Collusion: The Facade and its Implications on Total Pain Management in Palliative Care.

Collusion is an unharmonious bond between the doctor and a patient or between patients and caregivers. This case report exemplifies one such experience and highlights the hurdles we face when dealing with collusion. A 31-year-old woman was diagnosed with rectal carcinoma during her pregnancy and underwent diversion colostomy (for intestinal obstruction) followed by neoadjuvant chemoradiation after delivery. Later, she was diagnosed with metastatic disease and was under palliative care. The family always had a negative association with cancer and chose to withhold information from the patient throughout the treatment trajectory. Collusion and lack of information can be a factor for persisting total pain. While caregivers desire to protect the patient from the distress of a life-limiting diagnosis, invariably it causes more anguish than comfort. Oncology professionals need to consider collusion as part of our sociocultural fabric and develop a strategy to negotiate and improve the care.

Integrating psycho-oncology services in cancer care in India.

Psychological distress is often an under-diagnosed problem in cancer care. Addressing psychosocial issues would enhance treatment compliance, physician-patient relationship, treatment efficacy and quality of life. This article emphasizes the importance of integrating psycho-oncology services in cancer care and attempts to define the various roles that a psycho-oncologist can play across the entire trajectory. It also highlights the indispensable role played by the oncologists' referrals in maximizing the benefits of psycho-oncology services received by patients and their caregivers.

Perioperative management of patients with severe hypophosphataemia secondary to oncogenic osteomalacia: Our experience and review of literature.

Oncogenic osteomalacia (OOM) is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome associated with mesenchymal tumours. It is characterised by phosphaturia, hypophosphataemia, decreased serum Vitamin D3 levels and severe osteomalacia. OOM-inducing tumours are usually benign, arising either from bone or soft tissue, with extremities and craniofacial region being the most common sites. Surgical resection of the tumour remains the mainstay of treatment. Challenges to an anaesthesiologist arise when such patients are planned for surgical resection of the underlying tumour. All the perioperative dilemmas are directly related to the severe hypophosphataemia. We describe three such cases of OOM and their perioperative management.

Anesthetic challenges of extrinsic trachea-bronchial compression due to posterior mediastinal mass: Our experience with a large esophageal mucocele.

Large posterior mediastinal masses may lead threatening complications such as critical tracheobronchial compression. Airway management in these individuals is a challenge and being a lower airway obstruction; rescue strategies are limited. We encountered one such case of a large esophageal mucocele causing extrinsic tracheobronchial compression. We have described the anesthetic management of this case using awake fiber-optic assessment followed by intubation. Close communication with the surgical team, meticulous planning of airway management, and early drainage of the mucocele are the cornerstones of management in such patients.

Intercostal Neuralgia Occurring as a Complication of Splanchnic Nerve Radiofrequency Ablation in a Patient with Chronic Pancreatitis.

Our intent is to report a case of intercostal neuralgia occuring as a complication of splanchnic radiofreqency ablation (RFA), due to a breach in the integrity of the insulating sheath of the RFA needle.A 48-year-old man presented to our pain clinic with upper abdominal pain due to chronic pancreatitis, recalcitrant to medical management. We decided to perform bilateral splanchnic nerve RFA in this patient. After confirmation of bilateral correct needle placement under fluoroscopic guidance and sensorimotor testing, RFA was performed on the right side uneventfully. However, during RFA on the left side, the patient experienced severe pain in the epigastric region. A bolus of fentanyl 50 µg was given intravenously in order to minimise discomfort, and RFA was performed. In the post-procedure period, the patient described severe pain in the left subcostal and epigastric region, with features suggestive of intercostal neuralgia of the left 11th intercostal nerve. We went back and analysed all the fluoroscopic images again. Convinced of correct needle placement, we examined the RFA needles which had been used for ablation in this patient. One of the needles was discovered to have a fine breach in its insulating sheath, at a distance of approximately 30 mm from the active tip. It is of utmost importance for all interventional pain physicians to perform a thorough pre-use check of the equipment prior to any RFA procedure, with special emphasis on ensuring the integrity of the insulating sheath of the needles which are to be used, in order to prevent injury of non target nerves. KEY WORDS: Splanchnic nerve block, radiofrequency ablation, intercostal neuralgia, radiofrequency ablation complications, radiofrequency equipment check, radiofrequency needle.

Chronic pain in a patient with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hypermobility type): The role of myofascial trigger point injections.

Chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain is a cardinal symptom in hypermobility type of Ehler Danlos Syndrome (EDS type III). The management of pain in EDS, however, has not been studied in depth. A 30 year old female, known case of EDS, presented to the pain clinic with complaints of severe upper back pain for 6 months. Physical examination of the back revealed two myofascial trigger points over the left rhomboids and the left erector spinae. Local anaesthetic trigger point injections were given at these points, followed by stretching exercises under analgesic cover for the first week. After 1 week the patient reported 60-80% pain relief. This case highlights that we must keep a high index of suspicion for the more treatable causes of pain like myofascial pain syndrome in patients suffering from EDS, and should address it promptly and appropriately in order to maximise patient comfort.

Depression masquerading as chest pain in a patient with Wolff Parkinson White syndrome.

Wolff Parkinson White (WPW) syndrome is a condition in which there is an aberrant conduction pathway between the atria and ventricles, resulting in tachycardia. A 42-year-old patient, who was treated for WPW syndrome previously, presented with chronic somatic pain. With her cardiac condition in mind, she was thoroughly worked up for a recurrence of disease. As part of routine screening of all patients at our pain clinic, she was found to have severe depression as per the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) criteria. After ruling out sinister causes, she was treated for depression using oral Duloxetine and counselling. This led to resolution of symptoms, and improved her mood and functional capability. This case highlights the use of psychological screening tools and diligent examination in scenarios as confusing as the one presented here. Addressing the psychological aspects of pain and adopting a holistic approach are as important as treatment of the primary pathology.

Entropy vs standard clinical monitoring using total intravenous anesthesia during transvaginal oocyte retrieval in patients for in vitro fertilization.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Day care surgery is an important arena for monitors of anesthetic depth where minimizing drug use is essential for rapid turnover. Underdosage, on the other hand, carries the risks of intraoperative awareness and pain. Transvaginal oocyte retrieval (TVOR), often performed under total intravenous anesthesia using propofol and fentanyl in Indian patients, is a procedure of special interest because, in addition to the above concerns, toxic effects of propofol on oocytes have been described. We have studied the role of entropy monitor, a depth of anesthesia monitor, in optomising drug titration and facilitating distinction between analgesic and hypnotic components of anesthesia. DESIGN: Prospective randomized controlled study. SETTING: Operating theater and postoperative recovery area. PATIENTS: One hundred twenty American Society of Anesthesiologists class I and II female patients coming to the IVF centre for TVOR under total intravenous anesthesia using propofol and fentanyl. They were randomly allocated into 2 groups: Group EM (drugs titrated as per entropy values: state entropy and response entropy) and group CM (drugs titrated as per standard clinical monitoring). INTERVENTION: None. MEASUREMENTS: Total propofol consumption (TP), total fentanyl consumption (TF), on-table recovery time (T1), time to discharge (T2), intraoperative awareness (A). MAIN RESULTS: Patients in group EM demonstrated 6.7% lesser consumption of propofol (P= .01), 10.9% more consumption of fentanyl (P= .007) and 1 minute faster recovery on-table (P= .009) as compared to group CM. In the PACU, only 10% patients of group EM required supplemental analgesia as opposed to 28.3% in CM group (P= .01). Time to discharge was similar in both groups and no intraoperative awareness was noted. CONCLUSION: Entropy monitor is a useful tool allowing distinction between analgesic and hypnotic components of general anesthesia in patients undergoing TVOR and facilitating drug titration accordingly. Its impact on intraoperative awareness needs to be further evaluated.

Comparative Evaluation of Retrocrural versus Transaortic Neurolytic Celiac Plexus Block for Pain Relief in Patients with Upper Abdominal Malignancy: A Retrospective Observational Study.

AIM: To compare retrocrural versus transaortic techniques for neurolytic celiac plexus block (NCPB) in patients suffering from upper abdominal malignancy. METHODS: In this retrospective observational study between October 2013 and April 2015, 64 patients with inoperable upper abdominal malignancy received fluoroscopy-guided percutaneous NCPB in our institute. Their case files were reviewed and the patients were divided into two groups depending on the technique used to perform NCPB: retrocrural (Group R; n = 36) versus transaortic (Group T; n = 28). The primary outcome measure was pain as assessed with a numeric rating scale (NRS) from 0 to 10; the secondary outcome measures were morphine consumption per day (M), quality of life (QOL) as assessed by comparing the percent of positive responses in each group, and complications if any. These were noted and analyzed prior to intervention and then on day 1, weeks 1, 2, 3, and months 1, 2, 3, 6 following NCPB. RESULTS: Patients in Group R had significantly reduced NRS pain scores at week 1, 2, 3, month 1 and 2 as compared to Group T (P < 0.05). Morphine consumption also reduced significantly in Group R at day 1, week 1, 2, and 3 (P < 0.05). QOL was found to be comparable between the groups, and no major complications were noted. CONCLUSION: Retrocrural NCPB provides superior pain relief along with a reduction in morphine consumption as compared to transaortic NCPB in patients with pain due to upper abdominal malignancy.

Serratus anterior plane block: a new analgesic technique for post-thoracotomy pain.

Pain following thoracotomy is of moderate to severe nature. Management of thoracotomy pain is a challenging task. Post thoracotomy pain has acute effects in the post operative period by affecting respiratory mechanics, which increases the morbidity. Poorly controlled thoracotomy pain in the acute phase may also lead to the development of a chronic pain syndrome. A young male patient underwent esophagectomy and esophago-gastric anastomosis for corrosive stricture of the esophagus. Epidural analgesia is standard of care for patients undergoing thoracotomy. Due to hypotension and fluid losses following surgery, he was maintained on intravenous sedato-analgesia during postoperative mechanical ventilation. The thoracic epidural catheter which was placed pre-operatively, had developed blockage during the hospital stay. However, during weaning from ventilation and sedation, he indicated severe pain in the thoracotomy incision. The pain was severe enough to impair tidal breathing. We wanted to evaluate the efficacy of the serratus anterior plane block in the management of thoracotomy pain. The usefulness of this block has been discussed in the management of pain of rib fractures and breast surgeries. Despite the hypothesis of its usefulness in causing anaesthesia of the hemithorax, there are no available reports of clinical use for pain relief following thoracotomy. We performed the serratus anterior place block under ultrasound guidance and placed a catheter for continuous infusion of local anaesthetic and opioid. The patient had significant pain relief following a single bolus of the drug. The infusion was started thereafter, which provided excellent analgesia and facilitated an uneventful recovery. Here, we describe the successful management of thoracotomy pain using the serratus anterior plane block.