Dural Puncture Epidural Technique Improves Labor Analgesia Quality With Fewer Side Effects Compared With Epidural and Combined Spinal Epidural Techniques: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: The dural puncture epidural (DPE) technique is a modification of the combined spinal epidural (CSE) technique, where a dural perforation is created from a spinal needle but intrathecal medication administration is withheld. The DPE technique has been shown to improve caudal spread of analgesia compared with epidural (EPL) technique without the side effects observed with the CSE technique. We hypothesized that the onset of labor analgesia would follow this order: CSE > DPE > EPL techniques. METHODS: A total of 120 parturients in early labor were randomly assigned to EPL, DPE, or CSE groups. Initial dosing for EPL and DPE consisted of epidural 20 mL of 0.125% bupivacaine plus fentanyl 2 µg/mL over 5 minutes, and for CSE, intrathecal 0.25% bupivacaine 1.7 mg and fentanyl 17 µg. Upon block completion, a blinded coinvestigator assessed the outcomes. Two blinded obstetricians retrospectively interpreted uterine contractions and fetal heart rate tracings 1 hour before and after the neuraxial technique. The primary outcome was time to numeric pain rating scale (NPRS) ≤ 1 analyzed by using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazard model. Secondary outcomes included block quality, maternal adverse effects, uterine contraction patterns, and fetal outcomes analyzed by using the χ test with Yates continuity correction. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the time to NPRS ≤ 1 between DPE and EPL (hazard ratio 1.4; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.83-2.4, P = .21). DPE achieved NPRS ≤ 1 significantly slower than CSE (hazard ratio 0.36; 95% CI 0.22-0.59, P = .0001). The median times (interquartile range) to NPRS ≤ 1 were 2 (0.5-6) minutes for CSE, 11 (4-120) minutes for DPE, and 18 (10-120) minutes for EPL. Compared with EPL, DPE had significantly greater incidence of bilateral S2 blockade at 10 minutes (risk ratio [RR] 2.13; 95% CI 1.39-3.28; P < .001), 20 minutes (RR 1.60; 95% CI 1.26-2.03; P < .001), and 30 minutes (RR 1.18; 95% CI 1.01-1.30; P < .034), a lower incidence of asymmetric block after 30 minutes (RR 0.19; 95% CI 0.07-0.51; P < .001) and physician top-up intervention (RR 0.45; 95% CI 0.23-0.86; P = .011). Compared with CSE, DPE had a significantly lower incidence of pruritus (RR 0.15; 95% CI 0.06-0.38; P < .001), hypotension (RR 0.38; 95% CI 0.15-0.98; P = .032), combined uterine tachysystole and hypertonus (RR 0.22; 95% CI 0.08-0.60; P < .001), and physician top-up intervention (RR 0.45; 95% CI 0.23-0.86; p = .011). CONCLUSIONS: Analgesia onset was most rapid with CSE with no difference between DPE and EPL techniques. The DPE technique has improved block quality over the EPL technique with fewer maternal and fetal side effects than the CSE technique for parturients requesting early labor analgesia.

The Influence of a Night-Float Call System on the Incidence of Unintentional Dural Puncture: A Retrospective Impact Study.

BACKGROUND: Resident night-float systems have been associated with adverse outcomes. We hypothesized that an obstetric anesthesia night float would increase the incidence of unintentional dural punctures. METHODS: The July to December incidence of unintentional dural puncture before (control group) and with night float (night-float group) was compared retrospectively. The incidence of unintentional dural puncture by day of week and trainee level was evaluated. RESULTS: The unintentional dural puncture rate of control group was 0.73% (20 of 2758) vs 1.49% (39 of 2612) in the night-float group (P = 0.008; relative risk = 2.06; 95% confidence interval = 1.23-3.74). The proportion of unintentional dural punctures attributed to clinical anesthesia-1 residents in the night-float and control groups was 28.2% (11 of 39) and 5.0% (1 of 20), respectively (relative risk = 5.64; 95% confidence interval = 1.07-152; P = 0.044). CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of night float increased the incidence of unintentional dural puncture.

Coagulation profile changes and safety of epidural analgesia after hepatectomy: a retrospective study.

PURPOSE: We aimed to review post-hepatectomy coagulation profile changes, to assess outcomes of epidural catheter placement in post-hepatectomy patients, and to make justifications regarding use of epidural analgesia in patients undergoing hepatectomy. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of 141 patients undergoing liver resection at Brigham and Women's Hospital between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2011. All patients were between 21 and 85 years old, with ASA physical status classification of II or III, and Child-Pugh scores ≤6. Patients undergoing laparoscopy or resection of less than three hepatic segments were excluded. We examined pre-operative hematocrit, platelet count, coagulation studies, and liver function tests, and trended values for 7 post-operative days. We examined frequency of epidural placement, use of peri-operative anticoagulation, and incidence of epidural-related complications. RESULTS: We demonstrated statistically significant decreases in hematocrit and platelet counts, as well as statistically significant increases in prothrombin time and international normalized ratio (INR) values. Thirty-two percent of patients required vitamin K or fresh frozen plasma to achieve an INR ≤1.3. No patient required platelet transfusion to achieve platelets ≥100,000 prior to catheter removal. Changes in post-operative partial thromboplastin time were not significant. Epidural catheters were placed in 90% of liver resections performed at our institution. We noted no epidural hematomas, even in the 7% of patients in whom the epidural catheter was inadvertently removed before coagulation criteria were met. The latter group was monitored with hourly neurologic exams for 24 h. CONCLUSION: Epidural analgesia may be safely used in patients undergoing major hepatic resection, providing that they have normal pre-operative coagulation and catheters are removed only when resection-induced perioperative coagulopathy has resolved or has been corrected.

Postoperative episodic left bundle branch block.

Transient left bundle branch block (LBBB) associated with physical exertion has been described in patients with and without coronary artery disease. A 64-year-old woman with no history of coronary artery disease underwent Nissen fundoplication under general anesthesia. Preoperatively, an exercise-tolerance test revealed LBBB, without ischemic symptoms. Intraoperatively, the electrocardiogram revealed normal sinus rhythm. Postoperatively, LBBB appeared in the absence of clinical symptoms or physiologic stress. The patient reported several similar episodes previously. Cardiac enzymes were negative. Subsequent electrocardiograms revealed persistence of LBBB. Anesthesiologists should be aware of the possibility of perioperative transient LBBB in the absence of cardiac ischemia.

Management of labor analgesia in a patient with acute myeloid leukemia.

The anesthetic implications of acute leukemia in pregnancy have not been reported. We describe the anesthetic management of a laboring primigravida at 34 weeks' gestation with new-onset acute myeloid leukemia. With multidisciplinary consultation, we recommend that neuraxial anesthesia be avoided in new-onset acute myeloid leukemia due to the risk of introducing malignant cells into the central nervous system, which can spread the disease and complicate management. We discuss the use of a fentanyl patient-controlled analgesia and dexmedetomidine as a method of labor analgesia, and the potential benefits of the latter medication in the obstetric population.