The effect of endotracheal 1% lidocaine administration to reduce emergence phenomenon after general anesthesia

BACKGROUND: Endotracheal intubation often causes sore throat and coughing. The aim of this study was to decrease the incidence and severity of cough, sore throat, and hemodynamic changes after extubation by endotracheal administration of 1% lidocaine. METHODS: Sixty patients physical status American Society of Anesthesiologists classes I, II, and III who received a surgery under general anesthesia were randomly divided into two groups. L group was given 1% lidocaine 0.5 mg/kg by endotracheal administration. The other group, N group, received the same volume of normal saline. The number of cough, the severity of sore throat with numerical rating score (NRS), incidence of local anesthetic systemic toxic reaction, laryngospasm, and hoarseness were recorded. In addition, the number of coughs was divided into three levels by its severity, and it was converted into an indicator of cough score. RESULTS: L group had a significantly lower number of cough and sore throat NRS (P value < 0.05) than the N group, and also hoarseness did not occur. The changes in the hemodynamic parameters, before and after the emergence of anesthesia, were more stable in the L group than those in the N group, but not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that endotracheal administration of 1% lidocaine is effective and safe method to reduce cough and sore throat caused by extubation.

A comparison between the right side and the left side of head skin in a patient who received more than 450 sessions of left stellate ganglion block: A case report

Stellate ganglion block (SGB) is an effective method that is used by pain clinicians to treat patients who have pain in the head, neck and arm area. SGB acts mainly by increasing regional blood flow via peripheral vasodilation and decreasing pain sensation by reducing the afferent sensory signals of the sympathetic nervous system in the region. This patient had received more than 450 sessions of left SGB continually for the past 6 years to relieve her left-sided facial pain caused by facial trauma. Out of our curiosity, we tried to obtain some objective dermatological measurements like skin elasticity, water content, and hair follicle density on her scalp and we found that the values were different between the left side of her face and the right side of her face. Here, we report the results and we want pain clinicians to know that repeated SGBs may improve skin elasticity, water content in the skin, and increase the number of hair follicles on the scalp.

A comparison between the right side and the left side of head skin in a patient who received more than 450 sessions of left stellate ganglion block: A case report

Stellate ganglion block (SGB) is an effective method that is used by pain clinicians to treat patients who have pain in the head, neck and arm area. SGB acts mainly by increasing regional blood flow via peripheral vasodilation and decreasing pain sensation by reducing the afferent sensory signals of the sympathetic nervous system in the region. This patient had received more than 450 sessions of left SGB continually for the past 6 years to relieve her left-sided facial pain caused by facial trauma. Out of our curiosity, we tried to obtain some objective dermatological measurements like skin elasticity, water content, and hair follicle density on her scalp and we found that the values were different between the left side of her face and the right side of her face. Here, we report the results and we want pain clinicians to know that repeated SGBs may improve skin elasticity, water content in the skin, and increase the number of hair follicles on the scalp.

The time-course and RNA interference of TNF-alpha, IL-6, and IL-1beta expression on neuropathic pain induced by L5 spinal nerve transection in rats / 대한마취과학회지

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to investigate the time-course of the expression of TNF-alpha, IL-6, and IL-1beta after L5 spinal nerve transection (SNT), and to determine the effect of small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting these cytokines on neuropathic pain. METHODS: Rats received control siRNA (CON group, n = 80) or a cocktail of siRNAs targeting these cytokines (COCK group, n = 70). The siRNAs were given via intrathecal catheter 1 d prior to SNT, on the operation day, and 1, 2 and 3 d postoperatively. Behavioral tests and levels of the cytokine mRNAs and proteins as well as glial cell activity were following the L5 SNT. RESULTS: In the CON group, TNF-alpha and IL-1beta mRNA levels increased immediately after SNT and remained high for 6 d, while IL-6 transcripts only began to increase after 12 h. TNF-alpha and IL-1beta mRNA levels in the COCK group were lower than in the CON group at all time points (P < 0.05). In the behavioral tests, allodynia and hyperalgesia were significantly lower in the COCK group from 2 d after SNT (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The time courses of TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IL-1beta mRNA expression after L5 SNT differ. RNA interference may be a method of reducing the development of mechanical allodynia and hyperalgesia in response to nerve injury.

Corrigendum: The time-course and RNA interference of TNF-alpha, IL-6, and IL-1beta expression on neuropathic pain induced by L5 spinal nerve transection in rats (Korean J Anesthesiol 2015 April 68(2): 159-169) / 대한마취과학회지

This article was inadvertently omitted Acknowledgments section for grant support.

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome after normal vaginal delivery: A case report

Benign primary headaches are common during the postpartum period. However, there are several other kinds of headaches caused by specific underlying pathologies like post-dural puncture headache (PDPH), pregnancy induced hypertension, cortical vein thrombosis, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES), subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracranial hemorrhage, brain tumor, and so on. These headaches are rare but each can be life threatening conditions when diagnosis is delayed. If a patient was treated for another type of headache, like a PDPH, the diagnosis would be even more difficult. We report on the case of a 24 year-old woman who suffered with PDPH followed by postpartum eclampsia with PRES.

A prospective observational cohort study on postoperative intravenous patient-controlled analgesia in surgeries

BACKGROUND: An electrical patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump enabled us to collect infusion history of opioid analgesic and other efficacy parameters of PCA, including delivery-to-attempt (D/A) ratio. This study evaluated the effectiveness of PCA in a large population of surgical patients using numerical rating scale (NRS) for pain and D/A ratio. METHODS: A total of 6,847 patients were enrolled in this study. All patients received intravenous bolus of fentanyl (0.2 microg /kg) one hour before the end of the surgery. Basal infusion rate, demand bolus, and lockout time of the PCA pump was set as 1 ml/h, 1 ml, and 15 minutes, respectively. The concentration of fentanyl in the analgesic solution was 15 microg/ml. RESULTS: NRS scores for pain and D/A ratios for the first 6 hours after operations were as follows (median, 25-75%): open colorectal surgery (NRS: 6.5, 5.0-8.0; D/A: 62.5, 46.2-77.8%), laparoscopic colorectal surgery (NRS: 6.0, 4.5-7.0; D/A: 69.2, 50.0-81.9%), open hepato-biliary-pancreas surgery (NRS: 6.0, 4.5-7.0; D/A: 59.2, 38.7-75.0%), open stomach surgery (NRS: 5.0, 4.0-6.7; D/A: 58.1, 41.2-75.0%), open abdominal vascular surgery (NRS: 5.0, 3.5-6.5; D/A: 58.3, 40.0-81.3%), laparoscopic stomach surgery (NRS: 5.0, 4.0-6.0; D/A: 63.6, 45.5-80.0%), laparoscopic hepato-biliary-pancreas surgery (NRS: 5.0, 4.0-6.0; D/A: 66.7, 50.0-80.8%), vascular bypass surgery (NRS: 4.0, 3.0-6.0; D/A: 64.5, 42.7-84.0%), anal surgery (NRS: 4.0, 3.0-5.8; D/A: 71.4, 60.0-100%), and breast surgery (NRS: 3.0, 3.0-4.0; D/A: 86.6, 67.2-100%). CONCLUSIONS: Mean D/A ratios for the first 6 hours after all operations except anal and breast surgeries were below 70%, suggesting that a higher amount of fentanyl should be administered during this period.

Changes in blood coagulation after colloid administration in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty: comparison between pentastarch and tetrastarches, a randomized trial / 대한마취과학회지

BACKGROUND: Hydroxyethyl starch (HES) solutions are used as plasma expanders for correcting hypovolemia, but can lead to impaired coagulation. We evaluated the changes in hematological and hemostatic profiles with three types of HES. METHODS: Patients were randomized to receive volume replacement with 10% pentastarch 260/0.45 in 0.9% saline (Group-PEN, n = 25), 6% tetrastarch 130/0.4 in 0.9% saline (Group-TET(S), n = 25), or 6% tetrastarch 130/0.4 in a balanced electrolyte solution (Group-TET(B), n = 25). Coagulation was assessed using rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM(R)) and other laboratory tests were performed, including measurements of hematological and hemostatic parameters and electrolytes. RESULTS: Post-operative ROTEM(R) parameters changed toward hypocoagulable states in all groups. The post-operative parameters of EXTEM and FIBTEM were more impaired in Group-PEN than in Group-TET(B). The percentage change in INTEM clot formation time (P = 0.004) and alpha-angle (P = 0.003) were smaller in Group-TET(S) and Group-TET(B) than in Group-PEN. The percentage change in the FIBTEM maximum clot firmness was greatest in Group-PEN (P = 0.011). The international normalized ratio of prothrombin time (P < 0.001) and the activated partial thromboplastin time (P < 0.001) were significantly prolonged in Group-PEN compared to those of Group-TET(B). CONCLUSIONS: The 6% HES 130/0.4 in a balanced electrolyte solution seemed to have less of an impact on blood coagulation than the 10% HES 260/0.45. No differences in hemostatic profile were observed between the balanced electrolyte and saline-based 6% HES 130/0.4.

Effectiveness of milrinone for cardiogenic shock due to massive pulmonary aspiration: a case report / 대한마취과학회지

Pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents is one of the most frightening complications during anesthesia. Although pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents in general surgical patients is not common and resulting long-term morbidity and mortality are rare, severe hypoxemia and other sequelae of pulmonary aspiration continue to be reported. We report a case of massive aspiration of gastric contents during induction of general anesthesia, resulting in cardiac arrest due to severe pulmonary hypertension and myocardial infarction. Sustained cardiac arrest and shock that did not respond the conventional resuscitation was successfully treated using milrinone. The patient was discharged without complications in 20 days.

The correlation between the effects of propofol on the auditory brainstem response and the postsynaptic currents of the auditory circuit in brainstem slices in the rat / 대한마취과학회지

BACKGROUND: Although there have been reports showing the changes of the auditory brainstem response (ABR) waves by propofol, no detailed studies have been done at the level of brainstem auditory circuit. So, we studied the effects of propofol on the postsynaptic currents of the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB)-lateral superior olive (LSO) synapses by using the whole cell voltage clamp technique and we compared this data with that obtained by the ABR. METHODS: 5 rats at postnatal (P) 15 days were used for the study of the ABR. After inducing deep anesthesia using xylazine 6 mg/kg and ketamine 25 mg/kg, the ABRs were recorded before and after intraperitoneal propofol injection (10 mg/kg) and the effects of propofol on the latencies of the I, III, and V waves and the I-III and III-V interwave intervals were evaluated. Rats that were aged under P11 were used in the voltage clamp experiments. After making brainstem slices, the postsynaptic currents (PSCs) elicited by MNTB stimulation were recorded at the LSO, and the changes of the PSCs by the bath application of propofol (100 microM) were monitored. RESULTS: We found small, but statistically significant increases in the latencies of ABR waves III and V and the interwave intervals of I-III and III-V by propofol. However, no significant changes were observed in the glycinergic or glutamatergic PSCs of the MNTB-LSO synpases by the application of propofol (100 microM). CONCLUSIONS: Glycinergic or glutamatergic transmission of the MNTB-LSO synapses might not contribute to the propofol-induced changes of the ABR.

Upper body cancer pain management by cervical intrathecal catheterization: A case report / 대한마취과학회지

It has been known that more than 5% of cancer patients experience severe pain refractory to medical treatments. So it is necessary to use epidural or intrathecal analgesia with opioids and local anesthetics when systemic trial has failed. Although intrathecal catheter placement and drug infusion has some risks, it shows better pain control with least amount of analgesics. The authors managed a patient who had suffered from intractable cancer pain due to metastatic pancreatic cancer. His pain was spreading to his upper body area including chest wall and interscapular region as well as original abdomen and back pain. Pain severity became extreme reaching VAS (visual analogue scale) score to above 9. Cervical epidural catheterization and continuous drug infusion was not effective in this case. So the authors chose to give analgesics intrathecally, and placed the intrathecal catheter on 5th cervical vertebral level and connected it to subcutaneous port so that drugs could be infused continuously. The effect was dramatic by 5 mg/day morphine and 20 mg/day lidocaine, VAS score decreased to below 3 without any possible complications.

Skin Burn Associated with Pulse Oximeter : A case report / 대한마취과학회지

A pulse oximeter is used widely on account of its convenience and very few complications. We experienced a case of accidental burning by a pulse oximeter sensor. An 83-year-old woman underwent total hip replacement surgery. A pulse oximeter (Oxisensor II N-25, Nellcor Puritan Bennett Inc., USA) was placed on the left index finger. The patient complained of pain on her index finger 5 minutes after the operation began. A localized skin burn was found underneath the sensor of the pulse oximeter. The skin burn healed without any sequelae.

Spinal Anesthesia Combined with Caudal Anesthesia in a Preterm Infant: A case report / 대한마취과학회지

Spinal anesthesia in preterm infants offers a safe alternative to general anesthesia, especially if general anesthesia is not preferred because of coexisting diseases, such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia and recurring of apnea. But the single-shot technique of spinal anesthesia has some limitations because the duration of surgical anesthesia is approximately 60 min. Since some procedures may require more time, alternative regional techniques which provide more prolonged surgical anesthesia are needed. We present our experience with a combined spinal caudal anesthesia in a preterm infant.

Anesthetic Management of a Patient with Type III Laryngotracheoesophageal Cleft: A case report / 대한마취과학회지

Congenital laryngotracheoesophageal cleft is a rare anomaly due to failure of fusion of the esophagus and the larynx, which presents a challenge to the anesthesiologists because of the potential problems of establishing and maintaining an airway. We could know that tracheal intubation does not guarantee a safe airway as there is the danger that the tube may slip through the cleft into the esophagus resulting in inability to maintain ventilation. We report a case of a one-month-old baby with a type III laryngotracheoesophageal cleft and review the literature on different ways of managing the airway.

Effects of Naloxone Mixed with Patient-Controlled Epidural Analgesia Solution after Total Knee Replacement Surgery / 대한통증학회지

BACKGROUND: Patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA), using a local anesthetic-opioid mixture, has been effectively applied after total knee replacement (TKR) surgery, which is associated with intense postoperative pain that requires postoperative analgesia for both rehabilitation and the pain itself. However, adverse opioid-related effects, such as nausea, vomiting and pruritus, are commonly encountered. It was our hypothesis that the adverse opioid-related effects could be reduced by the addition of naloxone, an opioid antagonist, to a mixture of fentanyl-ropivacaine PCEA. METHODS: In 120 patients undergoing elective TKR surgery, epidural or combined spinal-epidural (CSE) anesthesia was performed and PCEA applied. In the control group (n = 65), 0.16% ropivacaine and 3microgram/ml fentanyl (2.4microgram/ml for those older than 65 yrs) were administered. In the naloxone group (n = 55), naloxone (2microgram/ml) was coadministered with the above regimen. The incidence and severity of postoperative nausea and vomiting, and the frequency of pruritus, the visual analog score (VAS) and the PCEA volume used were assessed 6 and 24 hrs after surgery. RESULTS: The incidence of nausea and vomiting during the early postoperative period, and those of pruritus during the late postoperative period were significantly lower in the naloxone group. The VAS pain scores, the PCEA volume used and amount of rescue IV meperidine were similar in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: A small dose of naloxone mixed with an opioid significantly reduces the incidence and severity of adverse opioid-related effects in PCEA, without reducing the analgesic effect

Tracheo-Innominate Artery Fistula in Long Term Tracheostomy Patient / 대한마취과학회지

Tracheo-innominate artery fistula (TIF) is a life-threatening complication of tracheostomy that manifests with acute and massive bleeding. We present a patient who deveoloped a TIF and underwent a division of the fistula, interrupting the innominate artery. Successful management of a patient with TIF requires the rapid institution of specific resuscitative and operative measures. The patient arrived at the emergency room with acute massive tracheal bleeding, respiratory difficulty, decreased consciousness and ensuing cardiac arrest. After the tracheal cuff was fully inflated, cardiopulmonary resuscitation was started. Fortunately, the bleeding was stopped and heart rate and blood pressure were normalized. Before performing the cerebral angiography, the patient was intubated orally for rebleeding. The patient was admitted to the intensive care unit and stayed for 29 days due to weaning failure from the ventilator. After repair of tracheal stenosis, a permanent tracheostomy was instituted. The patient had no respiratory difficulty or massive tracheal bleeding during the 2 months after discharge except one episode of minor bleeding.

The Differences between PETCO2 Values According to the Measuring Sites / 대한마취과학회지

Backgrounds: End-tidal CO2 (PETCO2) monitoring is becoming one of essential respiratory monitoring systems during anesthesia. In this study, the differences between PETCO2 values measured from the 4 different sites were evaluated. METHODS: Healthy adult patients were studied (n=30). During N2O-O2-Enflurane anesthesia, PETCO2 was measured from the 4 possible monitoring sites, 3 from the breathing circuit and 1 from the monitoring lumen site of the specialized endotracheal tube connected to the distal endotracheal tube. After intubation, repeated PETCO2 measurements at 15mins (T15), 30mins (T30), 60mins (T60) and 90mins (T90) and ABGAs at T30 and T90 were done and the differences between arterial Pco2 and PETCO2 (P (a-ET)CO2) were calculated. In addition, to study the effect of changing fresh gas flow rate upon the PETCO2 values, PETCO2 measurements were done by varying the total gas flow rate from 4 L/min to 2 L/min to 6 L/min at T60. RESULTS: The Y-connector area (PETCO2- (1)) showed the lowest PETCO2 value, the elbow connector (PETCO2- (2)) and heat-moisture exchanger (PETCO2- (3)) areas, the intermediate, and the distal endotracheal site (PETCO2- (4)), the highest. The difference between the most proximal and distal sites was varied 2.4 to 3.0 mmHg and not statistically significant. PETCO2 values showed significant decreasing trend with time at each site (p<0.05). At T30 and T90, PaCO2 was not significantly different from PETCO2- (4) but significantly different from PETCO2- (1), (2), (3). The effect of changing fresh gas flow rate upon the amount of PETCO2 values of the different sites was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: PaCO2 was significantly different from PETCO2 values measured from the breathing circuit sites but not significantly different from those measured from the distal endotracheal tube. It might be said that we have to pay special attention to these differences if we want to estimate real P (a-ET)CO2 difference.

Comparison of Intravenous Administration and Surgical Site Infiltration of Ketorolac Combined with Preincisional Infiltration of Bupivacaine / 대한마취과학회지

BACKGROUND: We postulated that ketorolac as a component of surgical site infiltration would result in better analgesia than intravenous ketorolac. METHODS: Sixty patients who scheduled for elective total abdominal hysterectomy received ketorolac 60 mg (2 ml) either via surgical site infiltration directly (n=30) or parenteral route (n=30) with surgical site infiltration of 0.25% bupivacaine 18 ml 20 min before skin incision. RESULTS: Postoperative analgesic requirement, 48 hour total infusion dose and first 12 hour infusion dose of PCA fentanyl, were significantly lower in surgical site group. There were no significant differences in VAS score and side effects between two groups. CONCLUSION: Ketorolac improves analgesia when it is administered in the surgical site.

Unilateral Vocal Cord Palsy after Endotracheal Intubation: A case report / 대한마취과학회지

Voice changes developing after endotracheal intubation during right hemicolectomy with endotracheal intubation have been found to be due to a right recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy in 43-years-old male patient. It was likely that the inflated cuffed tube rode up to the level of the cricoid cartilage during the course of surgery as traction was placed on the endotracheal tube because the condenser humidifier and breathing circuit weighed heavy. Cuff overexpansion, in addition to muscle relaxation and decreased tracheal elasticity were considered as contributing factors of vocal cord palsy. We believe that tube traction and cuff overexpansion were the mechanism of vocal cord palsy in our patient. So we recommend the routine use of tube stand so that weigh of the breathing circuit does not transmit traction to the endotracheal tube. Concurrently, filling the cuff with a sample of the inspired mixture of gases, saline and 4% lidocaine in special cases or regular deflation of the cuff must be considered.

The Topical Intraperitoneal Anesthesia of 0.5% Bupivacaine Before Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy is Effective on the Postoperative Pain Control / 대한마취과학회지

BACKGROUND: Recently, laparoscopic cholecystectomy becomes more favorite method than traditional open cholecystectomy. But postoperative pain control is still remaining problem. METHOD: Patients scheduled for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy were assigned to two groups by simple randomization (15 patients per group). Group C (control) had no specific treatment and group B (bupivacaine) received 20 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine with epinephrine 1:200,000 before surgery. Immediately after the creation of a pneumoperitoneum, the surgeon sprayed the bupivacaine near and above the operation field. Operation was started 10 minutes after then. We attempted to investigate that the degree of postoperative pain which was assessed using the visual analogue scale (VAS) and the verbal rating scale (VRS) in the recovery room at postoperative 1 h., as well as the analgesic requirements during the first 24 h. postoperatively. RESULT: VRS of group B was significantly lower than group C (p<0.05), but VAS was not significantly different. Six patients in group B and only one in group C requested no analgesics. Group C had statistically more frequent request for analgesics than group B (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The topical intraperitoneal anesthesia of 20 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine with epinephrine 1 : 200,000 before laparoscopic cholecystectomy is effective on the postoperative pain control. So, we recommmend that this simple and effective management is routinely treated in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.