Carotid artery corrected flow time and respiratory variation of blood flow peak velocity for prediction of hypotension after induction of general anesthesia in adult patients undergoing emergency laparotomy for peritonitis: A prospective, observational study.

Background and Aims: Doppler waveform analysis of carotid artery has been found to predict fluid responsiveness in patients undergoing elective surgeries. We evaluated the role of carotid artery corrected flow time (FTc) and respiratory variation of blood flow peak velocity (ðVpeak) in predicting post induction hypotension in patients undergoing emergency laparotomy for peritonitis. Material and Methods: Adult patients (n = 60) with perforation peritonitis undergoing emergency laparotomy under general anesthesia (GA) were recruited in this prospective, observational study. Carotid ultrasonography was performed pre-induction, to determine FTc and ðVpeak. Post-induction hemodynamic parameters were recorded for 5 minutes. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship between hypotension and carotid artery measurements. Results: Post-induction hypotension occurred in 48.3% of patients. The carotid artery FTc was significantly lower (P = 0.008) in patients who developed post-induction hypotension, but ðVpeak was statistically similar (P = 0.62) in both groups. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient revealed a statistically significant correlation between FTc and systolic blood pressure (SBP) change at one-minute post induction (r2 = -0.29, P = 0.03); however statistical significance were not achieved at 2 minutes and 3 minutes (P = 0.05 at both time points). Carotid artery FTc had an area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve (95% CI) of 0.70 (0.57-0.84) to predict post-induction hypotension and best cutoff value of 344.8 ms with a sensitivity and specificity of 61% and 79%, respectively. Carotid artery ðVpeak had an AUROC curve (95% CI) of 0.54 (0.39-0.69) to predict post-induction hypotension and best cutoff value of 7.9% with a sensitivity and specificity of 62% and 55%, respectively. Conclusion: Carotid artery FTc and ðVpeak are not reasonable predictors of hypotension in patients undergoing emergency laparotomy for perforation peritonitis.

Atypical bacterial co-infections among patients with COVID-19: A study from India.

Emerging evidence shows co-infection with atypical bacteria in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Respiratory illness caused by atypical bacteria such as Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae, and Legionella pneumophila may show overlapping manifestations and imaging features with COVID-19 causing clinical and laboratory diagnostic issues. We conducted a prospective study to identify co-infections with SARS-CoV-2 and atypical bacteria in an Indian tertiary hospital. From June 2020 to January 2021, a total of 194 patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 were also tested for atypical bacterial pathogens. For diagnosing M. pneumoniae, a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay and serology (IgM ELISA) were performed. C. pneumoniae diagnosis was made based on IgM serology. L. pneumophila diagnosis was based on PCR or urinary antigen testing. Clinical and epidemiological features of SARS-CoV-2 and atypical bacteria-positive and -negative patient groups were compared. Of the 194 patients admitted with COVID-19, 17 (8.8%) were also diagnosed with M. pneumoniae (n = 10) or C. pneumoniae infection (n = 7). Confusion, headache, and bilateral infiltrate were found more frequently in the SARS CoV-2 and atypical bacteria co-infection group. Patients in the M. pneumoniae or C. pneumoniae co-infection group were more likely to develop ARDS, required ventilatory support, had a longer hospital length of stay, and higher fatality rate compared to patients with only SARS-CoV-2. Our report highlights co-infection with bacteria causing atypical pneumonia should be considered in patients with SARS-CoV-2 depending on the clinical context. Timely identification of co-existing pathogens can provide pathogen-targeted treatment and prevent fatal outcomes of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 during the current pandemic.

Artificial Intelligence-assisted chest X-ray assessment scheme for COVID-19.

OBJECTIVES: To study whether a trained convolutional neural network (CNN) can be of assistance to radiologists in differentiating Coronavirus disease (COVID)-positive from COVID-negative patients using chest X-ray (CXR) through an ambispective clinical study. To identify subgroups of patients where artificial intelligence (AI) can be of particular value and analyse what imaging features may have contributed to the performance of AI by means of visualisation techniques. METHODS: CXR of 487 patients were classified into [4] categories-normal, classical COVID, indeterminate, and non-COVID by consensus opinion of 2 radiologists. CXR which were classified as "normal" and "indeterminate" were then subjected to analysis by AI, and final categorisation provided as guided by prediction of the network. Precision and recall of the radiologist alone and radiologist assisted by AI were calculated in comparison to reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) as the gold standard. Attention maps of the CNN were analysed to understand regions in the CXR important to the AI algorithm in making a prediction. RESULTS: The precision of radiologists improved from 65.9 to 81.9% and recall improved from 17.5 to 71.75 when assistance with AI was provided. AI showed 92% accuracy in classifying "normal" CXR into COVID or non-COVID. Analysis of attention maps revealed attention on the cardiac shadow in these "normal" radiographs. CONCLUSION: This study shows how deployment of an AI algorithm can complement a human expert in the determination of COVID status. Analysis of the detected features suggests possible subtle cardiac changes, laying ground for further investigative studies into possible cardiac changes. KEY POINTS: • Through an ambispective clinical study, we show how assistance with an AI algorithm can improve recall (sensitivity) and precision (positive predictive value) of radiologists in assessing CXR for possible COVID in comparison to RT-PCR. • We show that AI achieves the best results in images classified as "normal" by radiologists. We conjecture that possible subtle cardiac in the CXR, imperceptible to the human eye, may have contributed to this prediction. • The reported results may pave the way for a human computer collaboration whereby the expert with some help from the AI algorithm achieves higher accuracy in predicting COVID status on CXR than previously thought possible when considering either alone.

Carotid Artery Corrected Flow Time and Respiratory Variations of Peak Blood Flow Velocity for Prediction of Hypotension After Induction of General Anesthesia in Adult Patients Undergoing Elective Surgery: A Prospective Observational Study.

OBJECTIVES: Hypotension is common after induction of general anesthesia, and intraoperative hypotension is associated with postoperative end-organ injury such as acute kidney injury and myocardial ischemia. This study was designed to determine the utility of the carotid corrected flow time (cFT) and carotid artery peak blood flow velocity variation (ðVpeak ) for prediction of hypotension after induction of general anesthesia. METHODS: Adult patients (n = 112) undergoing any elective surgery under general anesthesia who fasted for at least 6 to 8 hours were recruited in this prospective observational study. The common carotid artery cFT and ðVpeak were measured with ultrasound 10 minutes before induction of general anesthesia. After that, general anesthesia with propofol was used, and hemodynamic data were collected until 3 minutes after induction of anesthesia. RESULTS: The carotid cFT was significantly correlated with percentages of the fall in the systolic blood pressure at 2 minutes (P < .0001) and 3 minutes (P < .0001) and percentages of the fall in the mean arterial pressure at 1 minute (P = .0006), 2 minutes (P < .0001), and 3 minutes (P < .0001). The cFT was a predictor of hypotension after induction of general anesthesia, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.91. The best cutoff value obtained from this study was 330.2 milliseconds or less, which predicted postinduction hypotension with sensitivity and specificity of 85.7% and 96.8%, respectively. The ðVpeak was an inferior predictor of postinduction hypotension, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.68. The optimum cutoff value was 18.8%, with sensitivity and specificity of 61.9% and 67.4%. CONCLUSIONS: The cFT measured in the common carotid artery is a reasonable predictor of hypotension after induction of general anesthesia in American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I and II patients. Further studies are required to identify its role in high-risk patients such as older groups and patients with cardiovascular diseases and also to identify interobserver and intraobserver variability of cFT and ðVpeak measurements.

Impact of standard-pressure and low-pressure pneumoperitoneum on shoulder pain following laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of shoulder pain (SP) following laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) varies between 21 and 80 %. A few randomised controlled trials and meta-analysis have shown lesser SP in LC performed under low-pressure carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum (LPCP) than under standard-pressure carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum (SPCP). However, the possible compromise in adequate exposure and effective working space during LPCP has negatively influenced its uniform adoption for LC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All consecutive patients undergoing elective LC for gallstone disease who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were enroled. Fourty patients were randomised to SPCP group (pressure of 14 mmHg) and 40 to LPCP group (pressure of 9-10 mmHg). Primary outcome measured was incidence of SP and its severity on visual analogue scale (VAS) at 4, 8, 24 h and 7 days after LC. Secondary outcomes measured were procedural time, technical difficulty, surgeons' satisfaction score on exposure and working space, intra-operative changes in heart rate and blood pressure, abdominal pain and analgesic requirement. Analyses were performed using Stata software. RESULTS: There was no conversion to open surgery, bile duct injury or need to increase intra-abdominal pressure on either group. Twenty-three patients (57.5 %) in SPCP group and nine patients (22.5 %) in LPCP group had SP (p = 0.001). The severity of SP was significantly more in SPCP group at 8 and 24 h (p = 0.009 and 0.005, respectively). Both the groups had similar procedural time, surgeons' satisfaction score, intra-operative changes in heart rate and blood pressure. CONCLUSION: The incidence and severity of SP following LC performed at LPCP are significantly less compared to that in SPCP. The safety, efficacy and surgeons' satisfaction appear to be comparable in both the groups. Hence, a routine practice of low-pressure carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum may be recommended in selected group of patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CTRI/2016/02/006590.

Integrated ultrasound protocol in predicting weaning success and extubation failure: a prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: Difficulty in weaning from mechanical ventilation is encountered in appro-ximately 20% of patients in the intensive care unit. We assessed the utility of a combined lung, diaphragmatic, and cardiac ultrasound protocol to predict extubation failure. MATERIAL: All patients extubated following a successful spontaneous breathing trial (SBT) were included in the study. Lung ultrasonography score (LUS), diaphragmatic thickness fraction (DTF), changes in velocity time integral (VTI) to passive leg raise at the beginning of SBT, and change in LUS following SBT were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 60 patients who underwent successful SBT were included in the study. Twenty-seven patients required either non-invasive or invasive mechanical ventilation during the next 48 hours and were classified as weaning failure (Group F). The remaining 33 patients were designated as weaning success (Group S). Compared to group S, patients in Group F had significantly longer ICU length of stay (6.96 ± 4.30 days vs. 11.66 ± 3.85 days, P < 0.001), higher LUS change during SBT (1 [0-2] vs. 2 [1-4], P < 0.001), lower DTF (30.87 ± 5.32 vs. 27.88 ± 6.24, P = 0.04), and showed lower VTI increment to PLR (13.63 ± 3.44 vs. 9.11 ± 4.59, P < 0.001). Using a binary logistic regression model, DTF < 26% (odds ratio 6.20, 95% CI: 1.06-36.04) and VTI change to PLR < 10.2% (odds ratio 6.16, 95% CI: 1.14-33.13) were found to be significant predictors of weaning failure (P < 0.05). The AUROC for VTI and DTF for predicting weaning failure were 0.79 and 0.64, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: An integrated ultrasound protocol using a combination of lung, diaphragm, and cardiac sonography was a reliable predictor of weaning failure.

Magnesium sulfate or diltiazem as adjuvants to total intravenous anesthesia to reduce blood loss in functional endoscopic sinus surgery.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to know whether addition of magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) or diltiazem to total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) (propofol) aided reduction in blood loss during functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). The secondary outcomes measured were surgeon's assessment of the surgical field and hemodynamics. DESIGN: Randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. SETTING: Operating room. PATIENTS: Forty-five American Society of Anesthesiologists I and II adult patients (18-60years) undergoing FESS. INTERVENTIONS: All groups received propofol-fentanyl TIVA. Patients were randomly allocated to 1 of the 3 groups (MgSO4 group, n=15; diltiazem group, n=15; saline group, n=15). MEASUREMENTS: Intraoperative bleeding was quantified, and quality of surgical field was graded. Hemodynamic parameters were recorded. MAIN RESULTS: Addition of both MgSO4 and diltiazem significantly reduced blood loss (240 and 350mL) in comparison to control group (415mL) (P=.003). The surgical field was significantly better in the MgSO4 group compared with the diltiazem (P=.028) and saline groups (P=.0001). CONCLUSION: It was concluded that the addition of both MgSO4 and diltiazem to TIVA propofol results in significant reduction in blood loss and significant improvement in the quality of surgical field during FESS without causing any adverse effects on the hemodynamics or on the recovery from anesthesia. The surgical field in the MgSO4 group was significantly better than that in the diltiazem group (P=.04).

Anesthesia for removal of inhaled foreign bodies in children.

BACKGROUND: Foreign body aspiration may be a life-threatening emergency in children requiring immediate bronchoscopy under general anesthesia. Both controlled and spontaneous ventilation techniques have been used during anesthesia for bronchoscopic foreign body removal. There is no prospective study in the literature comparing these two techniques. This prospective randomized clinical trial was undertaken to compare spontaneous and controlled ventilation during anesthesia for removal of inhaled foreign bodies in children. METHODS: Thirty-six children posted for rigid bronchoscopy for removal of airway foreign bodies over a period of 2 years and 2 months in our institution were studied. After induction with sleep dose of thiopentone or halothane, they were randomly allocated to one of the two groups. In group I, 17 children were ventilated after obtaining paralysis with suxamethonium. In group II, 19 children were breathing halothane spontaneously in 100% oxygen. RESULTS: All the patients in the spontaneous ventilation group had to be converted to assisted ventilation because of either desaturation or inadequate depth of anesthesia. There was a significantly higher incidence of coughing and bucking in the spontaneous ventilation group compared with the controlled ventilation group (P = 0.0012). CONCLUSION: Use of controlled ventilation with muscle relaxants and inhalation anesthesia provides an even and adequate depth of anesthesia for rigid bronchoscopy.