Total joint replacement in ambulatory surgery.

Total joint arthroplasty is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures in the United States, and projected numbers are expected to double in the next ten years. From 2018 to 2020, total hip and knee arthroplasty were removed from the United States' Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services "inpatient-only" list, accelerating this migration to the ambulatory setting. Appropriate patient selection, including age, body mass index, comorbidities, and adequate social support, is critical for successful ambulatory total joint arthroplasty. General anesthesia and neuraxial anesthesia are both safe and effective anesthetic choices, and recent studies in this population have found no difference in outcomes. Multimodal analgesia, including acetaminophen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, local infiltration analgesia, and peripheral nerve blocks, is the foundation for adequate pain control. Common reasons for "failure to launch" include postoperative urinary retention, postoperative nausea and vomiting, inadequate analgesia, and hypotension.

Population pharmacokinetic and safety analysis of ropivacaine used for erector spinae plane blocks.

INTRODUCTION: Erector spinae plane blocks have become popular for thoracic surgery. Despite a theoretically favorable safety profile, intercostal spread occurs and systemic toxicity is possible. Pharmacokinetic data are needed to guide safe dosing. METHODS: Fifteen patients undergoing thoracic surgery received continuous erector spinae plane blocks with ropivacaine 150 mg followed by subsequent boluses of 40 mg every 6 hours and infusion of 2 mg/hour. Arterial blood samples were obtained over 12 hours and analyzed using non-linear mixed effects modeling, which allowed for conducting simulations of clinically relevant dosing scenarios. The primary outcome was the Cmax of ropivacaine in erector spinae plane blocks. RESULTS: The mean age was 66 years, mean weight was 77.5 kg, and mean ideal body weight was 60 kg. The mean Cmax was 2.5 ±1.1 mg/L, which occurred at a median time of 10 (7-47) min after initial injection. Five patients developed potentially toxic ropivacaine levels but did not experience neurological symptoms. Another patient reported transient neurological toxicity symptoms. Our data suggested that using a maximum ropivacaine dose of 2.5 mg/kg based on ideal body weight would have prevented all toxicity events. Simulation predicted that reducing the initial dose to 75 mg with the same subsequent intermittent bolus dosing would decrease the risk of toxic levels to <1%. CONCLUSION: Local anesthetic systemic toxicity can occur with erector spinae plane blocks and administration of large, fixed doses of ropivacaine should be avoided, especially in patients with low ideal body weights. Weight-based ropivacaine dosing could reduce toxicity risk. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04807504; clinicaltrials.gov.

Surgical and Radiological Management of Complicated Uterine Leiomyoma Aided by 3D Models in a Patient with Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva.

BACKGROUND Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is a rare autosomal dominant disorder of the connective tissue. Over time, patients with FOP experience decreased range of motion in the joints and the formation of a second skeleton, limiting mobility. Patients with FOP are advised to avoid any unwarranted surgery owing to the risk of a heterotopic ossification flare-up. For patients who do require a surgical procedure, a multidisciplinary team is recommended for comprehensive management of the patient's needs. CASE REPORT A 27-year-old woman with FOP underwent a hysterectomy for removal of a suspected necrotic uterine fibroid. To aid in presurgical planning and management, patient-specific 3-dimensional (3D) models of the patient's tracheobronchial tree, thorax, and lumbosacral spine were printed from the patient's preoperative computed tomography (CT) imaging. The patient required awake nasal fiberoptic intubation for general anesthesia and transversus abdominus plane block for regional anesthesia. Other anesthesia modalities, including spinal epidural, were ruled out after visualizing the patient's anatomy using the 3D model. Postoperatively, the patient was started on a multi-modal analgesic regimen and a course of steroids, and early ambulation was encouraged. CONCLUSIONS Patients with FOP are high-risk surgical patients requiring the care of multiple specialties. Advanced visualization methods, including 3D printing, can be used to better understand their anatomy and locations of heterotopic bone ossification that can affect patient positioning. Our patient successfully underwent supracervical hysterectomy and bilateral salpingectomy with no signs of fever or sepsis at follow-up.

Updates on Multimodal Analgesia for Orthopedic Surgery.

Pain control after orthopedic surgery is challenging. A multimodal approach provides superior analgesia with fewer side effects compared with opioids alone. This approach is particularly useful in light of the current opioid epidemic in the United States. Several new nonopioid agents have emerged into the market in recent years. New agents included in this review are intravenous acetaminophen, intranasal ketorolac, and newer nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and the established medications ketamine and gabapentinoids. This article evaluates the evidence supporting these drugs in a multimodal context, including a brief discussion of cost.

The Efficacy of Peripheral Opioid Antagonists in Opioid-Induced Constipation and Postoperative Ileus: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Opioid-induced constipation has a negative impact on quality of life for patients with chronic pain and can affect more than a third of patients. A related but separate entity is postoperative ileus, which is an abnormal pattern of gastrointestinal motility after surgery. Nonselective µ-opioid receptor antagonists reverse constipation and opioid-induced ileus but cross the blood-brain barrier and may reverse analgesia. Peripherally acting µ-opioid receptor antagonists target the µ-opioid receptor without reversing analgesia. Three such agents are US Food and Drug Administration approved. We reviewed the literature for randomized controlled trials that studied the efficacy of alvimopan, methylnaltrexone, and naloxegol in treating either opioid-induced constipation or postoperative ileus. Peripherally acting µ-opioid receptor antagonists may be effective in treating both opioid-induced bowel dysfunction and postoperative ileus, but definitive conclusions are not possible because of study inconsistency and the relatively low quality of evidence. Comparisons of agents are difficult because of heterogeneous end points and no head-to-head studies.

Adverse Drug Effects and Preoperative Medication Factors Related to Perioperative Low-Dose Ketamine Infusions.

High-dose opioid administration is associated with significant adverse events. Evidence suggests that low-dose ketamine infusions improve perioperative analgesia over conventional opioid management, but usage is highly variable. Ketamine's adverse drug effects (ADEs) are well known, but their prevalence during low-dose infusions in a clinical setting and how often they lead to infusion discontinuation are unknown. The purposes of this study were 3-fold: (1) to identify patient factors associated with initiation of ketamine infusions during spine surgery, (2) to identify specific spine procedures in which ketamine has been used most frequently, and (3) to identify ADEs associated with postoperative ketamine infusions and which ADEs most frequently led to discontinuation. Spine surgery was chosen because of its association with moderate to severe pain and a relatively high use of ketamine infusions in this population at our hospital.

Managing Opioid-Tolerant Patients in the Perioperative Surgical Home.

Management of acute postoperative pain is important to decrease perioperative morbidity and improve patient satisfaction. Opioids are associated with potential adverse events that may lead to significant risk. Uncontrolled pain is a risk factor in the transformation of acute pain to chronic pain. Balancing these issues can be especially challenging in opioid-tolerant patients undergoing surgery, for whom rapidly escalating opioid doses in an effort to control pain can be associated with increased complications. In the perioperative surgical home model, anesthesiologists are positioned to coordinate a comprehensive perioperative analgesic plan that begins with the preoperative assessment and continues through discharge.

Ultrasound-Guided Out-of-Plane vs. In-Plane Interscalene Catheters: A Randomized, Prospective Study.

BACKGROUND: Continuous interscalene blocks provide excellent analgesia after shoulder surgery. Although the safety of the ultrasound-guided in-plane approach has been touted, technical and patient factors can limit this approach. We developed a caudad-to-cephalad out-of-plane approach and hypothesized that it would decrease pain ratings due to better catheter alignment with the brachial plexus compared to the in-plane technique in a randomized, controlled study. OBJECTIVES: To compare an out-of-plane interscalene catheter technique to the in-plane technique in a randomized clinical trial. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eighty-four patients undergoing open shoulder surgery were randomized to either the in-plane or out-of-plane ultrasound-guided continuous interscalene technique. The primary outcome was VAS pain rating at 24 hours. Secondary outcomes included pain ratings in the recovery room and at 48 hours, morphine consumption, the incidence of catheter dislodgments, procedure time, and block difficulty. Procedural data and all pain ratings were collected by blinded observers. RESULTS: There were no differences in the primary outcome of median VAS pain rating at 24 hours between the out-of-plane and in-plane groups (1.50; IQR, [0 - 4.38] vs. 1.25; IQR, [0 - 3.75]; P = 0.57). There were also no differences, respectively, between out-of-plane and in-plane median PACU pain ratings (1.0; IQR, [0 - 3.5] vs. 0.25; IQR, [0 - 2.5]; P = 0.08) and median 48-hour pain ratings (1.25; IQR, [1.25 - 2.63] vs. 0.50; IQR, [0 - 1.88]; P = 0.30). There were no differences in any other secondary endpoint. CONCLUSIONS: Our out-of-plane technique did not provide superior analgesia to the in-plane technique. It did not increase the number of complications. Our technique is an acceptable alternative in situations where the in-plane technique is difficult to perform.

Setting up an acute pain management service.

Successful implementation of an acute pain management service involves a team approach in which team members have clearly defined roles. Clinical protocols are designed to help address common problems and prevent errors. As the complexity of surgery and patients' diseases continues to increase, current knowledge of new analgesic medications, acute pain literature, and skills in regional anesthesia techniques is imperative. Emphasizing a multimodal approach can improve analgesia and decrease opioid-related side effects.

Clinical consequences of inadequate pain relief: barriers to optimal pain management.

SUMMARY: Uncontrolled postoperative pain may result in significant clinical, psychological, and socioeconomic consequences. Not only does inadequate pain management following surgery result in increased morbidity and mortality but it also may delay recovery, result in unanticipated readmissions, decrease patient satisfaction, and lead to chronic persistent postsurgical pain. Pain is multifactorial in nature, and understanding both the complexity of pain and its side effects is imperative to achieving a successful surgical outcome. In this section, we review the consequences of pain as they pertain to plastic surgery with a focus on the impact of pain on the surgical stress response and risk of wound infections and the effect of improved pain control on flap surgery. Uncontrolled acute postoperative pain may lead to chronic persistent postsurgical pain, which has a high incidence in patients undergoing breast cancer surgery. To achieve optimal postoperative analgesia, one must recognize the barriers to effective pain management, including both physician/nursing-related barriers and patient-related barriers, as well as the increasingly common appearance of opioid-tolerant patients.

Acute pain management in the postanesthesia care unit.

Pain management in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) is continually evolving, with several new nonopioids expanding the list of available agents. Pain in the PACU is not an inevitable outcome of surgery. With careful planning, multimodal analgesic techniques instituted preoperatively will reduce pain in the PACU. Accurate assessment of the characteristics of pain will direct rational drug choices while minimizing side effects. Better management of pain in the PACU setting will likely improve patient satisfaction and facilitate shorter PACU stays.