). Lung mechanics were monitored (Cstat, dynamic compliance-Cdin, peak pressure-Ppeak, plateau pressure-Pplat, driving pressure-DP) alongside gas exchange, and hemodynamic changes (heart rate-HR, mean arterial pressure-MAP) at six time points: T1 (induction of anesthesia), T2 (formation of pneumoperitoneum), T3 (RM with a PEEP of 5 cm H2O), T4 (RM with a PEEP of 7 cm H2O), T5 (desufflation), and T6 (RM at the end). The RM was performed by increasing the peak pressure by +5 cm of H2O at an equal inspiration-to-expiration ratio (I/E = 1:1) and applying a PEEP of 5 and 7 cm of H2O. Results: Out of 96 patients, 33 belonged to group I and 63 to group II. An increase in Cstat values occurred after all three RMs. At each time point, the Cstat value was measured higher in group I than in group II. A higher increase in Cstat was observed in group II after the second and third RM. Cstat values were higher at the end of the surgical procedure compared to values after the induction of anesthesia. The RM led to a significant increase in PaO2 in both groups without changes in HR or MAP. Conclusions: During laparoscopic cholecystectomy, the application of RM leads to a significant increase in Cstat and an improvement in gas exchange. The prevention of atelectasis during anesthesia should be initiated immediately after the induction of anesthesia, using protective mechanical ventilation and RM.

Erector spinae plane block reduces pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

PURPOSE: After laparoscopic cholecystectomy patients have moderate pain in the early postoperative period. According to several studies an erector spinae plane (ESP) block can be a valuable part of multimodal analgesia. Our intention was to evaluate how ESP block influences postoperative pain scores and opioid consumption after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. METHODS: This single-blinded, prospective, randomized study included 60 patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy to receive either bilateral ESP block at the Th 7 level (n = 30) with 20 ml of 0.25% levobupivacaine plus dexamethasone 2 mg per side, or standard multimodal analgesia (n = 30). Patients from the standard multimodal analgesia group received tramadol 100 mg at the end of the procedure. Postoperative analgesia for both groups was acetaminophen 1 g/8 h i.v. and ketorolac 30 mg/8 h. Tramadol 1 mg/kg was a rescue treatment for pain breakthrough (numeric rating scale/NRS ≥ 6) in both groups. Pain at rest was recorded at 10 min, 30 min, 2 h, 4 h, 8 h, 12 h and 24 h after surgery using NRS (0-10). RESULTS: An ESP block significantly reduced postoperative pain scores compared to standard multimodal analgesia after 10 min (p = 0.011), 30 min (p = 0.004), 2 h (p = 0.011), 4 h (p = 0.003), 8 h (p = 0.013), 12 h (p = 0.004) and 24 h (p = 0.005). Tramadol consumption was significantly lower in the ESP group 25.02 ± 56.8g than in the standard analgesia group 208.3 ± 88.1g (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: An ESP block can provide superior postoperative analgesia and reduction in opioid requirement after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Subcostal transversus abdominis plane block can improve analgesia after laparoscopic cholecystectomy / O bloqueio do plano transverso abdominal subcostal pode melhorar a analgesia após colecistectomia laparoscópica

Abstract Background and goal of study: After laparoscopic cholecystectomy, patients have moderate pain in the early postoperative period. Some studies shown beneficial effects of subcostal transversus abdominis plane block on reducing this pain. Our goal was to investigate influence of subcostal transversus abdominis plane block on postoperative pain scores and opioid consumption. Materials and methods: We have randomized 76 patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy to receive either subcostal transversus abdominis plane block (n = 38) or standard postoperative analgesia (n = 38). First group received bilateral ultrasound guided subcostal transversus abdominis plane block with 20 mL of 0.33% bupivacaine per side before operation and tramadol 1 mg.kg−1 IV for pain breakthrough (≥6). Second group received after operation tramadol 1 mg.kg−1/6 h as standard hospital analgesia protocol. Both groups received acetaminophen 1 g/8 h IV and metamizole 2.5 g/12 h. Pain at rest was recorded for each patient using NR scale (0-10) in period of 10 min, 30 min, 2 h, 4 h, 8 h, 12 h and 16 h after the surgery. Results and discussion: We obtained no difference between groups according age, weight, intraoperative fentanyl consumption and duration of surgery. Subcostal transversus abdominis plane block significantly reduced postoperative pain scores compared to standard analgesia in all periods after surgery. Tramadol consumption was significantly lower in the subcostal transversus abdominis plane (24.29 ± 47.54 g) than in the standard analgesia group (270.2 ± 81.9 g) (p = 0.000). Conclusion: Our results show that subcostal transversus abdominis plane block can provide superior postoperative analgesia and reduction in opioid requirements after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Resumo Justificativa e objetivo: Após a colecistectomia laparoscópica, os pacientes apresentam dor moderada no pós-operatório imediato. Alguns estudos mostraram efeitos benéficos do bloqueio do plano transverso abdominal subcostal na redução dessa dor. Nosso objetivo foi investigar a influência do bloqueio do plano transverso abdominal subcostal nos escores de dor no pós-operatório e no consumo de opioides. Materiais e métodos: Foram randomizados 76 pacientes submetidos à colecistectomia laparoscópica para receber o bloqueio do plano transverso abdominal subcostal (n = 38) ou analgesia padrão no pós-operatório (n = 38). O primeiro grupo recebeu bloqueio do plano transverso abdominal subcostal bilateral guiado por ultrassom com 20 mL de bupivacaína a 0,33% em cada lado antes da operação e tramadol IV (1 mg.kg−1) para controle da dor (≥ 6). O segundo grupo recebeu tramadol (1 mg.kg−1/6 h) como protocolo-padrão de analgesia hospitalar pós-cirurgia. Ambos os grupos receberam acetaminofeno IV (1 g/8 h) e dipirona (2,5 g/12 h). A dor em repouso foi registrada para cada paciente com o uso da escala NR (0-10) nos períodos de 10 min, 30 min, 2 h, 4 h, 8 h, 12 h e 16 h após a cirurgia. Resultados e discussão: Não houve diferença entre os grupos em relação a idade, peso, consumo intraoperatório de fentanil e duração da cirurgia. O bloqueio do plano transverso abdominal subcostal reduziu significativamente o escore de dor no pós-operatório em comparação com a analgesia-padrão em todos os períodos após a cirurgia. O consumo de tramadol foi significativamente menor no grupo bloqueio do plano transverso abdominal subcostal (24,29 ± 47,54 g) do que no grupo analgesia padrão (270,2 ± 81,9 g) (p = 0,000). Conclusão: Nossos resultados mostram que o bloqueio do plano transverso abdominal subcostal pode proporcionar analgesia superior no pós-operatório e redução da necessidade de opioides após colecistectomia laparoscópica.

[Subcostal transversus abdominis plane block can improve analgesia after laparoscopic cholecystectomy]. / O bloqueio do plano transverso abdominal subcostal pode melhorar a analgesia após colecistectomia laparoscópica.

BACKGROUND AND GOAL OF STUDY: After laparoscopic cholecystectomy, patients have moderate pain in the early postoperative period. Some studies shown beneficial effects of subcostal transversus abdominis plane block on reducing this pain. Our goal was to investigate influence of subcostal transversus abdominis plane block on postoperative pain scores and opioid consumption. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We have randomized 76 patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy to receive either subcostal transversus abdominis plane block (n=38) or standard postoperative analgesia (n=38). First group received bilateral ultrasound guided subcostal transversus abdominis plane block with 20mL of 0.33% bupivacaine per side before operation and tramadol 1mg.kg-1IV for pain breakthrough (≥6). Second group received after operation tramadol 1mg.kg-1/6h as standard hospital analgesia protocol. Both groups received acetaminophen 1g/8h IV and metamizole 2.5g/12h. Pain at rest was recorded for each patient using NR scale (0-10) in period of 10min, 30min, 2h, 4h, 8h, 12h and 16h after the surgery. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: We obtained no difference between groups according age, weight, intraoperative fentanyl consumption and duration of surgery. Subcostal transversus abdominis plane block significantly reduced postoperative pain scores compared to standard analgesia in all periods after surgery. Tramadol consumption was significantly lower in the subcostal transversus abdominis plane (24.29±47.54g) than in the standard analgesia group (270.2±81.9g) (p=0.000). CONCLUSION: Our results show that subcostal transversus abdominis plane block can provide superior postoperative analgesia and reduction in opioid requirements after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Cardiovascular effects of methadone and concomitant use of diazepam during methadone maintenance treatment induction: low concentration risk.

BACKGROUND: The aim is to evaluate the role of diazepam concentrations in development of low-concentration-methadone-associated QTc prolongation in patients with opioid use disorder during methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) induction. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Individuals with addiction disorder on MMT were studied before the beginning of MMT and after one and six months of MMT. Serum concentrations of methadone, diazepam, electrolytes and ECG were analyzed. RESULTS: Thirty patients were enrolled. The mean methadone concentration at time points was 177 ± 119 ng/ml and 343 ± 182 ng/ml, while the mean diazepam concentration was 561 ± 437 ng/ml and 1045 ± 933 ng/ml. The QTc interval before the introduction of MMT, after 1 and 6 months of MMT were 412 ± 27 ms, 425 ± 18 ms and 424 ± 15 ms, respectively, showing statistically significant increase in the length of QTc interval after 1 and 6 months of MMT. Statistically significant correlation between the concentration of methadone and QTc interval length at observed time points (R2 = 0.239, p = 0.018; R2 = 0.513, p = 0.006) was shown, and it remained so if the concentration of diazepam was included (R2 = 0.347, p = 0.026, R2 = 0.513, p = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: The prolongation of QTc below the risk threshold in low methadone therapeutic doses has been recorded and concomitant use of diazepam could be a co-factor in such issue.

Use of presepsin and procalcitonin for prediction of SeptiFast results in critically ill patients.

PURPOSE: There is a need for identification of marker that could lead physicians to take the right step towards laboratory techniques for documentation of infection. The aim of this study was to investigate whether presepsin and procalcitonin (PCT) levels in patients with suspected sepsis could predict blood culture (BC) and SeptiFast (SF) results. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 100 patients were included in our study. PCT, C-reactive protein (CRP), and presepsin levels were determined. Differences between groups of patients were assessed by Mann-Whitney U test. Categorical variables were compared using chi-square test. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to determine predictive values of biomarkers for prediction of positive SF results. RESULTS: PCT (70.9±106.36 vs. 16.35±26.79) and presepsin (4899.73±5207.81 vs. 1751.59±2830.62) were significantly higher in patients with positive SF in contrast to patients with negative SF. There was no significant difference between patients who had positive and negative BC for PCT and presepsin values. PCT and presepsin showed a similar performance in predicting positive SF results with AUC of 0.75 for PCT and 0.73 for presepsin. CONCLUSION: Presepsin can serve as good predictor of bacteremia detected by SF and it should be included with PCT in protocols for sepsis diagnosing.

Acquired prolongation of QT interval as a risk factor for torsade de pointes ventricular tachycardia: a narrative review for the anesthesiologist and intensivist.

More than 70% of intensive care unit (ICU) patients experience heart rhythm disturbances, and these patients have correspondingly higher mortality rates. Consequently, one of the standards of care in ICUs is continuous electrocardiography monitoring. One of the potentially preventable dysrhythmic events is the occurrence of torsade de pointes ventricular tachycardia in the setting of acquired prolonged QT interval. This type of ventricular tachycardia can be malignant because it often progresses to ventricular fibrillation. Many factors predispose to lengthening of the QT interval, the most important of which are electrolyte abnormalities and the administration of specific medications. In this review, we discuss the pathophysiology of acquired long QT interval, stressing the medication-induced acquired long QT-interval and factors present in ICU patients that promote prolongation of the QT interval. We also propose guidelines to avoid the occurrence of torsade de pointes ventricular tachycardia.

Magnesium Sulfate as an Adjuvant to Anesthesia in Patients with Arterial Hypertension

There is limited evidence showing that elevated arterial blood pressure in surgical patients may be associated with increased perioperative risk; however, cardiovascular instability frequently occurs during anesthesia. The most commonly used anesthetic agents, both intravenous and inhalation ones, produce a decrease in arterial blood pressure. Magnesium, acting as a natural calcium-channel blocker, induces direct and indirect vasodilatation, thus playing a role in the treatment of arterial hypertension. In this research, we assessed the effects of magnesium sulfate on cardiovascular stability in patients undergoing diverse planned surgical procedures (abdominal, orthopedic, urology) under general balanced anesthesia, who were diagnosed with arterial hypertension grade 1 and 2. The research encompassed 100 patients of both sexes, aged from 20 to 65. Immediately before induction of anesthesia with propofol, the patients in the experimental group (50 study subjects) received 30 mg/ kg bolus dose and magnesium sulfate infusion at 10 mg/kg/h, whereas the subjects in the control group (50 patients) were administered normal saline. Anesthesia was achieved and maintained with sevoflurane, fentanyl and rocuronium. The hemodynamic variables of mean arterial pressure and heart rate were measured every five minutes, starting immediately before magnesium infusion. Statistical analysis of the categorized values of mean arterial pressure and heart rate revealed a statistically significant between-group difference at 60th and 90th minute of anesthesia. In conclusion, magnesium sulfate as an adjuvant to anesthesia in patients with arterial hypertension reduces hemodynamic changes during anesthesia.

A case of recurrent arrhythmia in an acute pancreatitis patient--pathophysiological explanation using shortage of 'repolarization reserve'.

We report a case of a patient with acute pancreatitis who developed serious heart rhythm abnormalities on three occasions, two of which were associated with administration of the first generation antihistamine chloropyramine, and the third one with hypomagnesemia and hypokalemia. Dysrhythmic events consisted of bigeminy, multifocal ventricular extrasystoles and torsades de pointes-like ventricular tachycardia. Electrocardiographic changes in acute pancreatitis in the absence of previous heart disease can occur in more than half of the cases. Antihistamines are medications that are known to produce heart rhythm disturbances, especially the second generation drugs astemizole and terfenadine. This is the first report of chloropyramine causing dysrhythmia. It seems that acute pancreatitis patients are especially prone to heart dysrhythmia caused by different factors such as electrolyte disturbances and pronounced vagal tone. Acute pancreatitis may be added to the list of risk factors with altered 'repolarization reserve', predisposing to drug-induced QT interval prolongation and possible torsades de pointes occurrence.

Clinical and predictive significance of hyponatremia after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

OBJECTIVE: Hyponatremia after SAH was the object of several studies with conflicting results. The aim of this study was to determine a predictive correlation of hyponatremia with delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) and poor clinical outcome. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We have used a retrospective hospital chart review of 82 patients with SAH treated from August 2008 to August 2010. Patients were divided into hyponatremia and normonatremia groups. Hyponatremia was defined as serum sodium level <135 mmol/l. Information compared and analyzed included demographics, preoperative neurological status, aneurysm characteristics, postoperative intensive care, duration of stay, DCI and clinical outcome at hospital discharge. P<0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Thirty-two patients with SAH (39%) developed hyponatremia. In that group we had a significantly higher WFNS score at admission (p=0.03) and longer duration of stay in intensive care (p=0.001). DCI with transit or definitive deficit included 20 patients (62%) in the hyponatremia group, and 19 patients (38%) in the normonatremia group (p=0.03). Binary enter logistic regression revealed a significant correlation of hyponatremia with DCI (p=0.03) and poor clinical outcome (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: This result revealed a possible use of hyponatremia as an additional predictor of developing DCI and poor clinical outcome.