0.75% ropivacaine may be a suitable drug in pregnant women undergoing urgent cesarean delivery during labor analgesia period.

BACKGROUND: 3% chloroprocaine (CP) has been reported as the common local anesthetic used in pregnant women undergoing urgent cesarean delivery during labor analgesia period. However, 0.75% ropivacaine is considered a promising and effective alternative. Therefore, we conducted a randomized controlled trial to compare the effectiveness and safety of 0.75% ropivacaine with 3% chloroprocaine for extended epidural anesthesia in pregnant women. METHODS: We conducted a double-blind, randomized, controlled, single-center study from November 1, 2022, to April 30, 2023. We selected forty-five pregnant women undergoing urgent cesarean delivery during labor analgesia period and randomized them to receive either 0.75% ropivacaine or 3% chloroprocaine in a 1:1 ratio. The primary outcome was the time to loss of cold sensation at the T4 level. RESULTS: There was a significant difference between the two groups in the time to achieve loss of cold sensation (303, 95%CI 255 to 402 S vs. 372, 95%CI 297 to 630 S, p = 0.024). There was no significant difference the degree of motor block (p = 0.185) at the Th4 level. Fewer pregnant women required additional local anesthetics in the ropivacaine group compared to the chloroprocaine group (4.5% VS. 34.8%, p = 0.011). The ropivacaine group had lower intraoperative VAS scores (p = 0.023) and higher patient satisfaction scores (p = 0.040) than the chloroprocaine group. The incidence of intraoperative complications was similar between the two groups, and no serious complications were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Our study found that 0.75% ropivacaine was associated with less intraoperative pain treatment, higher patient satisfaction and reduced the onset time compared to 3% chloroprocaine in pregnant women undergoing urgent cesarean delivery during labor analgesia period. Therefore, 0.75% ropivacaine may be a suitable drug in pregnant women undergoing urgent cesarean delivery during labor analgesia period. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER AND REGISTRY URL: The registration number: ChiCTR2200065201; http://www.chictr.org.cn , Principal investigator: MEN, Date of registration: 31/10/2022.

Correlation Between Depth of Dexmedetomidine Anesthesia and Cognitive Function in Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Myomectomy under General Anesthesia.

Purpose: To analyze the correlation between the depth of dexmedetomidine anesthesia and cognitive function in patients undergoing laparoscopic myomectomy under general anesthesia. Methods: According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 180 patients who underwent laparoscopic myomectomy under general anesthesia using dexmedetomidine in the gynecology department of our hospital from February 2021 to February 2022 were retrospectively analyzed as study subjects. All patients were monitored by BIS intraoperatively, and the patients were divided into 3 groups according to BIS: group I (n=48), group II (n=105), and group III (n=27). The MMSE scores of patients in the three groups were measured 1 d before anesthesia, 1 d, 3 d, and 5 d after surgery, respectively, and the TMT completion times of patients in the three groups were measured 1 d before anesthesia and 1 d after surgery, and the mean postoperative anesthesia wakefulness time of patients in the three groups and the incidence of cognitive dysfunction in the three groups were recorded. Finally, the BIS of patients in the three groups was compared with the MMSE scores of patients at 5 d after surgery, the TMT completion time at 1 d after surgery, the anesthesia wakefulness time, and the rate of cognitive dysfunction was correlated. Results: There was a significant difference in MMSE scores between the three groups at 1 d, 3 d, and 5 d postoperatively (P < .05); meanwhile, the MMSE scores were significantly higher in group I compared with groups II and III at 1 d, 3 d, and 5 d postoperatively (all P < .05). At 1 d postoperatively for the three groups TMT completion time compared with preoperative time, the difference between the groups was significant (P < .05); meanwhile, compared with 1 d postoperatively in groups II and III, TMT completion time was significantly lower in group I (P < .05). The rate of cognitive dysfunction and the mean postoperative anesthesia awake time of patients in group I were significantly reduced compared with groups II and III (P < .05). BIS was negatively correlated with the MMSE score at 5 d postoperatively, positively correlated with the TMT completion time at 1 d postoperatively, and positively correlated with the anesthesia awake time, and had no significant correlation with the rate of cognitive dysfunction in the three groups. Conclusion: The postoperative cognitive function of patients is closely related to the depth of anesthesia and is negatively correlated with the depth of anaesthesia, i.e. the deeper the depth of anaesthesia, the more pronounced the impairment of the cognitive function of the patient, and the more difficult it is to recover.

Efficacy and Safety of Esketamine for Supplemental Analgesia During Elective Cesarean Delivery: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Epidural anesthesia is a primary choice for cesarean delivery, but supplemental analgesics are often required to relieve pain during uterine traction. Objective: To investigate the sedative and analgesic effects of intravenous esketamine administered before childbirth via cesarean delivery with the patient under epidural anesthesia. Design, Setting, and Participants: This multicenter, double-blind randomized clinical trial assessed 903 women 18 years or older who had full-term single pregnancy and were scheduled for elective cesarean delivery with epidural anesthesia in 5 medical centers in China from September 18, 2021, to September 20, 2022. Intervention: Patients were randomized to receive intravenous injection of 0.25 mg/kg of esketamine or placebo before incision. Main Outcomes and Measures: The coprimary outcomes included scores on the numeric rating scale of pain (an 11-point scale, with 0 indicating no pain and 10 indicating the worst pain; a difference of ≥1.65 points was clinically meaningful) and Ramsay Sedation Scale (a 6-point scale, with 1 indicating restlessness and 6 indicating deep sleep without response; a difference of ≥2 points was clinically meaningful) immediately after fetal delivery. Secondary outcomes included neonatal Apgar score assessed at 1 and 5 minutes after birth. Results: A total of 600 women (mean [SD] age, 30.7 [4.3] years) were enrolled and randomized; all were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. Immediately after fetal delivery, the score on the numeric rating scale of pain was lower with esketamine (median [IQR], 0 [0-1]) than with placebo (median [IQR], 0 [0-2]; median difference, 0; 95% CI, 0-0; P = .001), but the difference was not clinically important. The Ramsay Sedation Scale scores were higher (sedation deeper) with esketamine (median [IQR], 4 [3-4]) than with placebo (median [IQR], 2 [2-2]; median difference, 2; 95% CI, 2-2; P < .001). The neonatal Apgar scores did not differ between the 2 groups at 1 minute (median difference, 0; 95% CI, 0-0; P = .98) and at 5 minutes (median difference, 0; 95% CI, 0-0; P = .27). Transient neurologic or mental symptoms were more common in patients given esketamine (97.7% [293 of 300]) than in those given placebo (4.7% [14 of 300]; P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance: For women undergoing cesarean delivery under epidural anesthesia, a subanesthetic dose of esketamine administered before incision produced transient analgesia and sedation but did not induce significant neonatal depression. Mental symptoms and nystagmus were common but transient. Indications and the optimal dose of esketamine in this patient population need further clarification, but study should be limited to those who require supplemental analgesia. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04548973.

Prophylactic Effects of Sub-anesthesia Ketamine on Cognitive Decline, Neuroinflammation, and Oxidative Stress in Elderly Mice.

Cognitive dysfunction is a very common postoperative complication. The study aimed at investigating the effects of ketamine on the cognition of elderly mice after anesthesia and surgery (AS). We reported that AS impaired the cognition of elderly mice, while ketamine helped to maintain the cognitive function. Ketamine decreased the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1ß and the expression of p-TAU, S100B in hippocampal induced by AS. In addition, AS triggered severe oxidative stress in hippocampal, while ketamine inhibited it. Oxidative stress induced autophagy of hippocampal neurons via inhibiting PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. Ketamine could activate PI3K pathway and inhibit autophagy in hippocampal, thus maintain the loss of hippocampal neurons. The study suggested that ketamine inhibited the neuroinflammation and oxidative stress, reduced the autophagy of hippocampal neurons via PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. It may provide novel methods for the protection of cognitive function in elderly during perioperative period.