Post-operative pain control for burn reconstructive surgery in a resource-restricted country with subcutaneous infusion of local anesthetics through a soaker catheter to the surgical site: Preliminary results.

OBJECTIVE: Post-operative pain can significantly affect a patient's ability to recover following surgery. In this study we introduced the concept of post-operative pain evaluation of burn patients as well as a technique for placement and use of subcutaneous catheters for continuous infusion of local anesthetic to provide analgesia following skin harvest from the lateral thigh in a hospital in resource-restricted country--Ukraine. METHODS: A total of 109 patients were enrolled in this study. In the control group 64 patients received the standard post-operative pain regimen of metamizole 1 g and/or ketorolac 3%- 30 mg at the discretion of the nursing staff. In the interventional group, 45 patients received the catheter infusion of local anesthetic by elastomeric pump which was placed intraoperatively; it continuously delivers a regulated flow 4-5 ml/h of procaine 0.5% for 48 h to a patient's surgical donor site with the standard pain regimen available for breakthrough pain. All patients were assessed post-operatively and in the peri-dressing change period by the nursing staff. Blood pressure, heart rate, and pain scores were documented based on the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale. All data were analyzed using SAS version 9.3. The Student's t test and Fisher's exact test were used to assess differences between groups for continuous variables. The Mann-Whitney U Test was used to examine differences in pain scores between groups. A p value of <0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: The median pain score immediately following surgery was 5.0 in the control group, which was significantly greater (p=0.03) than median pain score of 4.0 for the patients receiving continuous infusion of procaine. However, there is no statistically significant difference in the median pain score (3.0 and 3.0) after the initial dressing change (p=0.73). CONCLUSIONS: Our Ukrainian colleagues now have a method of objective pain assessment and a new technique in pain management. With assessment linked to intervention, improvement in post-operative pain can be expected.

Perioperative anesthesia management of the burn patient.

Burn patients provide numerous challenges to the anesthesiologist. It is important to understand the multiple physiologic disruptions that follow a burn injury as well as the alterations in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of commonly used anesthetics. Thought must be given to surgery during initial fluid resuscitation and the airway challenges many of these patients present. Finally, the central role of pain management through all phases of care is a constant concern.

Immediate and early tissue expander placement for acute closure of scalp wounds.

BACKGROUND: Scalp tissue expansion is a reliable technique for reconstruction of scalp alopecia and other deformities. However, the conventional practice involves establishing temporary wound coverage before expander placement, expansion, and definitive reconstruction. We propose that immediate (at the time of injury and initial wound debridement, leaving an open wound during expansion) tissue expander placement may be a reasonable approach to the management of full-thickness scalp wounds not amenable to primary closure. METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review identifying all patients who underwent immediate placement of scalp tissue expanders at the Lviv Burn Center (Lviv Medical University Burn Center, Ukraine). RESULTS: A total of 15 patients were identified who received a total of 21 tissue expanders at the time of acute burn treatment. The indications included electrical burn (46.7%), trauma (20%), tumor resection (13.3%), flame burn (13.3%), and chemical burn (6.7%). Of the 21 expanders placed, 4 (19%) complications were reported. There was 1 (4.7%) implant exposure and 3 (14%) implant infections. All of the patients in this series had complete reconstructions after removal of their expanders because all complications occurred toward the end of expansion. CONCLUSIONS: Immediate placement of tissue expanders is a reasonable approach that greatly expedites scalp reconstruction. In this series, the complication rate was consistent with or slightly higher than published rates of complications in conventional techniques. Immediate expansion may be especially useful when other reconstructive options (such as free tissue transfer) are unavailable or not feasible.

Airway management of recovered pediatric patients with severe head and neck burns: a review.

There are approximately 10,000 pediatric burn survivors in the United States each year, many of whom will present for reconstructive surgery after severe burns in the head and neck (1). These recovered burn victims, who are beyond the acute phase of injury, often have significant scarring and contractures in the face, mouth, nares, neck, and chest, which can make airway management challenging and potentially lead to a 'cannot intubate, cannot ventilate' scenario (2). Although numerous cases have been presented in the literature on this topic (3-17), there are no comprehensive review articles on the unique challenges of airway management in the recovered pediatric burn patient with distorted airway anatomy. This article aims to provide a comprehensive review of airway management in such patients, focusing on challenges encountered during mask ventilation and tracheal intubation, as well as the role of surgical release of neck contractures to facilitate tracheal intubation. Lessons learned from all reported cases identified in a thorough literature search are incorporated into this review.

[Analgesic and sedative effects of multimodal analgesia in stage of emergence after general anesthesia for cleft lip and/or palate prosthesis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of multimodal analgesia on analgesia and sedation during emergence of general anesthesia for cleft lip and/or palate surgery pediatric patients. METHODS: Fifty-four pediatric patients with ASA I and II cleft lip and/or palate, aged 2-7, undergoing prosthesis were randomly allocated into 2 groups: control group (Group C, n=28) inhaling nitrous oxide/oxygen (50%:50%) and sevoflurane(5%) for general anesthesia, and multimodal group (Group M, n=26), injected intravenously with fentanyl and atracurium in addition to inhalation of nitrous oxide/oxygen (50%:50%) and sevoflurane (5%). Ventilation was controlled with PCV modal to maintain end-tidal CO2 to 35-45 mmHg. Local anesthesia at the surgical site was facilitated by the surgeon before the beginning of surgery. After intubation, rectal paracetamol was used for Group M (120 mg for 2-4 year-olds and 325 mg for 5-7 year-olds) and fentanyl 0.5 microg/kg was injected for postoperative analgesia 10 min before the end of surgery. An observer who was blinded to the protocol recorded the time from the discontinuation of sevoflurane and nitrous oxide to tracheal extubation, accessed the sedation and pain scale, recorded the time ready for discharge from post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) and the incidence of adverse effects. RESULTS: The time ready for discharge from PACU of Group M was (25+/-4) min, significantly shorter than that of Group C [(32+/-3) min, t=7.426, P<0.01]. The analgesia satisfaction rate of Group M was 69.2% (18/26), significantly higher than that of Group C [25.0%, 7/28, P<0.05]. The severe pain rate of Group M was 7.7%, significantly lower than that of Group C (35.7%, F=5.333, P=0.021). The agitation rate of Group M was 11.5%, significantly lower than that of Group C (39.3%, F=4.571, P=0.033). CONCLUSION: Multimodal analgesic regimen of infiltration of local anesthetic at surgical site and rectal paracetamol and intravenous fentanyl provides sufficient analgesia, minimizes the incidence of agitation after general anesthesia in cleft lip and/or palate surgery for children, increases the speed of referring patients in PACU, and ensures the safety of the postanaesthetic patients.

Anesthetic considerations for major burn injury in pediatric patients.

Major burn injury remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in pediatric patients. With advances in burn care and with the development of experienced multi-disciplinary teams at regionalized burn centers, many children are surviving severe burn injury. As members of the multi-disciplinary care team, anesthesia providers are called upon to care for these critically ill children. These children provide several anesthetic challenges, such as difficult airways, difficult vascular access, fluid and electrolyte imbalances, altered temperature regulation, sepsis, cardiovascular instability, and increased requirements of muscle relaxants and opioids. The anesthesia provider must understand the physiologic derangements that occur with severe burn injury as well as the subsequent anesthetic implications.