The COVID-19 vaccine and interventional procedures: Exploring the relationship between steroid administration and subsequent vaccine efficacy.

OBJECTIVE: Collate available evidence and provide guidance on whether to delay steroid injections after receiving a vaccine, and whether to delay vaccination if a recent steroid injection has been administered, leaving formal recommendations to various national societies. METHODS: A literature search was performed to identify information pertinent to steroid administration and the subsequent downstream effects on vaccine efficacy. The search was initiated on December 20, 2020, and the terms used were (steroid OR cortisone OR dexamethasone) AND (vaccine). The studies were limited to articles in the English language. RESULTS: Six studies specifically addressed the effect of steroids on vaccine efficacy. Three of the 6 studies indicated that steroids could be used during the peri-vaccine period without significant suppression of the immune response. One study associated intra-articular steroid injections with an increased risk of developing influenza even when vaccinated. The remaining 2 studies had mixed findings. One study showed that patients who received dexamethasone, but not prednisolone were able to mount an immune response resulting in increased IgG. Another study showed that vaccine efficacy was maintained if patients were on continuous steroids or steroids after vaccination, but not if they stopped steroids prior to vaccination. CONCLUSIONS: Although there is no shared consensus in the studies reviewed, all but one study noted scenarios in which patients receiving steroids can still be successfully vaccinated.

Relationship of pain relief with catastrophizing following interventional pain procedures for low back pain.

INTRODUCTION: Catastrophizing is associated with worse pain outcomes after various procedures suggesting its utility in predicting response. However, the stability of pain catastrophizing as a static predictor has been challenged. We assess, among patients undergoing steroid injections for chronic low back pain (cLBP), whether catastrophizing changes with the clinical response to pain interventions. METHODS: This prospective study enrolled patients undergoing fluoroscopic-guided injections for cLBP. Patients filled out Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) and Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) at baseline and 1-month follow-up. We assessed the change in PCS scores from pre-injection to post-injection and examined its predictors. We also examined the correlation of various domains of BPI, such as pain severity and effect on Relationships, Enjoyment, and Mood (REM), with PCS scores at baseline and follow-up. RESULTS: 128 patients were enrolled. Mean (SD) PCS and pain severity scores at baseline were 22.38 (±13.58) and 5.56 (±1.82), respectively. Follow-up PCS and pain severity scores were 19.76 (±15.25) and 4.42 (±2.38), respectively. The change in PCS pre-injection to post-injection was not significant (p=0.12). Multiple regression models revealed baseline PCS and REM domain of BPI as the most important predictors of change in PCS after injection. Pain severity, activity-related pain, age, sex, insurance status, depression, prior surgery, opioid use, or prior interventions did not predict change in PCS score. In correlation analysis, change in PCS was moderately correlated with change in pain (r=0.38), but weakly correlated with baseline pain in all pain domains. CONCLUSIONS: PCS showed non-significant improvement following steroid injections; the study was not powered for this outcome. Follow-up PCS scores were predicted by the REM domain of BPI, rather than pain severity. Larger studies are needed to evaluate a statistically significant and clinically meaningful change in catastrophizing scores following pain interventions.

Longitudinal Pain Management Claims in Maryland: Implications.

The study is a longitudinal review of pain management claims filed in the state of Maryland. Adverse outcomes associated with pain-related claims are often severe and include death, brain damage, and back and spinal cord sequelae. There is a lot to be learned from past experiences, identified in closed pain management claims, specifically on how to improve patient education, outcomes, quality, and safety.

Sustained Implementation of an Evidence-Based Extubation Checklist Reduced Extubation Failure in Trauma Patients.

Extubation failure remains a challenge in the perioperative setting. The aim of this intervention was to decrease the rate of perioperative extubation failure through the utilization of an extubation checklist. A five-item evidence-based extubation readiness checklist was implemented at a level I trauma center on all patients who were electively extubated in the operating room (OR). Extubation failure rates before and after implementation of the checklist were compared. Of 26,867 trauma patients extubated in the OR after the intervention, 84 cases (0.31%) failed extubation in the immediate postoperative period. A significant and sustained decrease in extubation failure rate per case performed was observed between the pre- and post-checklist period (OR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.19, 0.56; P < 0.001). Partial (vs full) checklist completion, higher ASA physical status score, advanced age, and longer case length were independently associated with increased odds of extubation failure in the postintervention period.

Regional anesthesia and analgesia in sickle cell pain episodes: A scoping review.

Review purpose: Sickle cell disease (SCD) vaso-occlusive crises are the most common reason patients with SCD present for medical care in the US. The goal of this scoping review is to outline existing literature on regional anesthesia for sickle cell vaso-occlusive crises (VOC) and identify areas for future research. Methods: We searched the Cochrane Central Register, Ovid-Medline and EMBASE, PubMed, and additional review sources to identify studies evaluating the benefit of regional anesthetic blocks for medication refractory vaso-occlusive crises in pediatric and adult patients. Summary of findings: One-hundred and three articles were identified through the above search methodology. Following application of the exclusion criteria, the four pediatric case reports, one pediatric case series, and one adult case report that were found during the scoping review process were analyzed given the scarcity of available published research on nerve blocks for the treatment of SCD pain crises. Five of the 6 articles involved blocks for pain refractory to patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) despite dose escalation. One case report utilized a continuous femoral block in a patient with known morphine and new hydromorphone allergy presenting with right thigh pain. One case report recounts an epidural used for labor pain that eliminated concomitant vaso-occlusive leg pain during labor. All 6 authors achieved analgesia and a marked decrease or a total discontinuation in opioids following the block. In one case, the patient was noted to have a shorter length of stay. No studies other than those reports included were found. Conclusion: There is a severe dearth of evidence evaluating the benefit of regional anesthesia in SCD pain crises. Available case reports and the included case series demonstrate that regional nerve blocks are a potential tool to consider when treating refractory vaso-occlusive pain in patients with SCD. There is urgent need for future research on evaluating regional anesthesia for patients with SCD-related vaso-occlusive crisis pain.

Anesthesia-Related Malpractice Claims in Maryland 1994-2017.

This article presents data on anesthesia cases filed with the Maryland Health Claims Alternative Dispute Office between 1994 and 2017, a publicly available resource that includes all anesthesia-related claims filed in Maryland, regardless of whether they were reported to any national claims repository. Analysis of anesthesia malpractice claims offers critical information that can both decrease legal liability and improve patient outcomes for those receiving anesthesia. A total of 276 claims were filed. Variables under investigation included venue, types of surgery, legal cause of action, trends, and outcomes. Types of anesthesia-related claims included the administration of general anesthesia (59.8%), monitored anesthesia care (14.9%), pain management (10.9%), epidural/spinal anesthesia (9%), nerve blocks (2.9%), and local anesthesia infiltration (2.6%). Most cases (39.5%) involved failure to adequately monitor the patient. Inadequate perioperative care was alleged as the cause of action in 68.8% of cases. Major adverse patient outcomes were death (38.8%), brain damage (21%), and permanent nerve damage (14.9%). Understanding the events that lead to legal action can assist anesthesia providers to focus on ways to improve their practice.

Carotid Endarterectomy and Carotid Artery Stenting in a Predominantly Symptomatic Real-World Patient Population.

BACKGROUND: Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and carotid artery stenting (CAS) are well-established treatments that have been shown to decrease stroke recurrence in patients with underlying carotid artery disease. We assessed clinical outcome, safety, and restenosis rates for patients who underwent standardized CEA or CAS at our tertiary care center using patient selection criteria based on available scientific evidence. METHODS: Retrospective chart review of patients who underwent CEA or CAS between 2009 and 2016. RESULTS: In total, 314 cases (204 with CEA and 110 with CAS) were analyzed. Patients were predominantly white (84.4%), men (61.1%) with hypertension (86.9%) and hyperlipidemia (81.8%). Most patients (84.5%) had symptomatic carotid disease. No significant differences were observed in median postoperative National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and modified Rankin scale (mRS) scores based on pretreatment symptomatic status or treatment modality (CEA vs. CAS). Most patients (85.9%) had favorable outcomes (mRS score 0-2) at a median follow-up of 11.7 months (interquartile range, 1.8-28.8). The perioperative complication rate was low (3.2%), and permanent neurologic deficit was seen in only 3 patients (1%). Restenosis was found in 7.3%, without significant difference between CEA and CAS at last follow-up. Restenosis was asymptomatic in most patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings in a real-world predominantly symptomatic cohort demonstrate that favorable patient outcomes and low restenosis and complication rates can be achieved with both CEA and CAS by the utilization of a consistent institutional patient selection and treatment process.

Thoracic Epidural Abscesses: A Systematic Review.

STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. OBJECTIVES: Past research has demonstrated increased speed and severity of progression for spinal epidural abscesses (SEAs) of the thoracic level, specifically, when compared with SEAs of other spinal cord levels. Untreated, this infection can result in permanent neurological sequelae with eventual progression to death if inadequately managed. Despite the seriousness of this disease, no articles have focused on the presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of SEAs of the thoracic level. For this reason, specific focus on SEAs of the thoracic level occurred when researchers designed and implemented the following systematic review. METHODS: A query of Ovid-Medline and EMBASE, Cochrane Central, and additional review sources was conducted. Search criteria focused on articles specific to thoracic epidural abscesses. RESULTS: Twenty-five articles met inclusion criteria. The most commonly reported symptoms present on admission included back pain, paraparesis/paraplegia, fever, and loss of bowel/bladder control. Significant risk factors included diabetes, intravenous drug use, and advanced age (P = .001). Patients were most often treated surgically with either laminectomy, hemilaminectomy, or radical decompression with debridement. Patients who presented with neurological deficits and had delayed surgical intervention following a failed antibiotic course tended to do worse compared with their immediate surgical management counterparts (P < .005). CONCLUSIONS: For the first time researchers have focused specifically on SEAs of the thoracic level, as opposed to previously published general analysis of SEAs as a whole. Based on the results, investigators recommend early magnetic resonance imaging of the spine, laboratory workup (sedimentation rate/C-reactive protein, complete blood count), abscess culture followed by empiric antibiotics, and immediate surgical decompression when neurological deficits are present.

Diagnostic approach, treatment, and outcomes of cervical sympathetic chain schwannomas: a global narrative review.

OBJECTIVE: This review examined the diagnostic approach, surgical treatment, and outcomes of cervical sympathetic chain schwannomas (CSCS) to guide clinical decision making. DATA SOURCES: Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases. REVIEW METHODS: A literature review from 1998 to 2013 identified 156 articles of which 51 representing 89 CSCS cases were evaluated in detail. Demographic, clinical, and outcomes data were extracted by 2 independent reviewers with high interrater reliability (κ = .79). Cases were mostly international (82%), predominantly from Asia (50%) and Europe (27%). CONCLUSIONS: On average, patients were 42.6 years old (SD = 13.3) and had a neck mass ranging between 2 to 4 cm (52.7%) or >4 cm (43.2%). Nearly 70% of cases were asymptomatic at presentation. Presurgical diagnosis relied on CT (63.4%), MRI (59.8%), or both (19.5%), supplemented by cytology (33.7%), which was nearly always inconclusive (96.7%). US-treated cases were significantly more likely to receive presurgical MRI than internationally treated cases but less likely to have cytology (P < .05). Presurgical diagnosis was challenging, with only 11% confirmatory accuracy postsurgically. Irrespective of mass size, extracapsular resection (ie, complete resection with nerve sacrifice) was the most frequently (87.6%) performed surgical procedure. Common postsurgical adverse events included Horner's syndrome (91.1%), first bite syndrome (21.1%), or both (15.7%), with higher prevalence when mass size was >4 cm. Adverse events persisted in 82.3% of cases at an average 30.0 months (SD = 30.1) follow-up time. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Given the typical CSCS patient is young and asymptomatic and the likelihood of persistent morbidity is high with standard surgical approaches, less invasive treatment options warrant consideration.