The morbidity associated with a TURP procedure in routine clinical practice, as graded by the modified Clavien-Dindo system.

Background: Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) is considered the reference surgical method of treating benign prostatic enlargement (BPE) causing obstruction. The procedure still carries a significant risk of perioperative morbidity according to previous reports. The aim of the present study was to disclose complications after TURP undertaken in routine clinical practice at a non-academic center.Methods: All patients with BPE submitted to TURP from January 2010 to December 2012 were evaluated for complications occurring during hospital stay, after discharge up to the end of the third post-operative month and finally for any late endourological re-interventions undertaken up to five years after TURP. All complications were graded according to the Clavien-Dindo system.Results: In total, 354 men underwent a TURP during the study period. In total, 47% had pre-operative urinary retention. Significant co-morbidity was seen in 17% of men (ASA III-IV). Spinal anaesthesia was applied to 312 men (88%). During hospital stay, major complications, graded as Clavien-Dindo ≥ III, was seen in only eight men (2.3%). Minor complications occurred in 91 men (26%). Between hospital discharge and follow-up visit major complications were noted in 12 men (3.4%). Minor complications occurred in 79 men (22%). The only factor that was associated with an increased risk of a major complication was general anaesthesia. Late complications, requiring an endourological re-intervention, occurred in 30 men (9.7%).Conclusion: TUR-P in routine clinical practice was associated with a low incidence of severe complications. TUR syndrome was very rare. Within five years a small proportion of men require the transurethral intervention to be redone.

Recovery after total intravenous general anaesthesia or spinal anaesthesia for total knee arthroplasty: a randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: This study was undertaken to compare the effects of general anaesthesia (GA) and spinal anaesthesia (SA) on the need for postoperative hospitalization and early postoperative comfort in patients undergoing fast-track total knee arthroplasty (TKA). METHODS: One hundred and twenty subjects were randomly allocated to receive either intrathecal bupivacaine (SA group) or GA with target controlled infusion of propofol and remifentanil (GA group). Primary outcome was length of hospital stay (LOS) defined as time from end of surgery until the subject met the hospital discharge criteria. Secondary outcome parameters included actual time of discharge, postoperative pain, intraoperative blood loss, length of stay in the Post Anaesthesia Care Unit, dizziness, postoperative nausea and vomiting, need for urinary catheterization and subject satisfaction. RESULTS: GA resulted in shorter LOS (46 vs 52 h, P<0.001), and less nausea and vomiting (4 vs 15, P<0.05) and dizziness (VAS 0 mm vs 20 mm, P<0.05) compared with SA. During the first 2 postoperative hours, GA patients had higher pain scores (P<0.001), but after 6 h the SA group had significantly higher pain scores (P<0.001). Subjects in the GA group used fewer patient-controlled analgesia doses and less morphine (P<0.01), and were able to walk earlier compared with the SA group (P<0.001). Subjects receiving SA would request a change in the method of anaesthesia in the event of a subsequent operation more often than the GA subjects (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: GA had more favourable recovery effects after TKA compared with SA.

[Perioperative management based on kinetics of bleeding during total primary arthroplasty]. / Cinétique du saignement en chirurgie orthopédique majeure : implications pour la prise en charge périopératoire.

INTRODUCTION: Management of the perioperative hemorrhagic risk is of major interest in patients undergoing total arthroplasty of the lower limb. Anemia in the postoperative period of that increasingly performed surgery carries its own morbidity and mortality. Better anticipation of its occurrence could be done with a refined knowledge of bleeding kinetics. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study in a single centre on 451 consecutive patients undergoing elective unilateral primary total hip or knee arthroplasty for osteoarthritis. Volume of total blood loss according to Mercuriali's formula and variations of haemoglobin levels were calculated between day 0 (D0) and postoperative day 8 (D8), and during subdivided periods between D0-D1, D1-D3 and D3-D8. Frequency and volume of autologous and homologous blood transfusions were also analyzed. Comparisons were done taking into account the use of intraoperative tranexemic acid (TA). RESULTS: Seventy to 75% of blood loss occurred between D0 and D1. Bleeding occurred mostly between the end of surgery and morning of D1, and tended to stop at D3. TA significantly reduced blood loss in the first 3days, mostly after knee prosthesis surgery. However, the bleeding kinetics were the same with or without TA. CONCLUSION: Loss of haemoglobin occurred mostly in the early postoperative period. To avoid transfusion delays, haemoglobin levels should be monitored regularly until the third postoperative day after total arthroplasty, especially when D1 haemoglobin is close to the transfusion threshold. Furthermore, our results support the routine use of TA.

[Obstetric analgesia in Norwegian hospitals]. / Smertelindring til fødende i norske sykehus.

BACKGROUND: Experience from our hospital has shown a significant increase in the use of epidural analgesia during labour. We wanted to see if this was a general trend in Norway, and wanted to find out for what kind of labour analgesia was offered in the different labour wards. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A questionnaire concerning obstetric analgesia and anaesthetic methods for caesarean section was sent to chief anaesthetists and head midwives in Norwegian hospitals. The information was compared to an identical questionnaire from 1996. In addition, data concerning obstetric analgesia was collected from the Norwegian Medical Birth Register. 77% of the anaesthetic departments and 88% of the labour wards responded to the questionnaire. RESULTS: The use of epidural analgesia was on an average 20.6% (range 0-40.5%), which is twice as much as in 1996. 75% answered that the parturients' wish for epidural analgesia was reason enough to give an epidural. 84% of caesarean sections were performed in regional anaesthesia and 16% were done in general anaesthesia. This represents a significant reduction in the use of general anaesthesia. 85% of the labour wards offered acupuncture, which is a tremendous increase compared to 1996. Systemic opioids are still widely used, and pethidine is still the most frequently used opioid. Pethidine's negative side effect profile has been widely focused on during the past decade. The hospital's information on the various analgesic methods available for labour analgesi, is clearly improved since 1996. CONCLUSION: Obstetric analgesia in Norwegian hospitals has improved substantially since the last survey.

Estudo comparativo entre anestesia local e raquianestesia na herniorrafia inguinal / Comparative study between local and spinal anesthesia in inguinal herniorraphy

Objetivo: Apesar das vantagens da anestesia local para o reparo de hérnias inguinais já estarem bem estabelecidas, a técnica anestésica mais utilizada em nosso meio é a raquidiana. O objetivo deste estudo é investigar os benefícios do emprego da anestesia local nas herniorrafias inguinais, comparando aspectos relacionados a dor, consumo de analgésicos, encargos hospitalares e satisfação do paciente. Métodos: Foram analisados prospectivamente 105 pacientes submetidos a herniorrafias inguinais eletivas no período de janeiro a outubro de 2002, no Complexo Hospitalar Santa Casa de Porto Alegre. Quatorze pacientes foram excluídos. A amostra final foi dividida em dois grupos: um submetido à anestesia raquidiana (69 pacientes) e o outro à anestesia local com sedação endovenosa (22 pacientes). Resultados: O grupo da anestesia local teve maior incidência de dor no transoperatório (p<0,05). No entanto, durante a internação hospitalar este grupo apresentou menor incidência e intensidade de dor (p<0,05), consumindo quantidades semelhantes de analgésicos (p>0,05). Além disso, encontramos no grupo da anestesia local menor tempo de permanência na sala de recuperação (p<0,05) e custos anestésicos 62,45% menores em cada procedimento. A dor no transoperatório, na anestesia local, não prejudicou a satisfação do paciente em relação à técnica anestésica (p>0,05). Conclusões: A anestesia local com sedação mostrou-se adequada para ser utilizada nas herniorrafias inguinais primárias. Ela apresentou vantagens em relação à anestesia raquidiana: menor intensidade de dor, menor tempo de recuperação anestésica e menores custos hospitalares (AU)

Background: Advantages of local anesthesia for inguinal hernia repair are well established. Even though, the spinal anesthetic technique is still the routine in our hospitals. The objective of this study is to compare the use of local and spinal anesthetic techniques for inguinal herniorraphies. We evaluated the repercussion of these anesthetic techniques in pain, use of analgesic medications, hospital discharges and satisfaction with the procedure. Methods: One hundred and five patients who underwent elective inguinal herniorraphy between January and October, 2002, were prospectively analyzed. Fourteen patients were excluded. The amount of patients was divided in two groups: spinal anesthesia (69 patients) and local anesthesia with sedation (22 patients). Results: Local anesthesia group presented greater pain incidence during the transoperative period (p<0.05). Despite this, while in hospital, these patients referred minor incidence and intensity of pain (p<0.05), with comparable consuming of analgesics (p>0.05). Besides, the local anesthesia group had a minor anesthesia recovery time (p<0.05) and an expense of 62,45% minor in each procedure. Pain related in the local anesthesia group during the surgery did not influence the grade of satisfaction with the procedure (p>0.05). Conclusions: Local anesthesia with sedation is an adequate anesthetic technique to be used in primary inguinal herniorraphies. It showed advantages over spinal anesthesia: lower incidence and intensity of pain during hospital staying, shorter anesthesia recovery time and minor hospitals expenses (AU)

Knee arthroscopy with the use of local anesthesia--an increased risk for repeat arthroscopy? A prospective, randomized study with a six-month follow-up.

Although there have been many reports of good results when local anesthesia is used with knee arthroscopy, it is not used as a standard anesthetic. Concerns about local anesthesia include the fear of prolonged surgery, which could result in inadequate anesthesia, thus causing the patient unnecessary discomfort. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the risk of repeat arthroscopy and the patient satisfaction rate up to 6 months after knee arthroscopy under local anesthesia. In this prospective, randomized study, 400 patients scheduled for elective knee arthroscopy were allocated to one of three groups: local anesthesia (200 patients), spinal anesthesia (100 patients), or general anesthesia (100 patients). All enrolled patients were asked to complete a questionnaire 6 months after surgery and all of their medical records were reviewed. No repeat arthroscopies occurred in the spinal and general anesthesia groups and only three occurred in the local anesthesia group, a nonsignificant difference. In only one of these three cases was the clinical course altered by the repeat arthroscopy. There was no difference in the satisfaction rate between the three anesthesia groups. We conclude that the choice of anesthesia does not influence the frequency of repeat arthroscopy, satisfaction with the procedure, or recovery at 6 months after knee arthroscopy.

La temperatura de la bupivacaina al 0.5% afecta la dispersion en el canal raquideo: Hospital Pablo Tobon Uribe junio-julio 1989 / Temperature of 0.5% of bupivacaine affects oral dispersion in rachidial channel: Hospital Pablo Tobon Uribe june-july, 1989

Se estudio una poblacion de 40 pacientes programados para cirugia de miembros inferiores y abdomen bajo, en el Hospital Pablo Tobon Uribe en el periodo 1 junio a 30 de julio de 1989. Se dividieron en dos grupos, cada uno de 20 pacientes. Al grupo No 1 se le aplico 3 ml de bupivacaina al 0.5%, a 4'C, previamente equilibrada y al grupo No. 2 la misma solución y cantidad, pero a 37'C, intratecalmente. Los pacientes fueron mantenidos sentados por 3 minutos luego de la aplicación. El nivel de perdida sensitivo a los 10 y 20 minutos en los grupos 1 y 2 fue T10, T9 y T4, T3, respectivamente. El nivel de perdida de temperatura, para los grupos 1 y 2 a los 10 y 20 minutos fue T9, T8 y T4, T3, respectivamente lo cual da una diferencia estadisticamente significativa. Se concluye en el presente estudio que la temperatura del analgesico local juega un importante papel en la dispersion de la bupivacaina al 0.5% en el canal raquideo