Efficacy of Phrenic Nerve Block and Suprascapular Nerve Block in Amelioration of Ipsilateral Shoulder Pain after Thoracic Surgery: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.

Background and Objectives: Ipsilateral shoulder pain (ISP) is a common complication after thoracic surgery. Severe ISP can cause ineffective breathing and impair shoulder mobilization. Both phrenic nerve block (PNB) and suprascapular nerve block (SNB) are anesthetic interventions; however, it remains unclear which intervention is most effective. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of PNB and SNB for the prevention and reduction of the severity of ISP following thoracotomy or video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. Materials and methods: Studies published in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, Ovid Medline, Google Scholar and the Cochrane Library without language restriction were reviewed from the publication's inception through 30 September 2022. Randomized controlled trials evaluating the comparative efficacy of PNB and SNB on ISP management were selected. A network meta-analysis was applied to estimate pooled risk ratios (RRs) and weighted mean difference (WMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Of 381 records screened, eight studies were eligible. PNB was shown to significantly lower the risk of ISP during the 24 h period after surgery compared to placebo (RR 0.44, 95% CI 0.34 to 0.58) and SNB (RR 0.43, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.64). PNB significantly reduced the severity of ISP during the 24 h period after thoracic surgery (WMD -1.75, 95% CI -3.47 to -0.04), but these effects of PNB were not statistically significantly different from SNB. When compared to placebo, SNB did not significantly reduce the incidence or severity of ISP during the 24 h period after surgery. Conclusion: This study suggests that PNB ranks first for prevention and reduction of ISP severity during the first 24 h after thoracic surgery. SNB was considered the worst intervention for ISP management. No evidence indicated that PNB was associated with a significant impairment of postoperative ventilatory status.

The role of perceived stress and cognitive function on the relationship between neuroticism and depression among the elderly: a structural equation model approach.

BACKGROUND: Depression comprises common psychological problems, and has been strongly related to neuroticism and perceived stress. While neuroticism has been shown to have a direct effect on depression, it also has an indirect effect via perceived stress. Among the elderly, cognitive function produces influences that should not be overlooked when investigating depression. This study aimed to determine the role of mediating effects of perceived stress as well as cognitive function on neuroticism and depression among elderly patients. METHODS: This research constituted a secondary analysis, with data collected during the pre-operative period of 429 elderly individuals undergoing elective, noncardiac surgery. The evaluation included the Perceived Stress Scale, the Neuroticism Inventory, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, and the Geriatric Depression Scale. Structural equation modeling was used to investigate the hypothesized model. RESULTS: Neuroticism exhibited a significant indirect effect on perceived stress via depression and cognition (ß = 0.162, 95% CI 0.026, 0.322, p = .002). Neuroticism initially had a direct effect on depression (ß = 0.766, 95% CI 0.675, 0.843 p = 0.003); thereafter, it was reduced after covariates were added (ß = 0.557, 95% CI 0.432, 0.668 p = 0.002). Based on this model, the total variance explained by this model was 67%, and the model showed an acceptable fit with the data. CONCLUSIONS: Both perceived stress and cognitive function partially mediated the effect of neuroticism on depression, with perceived stress exhibiting a greater effect. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study protocol has been registered at Clinicaltrials.gov under registered number: NCT02131181.

Role of perceived stress in postoperative delirium: an investigation among elderly patients.

Objectives: This study examined levels of perceived stress (PS), postoperative delirium (POD) and associated factors among Thai elderly patients undergoing elective noncardiac surgery.Background and aims: Preoperative PS and change after operation have not been widely studied. Moreover, psychological factors associated with PS and POD has been poorly investigated.Materials and Methods: In total, 429 elderly patients were recruited at a university hospital. The preoperative evaluation included sociodemographic data, health behaviors at risk, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), Neuroticism Inventory (NI), Mental State Examination T10 (MSET10), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15). Three-day postoperative evaluation included PSS-10 and Confusion Assessment Method Algorithm (CAM) or CAM-ICU for Delirium. Multiple regression and logistic regression analysis were performed to determine potential predictors.Results: Females were 58.97%, and the mean age was 69.93 ± 6.87 years. Mean pre- and postoperative PS were 12.77 ± 5.41 and 13.39 ± 5.26, respectively (P < 0.05). Multiple regression revealed that neuroticism, depression, and BMI predicted PS significantly. None of the independent variables was found to predict postoperative PS except for preoperative PS (p <.001). POD at the recovery room was predicted by preoperative PS (odds ratio = 1.181, 95% CI = 1.019-1.369), whereas overall POD was predicted by MoCA (odds ratio = .864, 95% CI = .771 -.968).Conclusion: Preoperative PS was significant in that it was associated with postoperative PS and POD. A careful assessment of preoperative PS as well as providing brief interventions for patients with high levels of this condition may reduce the risk of POD.

Bispectral index for improving intraoperative awareness and early postoperative recovery in adults.

BACKGROUND: The use of clinical signs, or end-tidal anaesthetic gas (ETAG), may not be reliable in measuring the hypnotic component of anaesthesia and may lead to either overdosage or underdosage resulting in adverse effects because of too deep or too light anaesthesia. Intraoperative awareness, whilst uncommon, may lead to serious psychological disturbance, and alternative methods to monitor the depth of anaesthesia may reduce the incidence of serious events. Bispectral index (BIS) is a numerical scale based on electrical activity in the brain. Using a BIS monitor to guide the dose of anaesthetic may have advantages over clinical signs or ETAG. This is an update of a review last published in 2014. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of BIS to reduce the risk of intraoperative awareness and early recovery times from general anaesthesia in adults undergoing surgery. SEARCH METHODS: We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science on 26 March 2019. We searched clinical trial registers and grey literature, and handsearched reference lists of included studies and related reviews. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs in which BIS was used to guide anaesthesia compared with standard practice which was either clinical signs or end-tidal anaesthetic gas (ETAG) to guide the anaesthetic dose. We included adult participants undergoing any type of surgery under general anaesthesia regardless of whether included participants had a high risk of intraoperative awareness. We included only studies in which investigators aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of BIS for its role in monitoring intraoperative depth of anaesthesia or potential improvements in early recovery times from anaesthesia. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently assessed studies for inclusion, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias. We assessed the certainty of evidence with GRADE. MAIN RESULTS: We included 52 studies with 41,331 participants; two studies were quasi-randomized and the remaining studies were RCTs. All studies included participants undergoing surgery under general anaesthesia. Three studies recruited only participants who were at high risk of intraoperative awareness, whilst two studies specifically recruited an unselected participant group. We analysed the data according to two comparison groups: BIS versus clinical signs; and BIS versus ETAG. Forty-eight studies used clinical signs as a comparison method, which included titration of anaesthesia according to criteria such as blood pressure or heart rate and, six studies used ETAG to guide anaesthesia. Whilst BIS target values differed between studies, all were within a range of values between 40 to 60.BIS versus clinical signsWe found low-certainty evidence that BIS-guided anaesthesia may reduce the risk of intraoperative awareness in a surgical population that were unselected or at high risk of awareness (Peto odds ratio (OR) 0.36, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.60; I2 = 61%; 27 studies; 9765 participants). However, events were rare with only five of 27 studies with reported incidences; we found that incidences of intraoperative awareness when BIS was used were three per 1000 (95% CI 2 to 6 per 1000) compared to nine per 1000 when anaesthesia was guided by clinical signs. Of the five studies with event data, one included participants at high risk of awareness and one included unselected participants, four used a structured questionnaire for assessment, and two used an adjudication process to identify confirmed or definite awareness.Early recovery times were also improved when BIS was used. We found low-certainty evidence that BIS may reduce the time to eye opening by mean difference (MD) 1.78 minutes (95% CI -2.53 to -1.03 minutes; 22 studies; 1494 participants), the time to orientation by MD 3.18 minutes (95% CI -4.03 to -2.33 minutes; 6 studies; 273 participants), and the time to discharge from the postanaesthesia care unit (PACU) by MD 6.86 minutes (95% CI -11.72 to -2 minutes; 13 studies; 930 participants).BIS versus ETAGAgain, events of intraoperative awareness were extremely rare, and we found no evidence of a difference in incidences of intraoperative awareness according to whether anaesthesia was guided by BIS or by ETAG in a surgical population at unselected or at high risk of awareness (Peto OR 1.13, 95% CI 0.56 to 2.26; I2 = 37%; 5 studies; 26,572 participants; low-certainty evidence). Incidences of intraoperative awareness were one per 1000 in both groups. Only three of five studies reported events, two included participants at high risk of awareness and one included unselected participants, all used a structured questionnaire for assessment and an adjudication process to identify confirmed or definite awareness.One large study (9376 participants) reported a reduced time to discharge from the PACU by a median of three minutes less, and we judged the certainty of this evidence to be low. No studies measured or reported the time to eye opening and the time to orientation.Certainty of the evidenceWe used GRADE to downgrade the evidence for all outcomes to low certainty. The incidence of intraoperative awareness is so infrequent such that, despite the inclusion of some large multi-centre studies in analyses, we believed that the effect estimates were imprecise. In addition, analyses included studies that we judged to have limitations owing to some assessments of high or unclear bias and in all studies, it was not possible to blind anaesthetists to the different methods of monitoring depth of anaesthesia.Studies often did not report a clear definition of intraoperative awareness. Time points of measurement differed, and methods used to identify intraoperative awareness also differed and we expected that some assessment tools were more comprehensive than others. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative awareness is infrequent and, despite identifying a large number of eligible studies, evidence for the effectiveness of using BIS to guide anaesthetic depth is imprecise. We found that BIS-guided anaesthesia compared to clinical signs may reduce the risk of intraoperative awareness and improve early recovery times in people undergoing surgery under general anaesthesia but we found no evidence of a difference between BIS-guided anaesthesia and ETAG-guided anaesthesia. We found six studies awaiting classification and two ongoing studies; inclusion of these studies in future updates may increase the certainty of the evidence.

Processed electroencephalogram and evoked potential techniques for amelioration of postoperative delirium and cognitive dysfunction following non-cardiac and non-neurosurgical procedures in adults.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative delirium (POD) and postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) may complicate a patient's postoperative recovery in several ways. Monitoring of processed electroencephalogram (EEG) or evoked potential (EP) indices may prevent or minimize POD and POCD, probably through optimization of anaesthetic doses. OBJECTIVES: To assess whether the use of processed EEG or auditory evoked potential (AEP) indices (bispectral index (BIS), narcotrend index, cerebral state index, state entropy and response entropy, patient state index, index of consciousness, A-line autoregressive index, and auditory evoked potentials (AEP index)) as guides to anaesthetic delivery can reduce the risk of POD and POCD in non-cardiac surgical or non-neurosurgical adult patients undergoing general anaesthesia compared with standard practice where only clinical signs are used. SEARCH METHODS: We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase and clinical trial registry databases up to 28 March 2017. We updated this search in February 2018, but these results have not been incorporated in the review. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials comparing any method of processed EEG or evoked potential techniques (entropy, BIS, AEP etc.) against a control group where clinical signs were used to guide doses of anaesthetics in adults aged 18 years or over undergoing general anaesthesia for non-cardiac or non-neurosurgical elective operations. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We used the standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane. Our primary outcomes were: occurrence of POD; and occurrence of POCD. Secondary outcomes included: all-cause mortality; any postoperative complications; and postoperative length of stay. We used GRADE to assess the quality of evidence for each outcome. MAIN RESULTS: We included six randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 2929 participants comparing processed EEG or EP indices-guided anaesthesia with clinical signs-guided anaesthesia. There are five ongoing studies and one study awaiting classification.Anaesthesia administration guided by the indices from a processed EEG (bispectral index) probably reduces the risk of POD within seven days after surgery with risk ratio (RR) of 0.71 (95% CI 0.59 to 0.85; number needed to treat for an additional beneficial outcome (NNTB) of 17, 95% CI 11 to 34; 2197 participants; 3 RCTs; moderate quality of evidence). Three trials also showed the lower rate of POCD at 12 weeks after surgery (RR 0.71, 95% CI 0.53 to 0.96; NNTB 38, 95% CI 21 to 289; 2051 participants; moderate-quality evidence), but it is uncertain whether processed EEG indices reduce POCD at one week (RR 0.84, 95% CI 0.69 to 1.02; 3 trials; 1989 participants; moderate-quality evidence), and at 52 weeks (RR 0.30, 95% CI 0.05 to 1.80; 1 trial; 59 participants; very low quality of evidence). There may be little or no effect on all-cause mortality (RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.62 to 1.64; 1 trial; 1155 participants; low-quality evidence). One trial suggested a lower risk of any postoperative complications with processed EEG (RR 0.51, 95% CI 0.37 to 0.71; 902 participants, moderate-quality evidence). There may be little or no effect on reduced postoperative length of stay (mean difference -0.2 days, 95% CI -2.02 to 1.62; 1155 participants; low-quality evidence). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There is moderate-quality evidence that optimized anaesthesia guided by processed EEG indices could reduce the risk of postoperative delirium in patients aged 60 years or over undergoing non-cardiac surgical and non-neurosurgical procedures. We found moderate-quality evidence that postoperative cognitive dysfunction at three months could be reduced in these patients. The effect on POCD at one week and over one year after surgery is uncertain. There are no data available for patients under 60 years. Further blinded randomized controlled trials are needed to elucidate strategies for the amelioration of postoperative delirium and postoperative cognitive dysfunction, and their consequences such as dementia (including Alzheimer's disease (AD)) in both non-elderly (below 60 years) and elderly (60 years or over) adult patients. The one study awaiting classification and five ongoing studies may alter the conclusions of the review once assessed.

The Effectiveness of Intravenous Parecoxib on the Incidence of Ipsilateral Shoulder Pain After Thoracotomy: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence of ipsilateral shoulder pain (ISP) with the therapeutic use of parecoxib compared with a placebo after thoracotomy. DESIGN: A prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. SETTING: A tertiary-care university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Adult patients undergoing an elective thoracotomy between June 2011 and February 2015. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were allocated randomly into the parecoxib group (n = 80) and the control group (n = 80). In the parecoxib group, 40 mg of parecoxib was diluted into 2 mL and given intravenously 30 minutes before surgery and then every 12 hours postoperatively for 48 hours. In the control group, 2 mL of normal saline was given to the patients at the same intervals. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A numerical rating scale was used to assess the intensity of ISP at 2, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours after surgery. Intravenous morphine (0.05 mg/kg) was used as the rescue medication for ISP during the 96-hour period. Baseline characteristics of patients in both groups were comparable. Patients in the parecoxib group had a significantly lower incidence of ISP, both overall (42.5% v 62.0%, p = 0.014) and of moderate-to-severe ISP when compared with the control group (26.2% v 49.4%, p = 0.003). Parecoxib reduced the risk of ISP by a statistically significant 32% (risk ratio, 0.68; 95% confidence interval, 0.50-0.93, p = 0.016). There were no significant differences in the occurrence of adverse effects between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Intravenous parecoxib significantly can reduce the incidence and severity of ISP after thoracotomy.

Factors Associated with Operating-Room Extubation after Emergency Craniotomy.

Objective: To determine clinical factors and outcomes associated with operating-room extubation. Material and Method: Three hundred seventy three medical records of emergency craniotomy were reviewed. The author categorized by whether the patients underwent operating-room extubation (ORE) or not (nORE). Demographic and perioperative factors were reviewed for association with ORE, e.g. Glasgow coma scale score (GCS), brain edema, and duration of anesthesia. Outcomes included clinical status, and duration in intensive care unit and hospital stay. Results: Of the 373 patients, 130 (35%) had been extubated in the operating room. The strongest factors associated with ORE were no perioperative brain edema (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 76.44 [95% confidence interval 9.46-617.50], p<0.001), high GCS score from 13 to 15 (adjusted OR = 3.74 [1.99-7.01], p<0.001), and better ASA physical class IE or IIE (adjusted OR = 2.09 [1.21-3.59], p = 0.008). The median lengths of time in the intensive care unit (ICU) were significantly shorter among OREs (3 days, range 2-5) than nOREs (4 days, range 3-8), p<0.001, as well as for duration of hospital stay (7 days, range 4-10 vs. 8 days, range 5-13, respectively, p = 0.008). Conclusion: After emergency neurosurgery, ORE is associated with absent cerebral edema, high GCS score, and better ASA status.

Bispectral index for improving anaesthetic delivery and postoperative recovery.

BACKGROUND: The use of clinical signs may not be reliable in measuring the hypnotic component of anaesthesia. The use of bispectral index (BIS) to guide the dose of anaesthetic may have certain advantages over clinical signs. This is the second update of a review originally published in 2007. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this review focused on whether the incorporation of BIS into the standard practice for management of anaesthesia can reduce the risk of intraoperative awareness, consumption of anaesthetic agents, recovery time and total cost of anaesthesia in surgical patients undergoing general anaesthesia. SEARCH METHODS: In this updated version, we searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2013, Issue 1), MEDLINE (1990 to 31 January 2013), EMBASE (1990 to 31 January 2013) and reference lists of articles. Previously, we searched to May 2009. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomized controlled trials comparing BIS with standard practice criteria for titration of anaesthetic agents. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two authors independently assessed trial quality, extracted data and analysed the data. We contacted study authors for further details. MAIN RESULTS: We included 36 trials. In studies using clinical signs as standard practice, the results demonstrated a significant effect of the BIS-guided anaesthesia in reducing the risk of intraoperative awareness among surgical patients at high risk for awareness (7761 participants; odds ratio (OR) 0.24, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.12 to 0.48). This effect was not demonstrated in studies using end tidal anaesthetic gas (ETAG) monitoring as standard practice (26,530 participants; OR 1.13, 95% CI 0.56 to 2.26). BIS-guided anaesthesia reduced the requirement for propofol by 1.32 mg/kg/hr (672 participants; 95% CI -1.91 to -0.73) and for volatile anaesthetics (desflurane, sevoflurane, isoflurane) by 0.65 minimal alveolar concentration equivalents (MAC) (95% CI -1.01 to -0.28) in 985 participants. Irrespective of the anaesthetics used, BIS reduced the following recovery times: time for eye opening (2557 participants; by 1.93 min, 95% CI -2.70 to -1.16), response to verbal command (777 participants; by 2.73 min, 95% CI -3.92 to -1.54), time to extubation (1501 participants; by 2.62 min, 95% CI -3.46 to -1.78), and time to orientation (373 participants; by 3.06 min, 95% CI -3.63 to -2.50). BIS shortened the duration of postanaesthesia care unit stay by 6.75 min (1953 participants; 95% CI -11.20 to -2.31) but did not significantly reduce the time to home readiness (329 participants; -7.01 min, 95% CI -30.11 to 16.09). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: BIS-guided anaesthesia can reduce the risk of intraoperative awareness in surgical patients at high risk for awareness in comparison to using clinical signs as a guide for anaesthetic depth. BIS-guided anaesthesia and ETAG-guided anaesthesia may be equivalent in protection against intraoperative awareness but the evidence for this is inconclusive. In addition, anaesthesia guided by BIS kept within the recommended range improves anaesthetic delivery and postoperative recovery from relatively deep anaesthesia.

Incidence of and risk factors for cardiovascular complications after thoracic surgery for noncancerous lesions.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of and risk factors for cardiovascular complications after thoracic surgery for noncancerous lesions. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: A tertiary medical center. PARTICIPANTS: All consecutive patients undergoing either thoracotomy or thoracoscopy for noncancerous lesions between 2005 and 2011 were included. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The primary outcomes were the incidence and types of cardiovascular complications such as cardiac arrhythmias, cardiac arrest, heart failure, and myocardial ischemia during hospitalization. A total of 719 patients were recruited, 60% of whom had infections. The incidence of cardiovascular complications after thoracic surgery was 6.7% (48 of 719), of which cardiac arrhythmia was the most common (25 of 48, 52%). The multivariate risk regression analysis showed that age>55 years (risk ratio [RR]=4.0; 95% confidence interval [CI]=2.1-7.5; p<0.01), diabetes mellitus (RR=3.0; 95% CI=1.7-5.3; p<0.01), coronary artery disease (RR=4.8; 95% CI=2.3-10.2; p<0.01), duration of surgery>180 minutes (RR=2.6; 95% CI=1.3-5.1; p<0.01), intraoperative hypotension (RR=2.6; 95% CI=1.6-4.3; p<0.01), and positive fluid balance>2,000 mL (RR=2.5; 95% CI=1.4-4.5; p<0.01) were independent risk factors for cardiovascular complications. CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge of risk factors could help surgical teams to identify high risk patients and adjust modifiable risk factors including optimization of medical conditions, correction of intraoperative hypotension, and appropriate blood and fluid administration in order to reduce perioperative morbidity and mortality.

Impact of patients' positions on the incidence of arrhythmias during pulmonary artery catheterization.

OBJECTIVE: The complication of cardiac arrhythmias during pulmonary artery catheterization (PAC) may be related to the position of the patient. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects of patients' positions on incidence of arrhythmias and the time required to place the pulmonary artery catheter. DESIGN: A prospective, double-blind, randomized, controlled study. SETTING: A tertiary university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred forty patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass graft surgery. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were divided into 2 groups. In the study group (n = 70), patients were positioned with their head down at 10° first and then 10° up and tilted right laterally when the PACs were passed from the right atrium to the right ventricle and then the right ventricle to the pulmonary capillary wedge position, respectively. In the control group (n = 70), patients remained in a supine position during pulmonary artery catheterization. MEASUREMENT AND MAIN RESULT: During the catheterization, arrhythmias were recorded and classified into benign (1-3 premature ventricular contractions) and severe (more than 3 premature ventricular contractions or nonsustained ventricular tachycardia). The time for PACs to pass from the right atrium to the right ventricle and the right ventricle to the pulmonary capillary wedge position was measured as T1 and T2, respectively. The incidence of benign arrhythmias between groups was not significantly different (49% for study and 34% for control group, p = 0.196), whereas the incidence of severe arrhythmias was significantly higher in the control group (20% v 5.8%, p = 0.036). The time used for each technique (T1 and T2) in both groups was not significantly different (p = 0.362 and 0.468, respectively). One patient in the study group was excluded because of difficulty in passing the catheter from the right atrium to the right ventricle. CONCLUSIONS: Adjusting patients in the head-up and right lateral position while passing the PAC can reduce the incidence of severe arrhythmias, but not in the time taken to place it. This position may have clinical implications, particularly in high-risk patients.

CoenzymeQ10 and Ischemic Preconditioning Potentially Prevent Tourniquet-Induced Ischemia/Reperfusion in Knee Arthroplasty, but Combined Pretreatment Possibly Neutralizes Their Beneficial Effects.

Tourniquet (TQ) use during total knee arthroplasty (TKA) induces ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, resulting in mitochondrial dysfunction. This study aims to determine the effects of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and ischemic preconditioning (IPC), either alone or in combination, on I/R-induced mitochondrial respiration alteration in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and pain following TKA. Forty-four patients were allocated into four groups: control, CoQ10, IPC, and CoQ10 + IPC. CoQ10 dose was 300 mg/day for 28 days. IPC protocol was three cycles of 5/5-min I/R time. Mitochondrial oxygen consumption rates (OCRs) of PBMCs were measured seven times, at baseline and during ischemic/reperfusion phases, with XFe 96 extracellular flux analyzer. Postoperative pain was assessed for 48 h. CoQ10 improved baseline mitochondrial uncoupling state; however, changes in OCRs during the early phase of I/R were not significantly different from the placebo. Compared to ischemic data, IPC transiently increased basal OCR and ATP production at 2 h after reperfusion. Clinically, CoQ10 significantly decreased pain scores and morphine requirements at 24 h. CoQ10 + IPC abolished analgesic effect of CoQ10 and mitochondrial protection of IPC. In TKA with TQ, IPC enhanced mitochondrial function by a transient increase in basal and ATP-linked respiration, and CoQ10 provides postoperative analgesic effect. Surprisingly, CoQ10 + IPC interferes with beneficial effects of each intervention.

Ischemic preconditioning upregulates Mitofusin2 and preserves muscle strength in tourniquet-induced ischemia/reperfusion.

Background: Tourniquet-induced ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) has been related to postoperative muscle atrophy through mechanisms involving protein synthesis/breakdown, cellular metabolism, mitochondrial dysfunction, and apoptosis. Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) could protect skeletal muscle against I/R injury. This study aims to determine the underlying mechanisms of IPC and its effect on muscle strength after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods: Twenty-four TKA patients were randomized to receive either sham IPC or IPC (3 cycles of 5-min ischemia followed by 5-min reperfusion). Vastus medialis muscle biopsies were collected at 30 â€‹min after tourniquet (TQ) inflation and the onset of reperfusion. Western blot analysis was performed in muscle protein for 4-HNE, SOD2, TNF-ɑ, IL-6, p-Drp1ser616, Drp1, Mfn1, Mfn2, Opa1, PGC-1ɑ, ETC complex I-V, cytochrome c, cleaved caspase-3, and caspase-3. Clinical outcomes including isokinetic muscle strength and quality of life were evaluated pre- and postoperatively. Results: IPC significantly increased Mfn2 (2.0 â€‹± â€‹0.2 vs 1.2 â€‹± â€‹0.1, p â€‹= â€‹0.001) and Opa1 (2.9 â€‹± â€‹0.3 vs 1.9 â€‹± â€‹0.2, p â€‹= â€‹0.005) proteins expression at the onset of reperfusion, compared to the ischemic phase. There were no differences in 4-HNE, SOD2, TNF-ɑ, IL-6, p-Drp1ser616/Drp1, Mfn1, PGC-1ɑ, ETC complex I-V, cytochrome c, and cleaved caspase-3/caspase-3 expression between the ischemic and reperfusion periods, or between the groups. Clinically, postoperative peak torque for knee extension significantly reduced in the sham IPC group (-16.6 [-29.5, -3.6] N.m, p â€‹= â€‹0.020), while that in the IPC group was preserved (-4.7 [-25.3, 16.0] N.m, p â€‹= â€‹0.617). Conclusion: In TKA with TQ application, IPC preserved postoperative quadriceps strength and prevented TQ-induced I/R injury partly by enhancing mitochondrial fusion proteins in the skeletal muscle. The translational potential of this article: Mitochondrial fusion is a potential underlying mechanism of IPC in preventing skeletal muscle I/R injury. IPC applied before TQ-induced I/R preserved postoperative quadriceps muscle strength after TKA.

The Thai Incident Monitoring Study (Thai AIMS) of suspected pulmonary embolism: an analysis of 1996 incident reports.

BACKGROUND: The present study is part of the multicenter study of model of anesthesia related adverse events in Thailand by Incident Report (The Thai Anesthesia Incident Mohitoring Study or Thai AIMS). The objectives of the present study were to determine the frequency clinical presenting, and outcomes of suspected pulmonary embolism. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The present study is a prospective descriptive research design. Three anesthesiologists extracted relevant data from the incident reports on suspected pulmonary embolism from the Thai AIMS database collected during the study period between January 1 and June 30, 2007. Descriptive statistics was used. RESULTS: After exclusion of four irrelevant or unlikely pulmonary embolism patients, there were 12 cases of suspected pulmonary embolism (0.6% of 1996 incident reports). Four cases (25%) were operated under emergency conditions. One incident (8.3%), eight incidents (67.7%), and three incidents (25%) were diagnosed by clinical diagnosis in preoperative, intra-operative, and 24-hour postoperative period. Common clinical manifestations were hypoxia (91.7%), hypotension (91.7%), and cardiac arrest (50%) at time of diagnosis. The mortality rate of obstetric surgery, orthopedic surgery, and general surgery were 42.8% (3 out of 7), 50% (2 out of4), and 0% (0 out of 1 patient) with a total mortality rate of 41.7%. Only two patients (16.6%) that had incidental cardiac arrest survived There were two cases (16. 6%) ofpreventable incidents due to incorrect usage ofpressure pump for rapid IV infusion. CONCLUSION: Diagnosis ofpulmonary embolism was difficult. The incidents were rare. Hypoxia and hypotension were the most common manifestations. Perioperative mortality rate was high (41.7%) despite prompt cardiopulmonary support. Most incidents were unexpected. An air embolism due to incorrect use of pressure pump for rapid IV infusion was considered preventable. Further epidemiologic studies for thromboembolism prophylaxis in Thailand are needed.

Satisfaction and Barriers of Surgical Safety Checklist Implementation in a Nonmandatory Adoption Resource-Limited Country.

OBJECTIVES: A surgical safety checklist has been a globally implemented and mandated adoption in several countries. However, its use is not mandatory in Thailand. This study aimed to evaluate the perceptions of surgical personnel on surgical complications and safety and to examine the satisfaction and barriers of surgical safety checklist implementation. METHODS: A survey study was performed between November 2013 and February 2015 in 61 Thai hospitals. A questionnaire capturing demographics, perceptions related to surgical complications and safety, and the satisfaction and barriers of surgical safety checklist implementation was distributed to surgical personnel. RESULTS: A total of 2024 surgical personnel were recruited. Nearly all of them reported experience or knowledge of an adverse surgical event (99.6%). Most thought that it could be preventable (98.2%) and quality care improvement could help reduce the occurrence of adverse events (97.7%). Overall, respondents reported a high level of satisfaction with the checklist (mean [SD] = 3.79 [0.71]). The three areas of highest satisfaction were benefit to the patient (mean [SD] = 4.11 [0.69]), benefit to the organization (mean [SD] = 4.05 [0.68]), and reduction in adverse events (mean [SD] = 4.02 [0.69]). Overall, the barrier for implementation of the checklist was rated as moderate (mean [SD] = 2.52 [0.99]). However, the means of barriers in each period, sign in, time out, and sign out, were rated as low (means [SD] = 2.41 [1.07], 2.50 [1.03], and 2.34 [1.01], respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The data document that the satisfaction with the checklist are fairly high. However, some barriers were identified. Efforts to increase understanding through more rigorous policy enforcement and strategic support may lead to improving the checklist implementation.

Risk factors and adverse clinical outcomes of postoperative delirium in Thai elderly patients: A prospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: To determine the incidence, risk factors, and adverse clinical outcomes of postoperative delirium (POD) in elderly patients. DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 429 patients scheduled to undergo noncardiac surgery were recruited. Delirium was assessed using the confusion assessment method. FINDINGS: The incidence of POD was 5.4%. Risk factors of POD were age over 70 years, an American Society of Anesthesiologist physical status 2 and 3, cognitive impairment, history of psychiatric illness, and preoperative hemoglobin ≤ 10 g/dl. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The correction of modifiable risk factors, the use of preventive strategies, and the monitoring of POD are advisable to improve the quality of perioperative care.

Unintended intraoperative awareness: An analysis of Perioperative Anesthetic Adverse Events in Thailand (PAAd Thai).

BACKGROUND: Despite the improvement of anesthetic-related modalities, the incidence of unintended intraoperative awareness remains at around 0.005-0.038%. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to describe the intraoperative awareness incidents that occurred across Thailand between January to December, 2015. METHODS: Observational data was collected from 22 hospitals throughout Thailand. The awareness category was selected from incident reports according to the Perioperative Anesthetic Adverse Events in Thailand (PAAd Thai) study database and descriptive statistics were analyzed. The awareness characteristics and the related factors were recorded. RESULTS: A total of nine intraoperative awareness episodes from 2000 incidents were observed. The intraoperative awareness results were as follows: experience of pain (38.1%), perception of sound (33.3%), perception of intubation (9.5%) and feeling of paralysis (14.3%). The observed factors that affect intraoperative awareness were anesthesia-related (100%), patient-related (55.5%), surgery-related (22.2%) and systematic process-related (22.2%). The contributing factors were situational inexperience (77.8%) and inappropriate patient evaluation (44.4%). An awareness of anesthetic performer (100%) and experience (88.9%) were defined as incident-mitigating factors. The suggested corrective strategies were quality assurance activity (88.9%), improved supervision (44.4%) and equipment utilization (33.3%), respectively. CONCLUSION: Nine intraoperative awareness incidents were observed, however the causes were preventable. The anesthetic component seems to be the most influential to prevent these events.

Difficult intubation in the adult patients undergoing oropharygolaryngeal, neck, and maxillofacial procedures: Thai Anesthesia Incident Monitoring Study (Thai AIMS).

BACKGROUND: Difficult intubation is one of the common anesthetic related complications during the perioperative period. In the patients with pathology or disease involving the oropharyngolarynx, neck, or maxillo-facial region, they might have a potentially higher risk than the general population. OBJECTIVE: To determine the characteristics and the contributing factors of difficult intubation in the adult patients undergoing oropharyngolaryngeal, neck, and maxillofacial procedures, and the factors minimizing this incidence and the suggested corrective strategies. MATERIAL AND METHOD: All incident reports of difficult intubation in the adult patients who received general anesthesia for the procedure involving the oropharyngolarynx, neck, and maxillofacial region from the Thai Anesthesia Incident Monitoring Study (Thai AIMS) database were identified. The details of the reports, the contributing factors, the factors those minimizing the incident, and the suggestive corrective strategies were studied. RESULTS: There were 26 (1.3%) incident reports of difficult intubation from the database. This occurred in 35%, 58%, and 15% of the patients with Mallampati class 1-2, thyromental distance equal or more than 5 cm or 3 fingerbreadths, and combined both parameters, respectively. Forty two percent of cases were judged as an unplanned difficult intubation. Twenty-seven, 23, and 19 percent of the patients had tumor or carcinoma at the oropharyngolarynx, deep neck infection, and maxillofacial fracture, respectively. Nearly half of the adverse events accompanied with difficult intubation were desaturation. No immediate fatally and late outcome was reported. Patients' disease/anatomy was the major contributing factor that might relate to the incidence. Previous experience, experienced assistance, and high vigilance were the factors minimizing incidence. Suggestive corrective strategies were guideline practices, additional training, and improved supervision. CONCLUSION: Carefully preoperative airway assessment and additional attention focused on the pathology or disease were the principle tasks. Algorithms for both anticipated and unanticipated difficult airway as well as alternative airway equipments should be implemented.

Anesthesia-related complications of caesarean delivery in Thailand: 16,697 cases from the Thai Anaesthesia Incidents Study.

BACKGROUND: Maternal complications related to anesthesia are low in comparison with the results from obstetric factors in developing countries. The purposes of the present study were to determine the incidence of maternal mortality related to anesthesia, to analyze the causes and to suggest measures to improve anesthetic safety for the parturients. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The present study was part of a multi-center study conducted by the Royal College of Anesthesiologists of Thailand aimed at surveillance of anesthesia-related complications in Thailand. The authors conducted a prospective survey of hospital records from all of the cases in and outside the operating room receiving general anesthesia in 18 centers between March 1, 2003 and February 28, 2004. All the forms were checked and verified by three-peer review then included in the analysis, using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Sixteen thousand six hundred ninety seven cases were included. The incidence of anesthetic complication in parturients was 35.9: 10,000 (95% CI 27.4, 46.1). Incidence ofthe four most common anesthetic related adverse events in caesarean section were desaturation 13.8 (95% CI 8.7, 20.7), cardiac arrest 10.2 (95% CI 5.9, 16.3), awareness 6.6 (95% CI 3.3, 11.8), and death related anesthesia 4.8 (95% CI 2.17, 9.4). Of these, seven (17.5%) had preeclampsia/eclampsia and 46 (76.7%) presented for emergency caesarean delivery. General anesthesia was used in 41 patients (68.4%) and spinal in eighteen (30%). There were eight maternal deaths including five with general anesthesia, giving a case fatality rate of 0.1% of general anesthetics or 0.3% of caesarean deliveries. CONCLUSION: The authors found that inexperience, inadequate knowledge, inadequate care, and patient conditions were the major contributory factors. Most of them were preventable and correctable. Additional training and quality assurance can improve and prevent these serious adverse events.

A randomized controlled trial of pentazocine versus ondansetron for the treatment of intrathecal morphine-induced pruritus in patients undergoing cesarean delivery.

BACKGROUND: Ondansetron is effective for the treatment of intrathecal morphine-induced pruritus. There is evidence that kappa-opioid receptor agonists have antipruritic activity. Pentazocine is an agonist of kappa-opioid receptors and partial agonist at mu-opioid receptors. We therefore performed a randomized, double-blind trial to compare the efficacy of pentazocine and ondansetron for the treatment of pruritus associated with intrathecal injection of morphine in patients undergoing cesarean delivery. METHODS: Two hundred eight parturients who developed moderate to severe pruritus after the administration of intrathecal morphine were randomly allocated to 2 groups: IV pentazocine 15 mg (n = 104) and IV ondansetron 4 mg (n = 104). The successful treatment of pruritus (no or mild pruritus) and other adverse effects were determined 15 min after study drug administration, and patients were observed for recurrence of pruritus for 4 h. RESULTS: The treatment success rate at 15 min was higher in the pentazocine group (96.1%) than in the ondansetron group (80.8%) (95% confidence interval of difference: 7.0%, 23.8%; P = 0.001). The recurrence rate of moderate to severe pruritus within 4 h after treatment in the pentazocine group (12.0%) was lower than in the ondansetron group (32.1%) (P = 0.001). There were no significant differences between groups in nausea/vomiting, sedation, shivering, pain scores, and pain at injection site. No respiratory depression was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Pentazocine 15 mg is superior to ondansetron 4 mg for the treatment of intrathecal morphine-induced pruritus and has a lower recurrence rate. The side effects after treatment are mild.