Superficial versus deep parasternal intercostal plane blocks: cadaveric evaluation of injectate spread.

BACKGROUND: Deep and superficial parasternal intercostal plane blocks provide anterior chest wall analgesia for both breast and cardiac surgery. Our primary objective of this cadaveric study was to describe the parasternal spread of deep and superficial parasternal intercostal plane blocks. Our secondary objectives were to describe needle proximity to the internal mammary artery when performing deep parasternal intercostal plane blocks, and compare lateral injectate spread and extension into the rectus sheath. METHODS: We performed ultrasound-guided deep and superficial parasternal intercostal plane blocks 2 cm from the sternum at the T3-4 interspace in four fresh frozen cadavers as described in clinical studies. RESULTS: Parasternal spread of injectate was greater with the deep parasternal intercostal plane injection than with the superficial parasternal intercostal plane injection. The internal mammary artery was ∼3 mm away from the needle trajectory in cadaver #1 and ∼5 mm from the internal mammary artery in cadaver #2. Lateral spread extended to the midclavicular line for all deep parasternal intercostal plane blocks and beyond the midclavicular line for all superficial parasternal intercostal plane blocks. Neither block extended to the rectus sheath. CONCLUSIONS: A greater number of parasternal interspaces were covered with the deep parasternal intercostal plane block than with the superficial parasternal intercostal plane block when one injection was performed at the T3-4 interspace. However, considering proximity to the internal mammary artery, and potential devastating consequences of an arterial injury, we propose that the deep parasternal intercostal plane block be classified as an advanced block and that future studies focus on optimising superficial parasternal intercostal plane parasternal spread.

Undiagnosed Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome in the Era of Sugammadex: A Case Report.

OBJECTIVE: In this case report, we discuss the rare manifestation of prolonged neuromuscular blockade in a patient with history of small cell lung cancer and undiagnosed Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) who had previously received succinylcholine for general anesthesia without incident but subsequently exhibited prolonged neuromuscular blockade during a laparoscopic procedure. We aimed to emphasize the importance of reversal agent safety and precision as well as vigilant perioperative and postoperative care. METHODS: We used the patient's electronic medical record, direct patient care experiences, and comprehensive literature review for this case report. RESULTS: Sugammadex was administered with mild improvement. Suspecting undiagnosed LEMS, neostigmine was administered, yielding satisfactory muscle strength and successful extubation. In retrospect, the patient reported history of weakness when lifting weights that improved upon exertion. CONCLUSIONS: Sugammadex is an efficient and effective agent for reversal of neuromuscular blockade. However, proper monitoring of the depth and recovery of blockade is imperative to when using sugammadex with optimal safety and precision in all patients. Perioperative care teams must remain vigilant with a high index of suspicion for neuromuscular junction pathology to properly plan perioperative care for patients at risk, especially those with small cell lung cancer who may have undiagnosed LEMS.

Regional anesthesia for scapulothoracic fixation surgery: Anatomic review and case series.

Scapulothoracic fixation surgery is a surgical intervention used for symptom relief in patients who suffer from scapular dysfunction. To date, there are few reports on the use of regional anesthesia for pain control in patients undergoing this procedure. The nerve supply of the scapula and surrounding tissues is complex and arises from both cervical and thoracic nerve roots. We suggest the use of a combined technique for perioperative pain control in patients undergoing scapulothoracic surgery. After a review of the relevant anatomy, we present four cases using combined regional techniques for postoperative pain control. The techniques utilized include thoracic paravertebral blocks with shoulder blockade, resulting in satisfactory pain control.

Caffeine supplementation as part of enhanced recovery after surgery pathways: a narrative review of the evidence and knowledge gaps.

Caffeine is used daily by 85% of United States adults and caffeine withdrawal is a major cause of perioperative headache. Studies have shown that caffeine supplementation in chronic caffeinators reduces the incidence of perioperative headache. This narrative review discusses the perioperative implications of caffeine withdrawal and outlines the benefits of and strategies of caffeine supplementation in the perioperative period. It is time to "wake up and smell the coffee" on integration of caffeine into established enhanced recovery after surgery protocols as a mechanism to consistently provide perioperative caffeine replacement.

RéSUMé: La caféine est utilisée quotidiennement par 85 % des adultes aux États-Unis, et le sevrage de la caféine constitue une cause majeure de céphalées périopératoires. Des études ont montré que la supplémentation en caféine chez les grands buveurs de café réduisait l'incidence des céphalées périopératoires. Ce compte rendu narratif discute des implications périopératoires du sevrage de la caféine et décrit les avantages et les stratégies de la supplémentation en caféine en période périopératoire. Il est temps de « se réveiller à l'odeur du café ¼ quant à l'intégration de la caféine dans les protocoles de récupération rapide après la chirurgie en tant que mécanisme pour procurer de façon systématique un subsitut périopératoire à la caféine.

Orthopedic Surgery and Anesthesiology Surgical Improvement Strategies Project: Phase I Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to improve institutional value-based patient care processes, provider collaboration, and continuous process improvement mechanisms for primary total hip arthroplasties and total knee arthroplasties through establishment of a perioperative orthopedic surgical home. METHODS: On June 1, 2017, an institutionally sponsored initiative commenced known as the orthopedic surgery and anesthesiology surgical improvement strategy project. A multidisciplinary team consisting of orthopedic surgeons, anesthesiologists, advanced practice providers, nurses, pharmacists, physical therapists, social workers, and hospital administration met regularly to identify areas for improvement in the preoperative, intraoperative, and post-anesthesia care unit, and postoperative phases of care. RESULTS: Mean hospital length of stay decreased from 2.7 to 2.2 days (P < .001), incidence of discharge to a skilled nursing facility decreased from 24% to 17% (P = .008), and the number of patients receiving physical therapy on the day of surgery increased from 10% to 100% (P < .001). Press-Ganey scores increased from 74.9 to 75.8 (94th percentile), while mean and maximum pain scores, opioid consumption, and hospital readmission rates remained unchanged (lowest P = .29). Annual total hip arthroplasty and total knee arthroplasty surgical volume increased by 11.4%. Decreased hospital length of stay and increased surgical volume yielded a combined annual savings of $2.5 million across the 9 involved orthopedic surgeons. CONCLUSION: Through application of perioperative surgical home tools and concepts, key advances included phase of care integration, enhanced data management, decreased length of stay, coordinated perioperative management, increased surgical volume without personnel additions, and more efficient communication and patient care flow across preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III Therapeutic.

Complication rate of ultrasound-guided paravertebral block for breast surgery.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Thoracic paravertebral blockade is often used as an anesthetic and/or analgesic technique for breast surgery. With ultrasound guidance, the rate of complications is speculated to be lower than when using landmark-based techniques. This investigation aimed to quantify the incidence of pleural puncture and pneumothorax following non-continuous ultrasound-guided thoracic paravertebral blockade for breast surgery. METHODS: Patients who received thoracic paravertebral blockade for breast surgery were identified by retrospective query of our institution's electronic database over a 5-year period. Data collected included patient demographics, level of block, type and volume of local anesthetic, occurrence of pleural puncture, occurrence of pneumothorax, evidence of local anesthetic toxicity, and patient vital signs. The incidence of block complications, including pleural puncture, pneumothorax, and local anesthetic toxicity, were ascertained. RESULTS: 529 patients underwent 2163 thoracic paravertebral injections. Zero pleural punctures were identified during block performance; however, two patients were found to have a pneumothorax on postoperative chest X-ray (3.6 per 1000 surgeries, 95% CI 0.5 to 13.6; 0.9 per 1000 levels blocked, 95% CI 0.1 to 3.3). There were no cases of local anesthetic systemic toxicity or associated lipid emulsion therapy administration. CONCLUSIONS: Pneumothorax following non-continuous ultrasound-guided thoracic paravertebral block using a parasagittal approach is an uncommon occurrence, with a similar rate to pneumothorax following breast surgery alone.

Infraclavicular versus axillary nerve catheters: A retrospective comparison of early catheter failure rate.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Continuous brachial plexus catheters are often used to decrease pain following elbow surgery. This investigation aimed to assess the rate of early failure of infraclavicular (IC) and axillary (AX) nerve catheters following elbow surgery. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Postoperative recovery unit and inpatient hospital floor. PATIENTS: 328 patients who received IC or AX nerve catheters and underwent elbow surgery were identified by retrospective query of our institution's database. MEASUREMENTS: Data collected included unplanned catheter dislodgement, catheter replacement rate, postoperative pain scores, and opioid administration on postoperative day 1. Catheter failure was defined as unplanned dislodging within 24 h of placement or requirement for catheter replacement and evaluated using a covariate adjusted model. MAIN RESULTS: 119 IC catheters and 209 AX catheters were evaluated. There were 8 (6.7%) failed IC catheters versus 13 (6.2%) failed AX catheters. After adjusting for age, BMI, and gender there was no difference in catheter failure rate between IC and AX nerve catheters (p = 0.449). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that IC and AX nerve catheters do not differ in the rate of early catheter failure, despite differences in anatomic location and catheter placement techniques. Both techniques provided effective postoperative analgesia with median pain scores < 3/10 for patients following elbow surgery. Reasons other than rate of early catheter failure should dictate which approach is performed.

Comparative Study of Liposomal Bupivacaine Versus Paravertebral Block for Pain Control Following Mastectomy with Immediate Tissue Expander Reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: Several approaches to minimize postoperative pain, nausea, and enhance recovery are available for patients undergoing mastectomy with immediate tissue expander (TE) reconstruction. We compared the effectiveness of intraoperative local infiltration of liposomal bupivacaine (LB) to preoperative paravertebral block (PVB). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent mastectomy with immediate TE reconstruction between May 2012 and October 2014 and compared patients with preoperative ultrasound-guided PVB to those with intraoperative LB infiltration. RESULTS: Fifty-three patients (54.6 %) received LB and 44 received PVB. LB was associated with less opioid use in the recovery room (p < 0.001), fewer patients requiring antiemetics (p = 0.03), and lower day of surgery pain scores (p = 0.008). LB also was associated with longer time to first opioid use (p = 0.04). On multivariable analysis controlling for expander placement location, year of surgery, and axillary lymph node dissection (ALND), the only variable that remained statistically significant was lower opioid use in the recovery room for patients with LB (p = 0.03) and day of surgery pain scores approached significance (p = 0.05). There was no difference in the proportion of patients discharged within 36 h of surgery between the groups. Focusing on first cases of the day (where PVBs are performed in the OR) showed average time to skin incision was 15 min shorter in the LB group (p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Local infiltration of LB in patients undergoing mastectomy with immediate TE reconstruction decreases narcotic requirements in the recovery room, shortens preoperative anesthesiology time, and provides similar, if not better, perioperative pain control compared with PVB.

Multimodal clinical pathways, perineural catheters, and ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia: the anesthesiologist's repertoire for the 21st century.

Regional anesthesia is making a comeback because of improved technology and research that shows that its use results in less discomfort for patients and shorter hospital stays. This article provides a brief history of regional anesthesia, describes current techniques for administering it, and discusses potential benefits associated with it. It also describes Mayo Clinic's Total Joint Regional Anesthesia Clinical Pathway, a comprehensive care plan for patients undergoing joint replacement surgery that uses peripheral nerve blockade and multimodal analgesia.

Perioperative seizures in patients with a history of a seizure disorder.

BACKGROUND: The occurrence of perioperative seizures in patients with a preexisting seizure disorder is unclear. There are several factors unique to the perioperative period that may increase a patient's risk of perioperative seizures, including medications administered, timing of medication administration, missed doses of antiepileptic medications, and sleep deprivation. We designed this retrospective chart review to evaluate the frequency of perioperative seizures in patients with a preexisting seizure disorder. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all patients with a documented history of a seizure disorder who received an anesthetic between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2007. Patients excluded from this study include those who had an outpatient procedure or intracranial procedure, ASA classification of V, pregnant women, and patients younger than 2 years of age. The first hospital admission of at least 24 hours during which an anesthetic was provided was identified for each patient. Patient demographics, character of the seizure disorder, details of the surgical procedure, and clinically apparent seizure activity in the perioperative period (within 3 days after the anesthetic) were recorded. RESULTS: During the 6-year study period, 641 patients with a documented seizure disorder were admitted for at least 24 hours after an anesthetic. Twenty-two patients experienced perioperative seizure activity for an overall frequency of 3.4%(95% confidence interval, 2.2%-5.2%). The frequency of preoperative seizures (P < 0.001) and the timing of the most recent seizure (P < 0.001) were both found to be significantly related to the likelihood of experiencing a perioperative seizure. As the number of antiepileptic medications increased, so did the frequency of perioperative seizures (P < 0.001). Neither the type of surgery nor the type of anesthetic (general anesthesia, regional anesthesia, or monitored anesthesia care) affected the frequency of perioperative seizures in this patient population. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the majority of perioperative seizures in patients with a preexisting seizure disorder are likely related to the patient's underlying condition. The frequency of seizures is not influenced by the type of anesthesia or procedure. Because patients with frequent seizures at baseline are likely to experience a seizure in the perioperative period, it is essential to be prepared to treat seizure activity regardless of the surgical procedure or anesthetic technique.

Clinical application of a novel video camera laryngoscope: a case series venturing beyond the normal airway.

The McGRATH Video Laryngoscope Series 5 is an example of indirect laryngoscopic equipment. Experience using this device to safely intubate the trachea of awake and asleep patients with known or anticipated difficult airways is presented.