Comparison of the effect of sevoflurane or propofol anesthesia on the regional cerebral oxygen saturation in patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy: a prospective, randomized controlled study.

BACKGROUND: The monitoring of regional cerebral oxygen saturation (SrO2) using near-infrared spectroscopy is useful method to detect cerebral ischemia during. Sevoflurane and propofol decrease cerebral metabolic rate (CMRO2) in a similar manner, but the effects on the cerebral blood flow (CBF) are different. We hypothesized that the effects of sevoflurane and propofol on SrO2 were different in patients with deficits of CBF. This study compared the effect of sevoflurane and propofol on SrO2 of patients undergoing cerebral endarterectomy (CEA). METHOD: Patients undergoing CEA were randomly assigned to the sevoflurane or propofol group (n = 74). The experiment was preceded in 2 stages based on carotid artery clamping. The first stage was from induction of anaesthesia to immediately before clamping of the carotid artery, and the second stage was until the end of the operation after clamping of the carotid artery. Oxygen saturation (SrO2, SpO2), haemodynamic variables (blood pressure, heart rate), respiratory parameters (end-tidal carbon dioxide tension, inspired oxygen tension), concentration of anesthetics, and anesthesia depth (bispectral index score) were recorded. RESULTS: During stage 1 period (before carotid artery clamping), the mean value of the relative changes in SrO2 was higher (P = 0.033) and the maximal decrease in SrO2 was lower in the sevoflurane group compared with the propofol group (P = 0.019) in the contralateral (normal) site. However, there is no difference in ipsilateral site (affected site). SrO2 decreased after carotid artery clamping and increased after declamping, but the difference was not significant between two groups. Changes in mean arterial blood pressure was lower in sevoflurane group than propofol group after the carotid artery declamping (P = 0.048). CONCLUSION: Propofol-remifentanil anesthesia was comparable with sevoflurane-remifentanil anesthesia in an aspect of preserving the SrO2 in patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials.gov identifier: NCT02609087 , retrospectively registered on November 18, 2015.

Effect of transportation method on preoperative anxiety in children: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: This study was performed to evaluate the effect of a wagon as a transport vehicle instead of the standard stretcher car to reduce children's anxiety of separation from parents. The secondary goal was to evaluate whether this anxiolytic effect was related to age. METHODS: We divided 80 children (age 2-7 years) into two groups. The stretcher group was transferred to the operating room on a conventional stretcher car, whereas the wagon group was transferred using a wagon. The level of anxiety was evaluated three times using the Modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (mYPAS): in the waiting area (T0), in the hallway to the operating room (T1), and before induction of anesthesia (T2). RESULTS: The mYPAS score was significantly lower in the wagon group (36.7 [31.7, 51.7]) than in the stretcher group (51.7 [36.7, 83.3]) at T1 (P = 0.007). However, there was no difference in the mYPAS score between the two groups at T2 (46.7 [32.5, 54.2] vs. 51.7 [36.7, 75.0], respectively, P = 0.057). The baseline anxiety tended to be lower with increasing age (r = -0.248, P = 0.031). During transportation to the operating room, the increase in the mYPAS score (T1-T0) was greater as the age of children decreased in the stretcher group (r = -0.340, P = 0.034). However, no correlation was observed in the wagon group (r = -0.053, P = 0.756). CONCLUSION: The wagon method decreased preoperative anxiety, suggesting that it may be a good alternative for reducing preoperative anxiety in children.