Retained fragmented needle in intravenous drug users: An institutional experience and treatment protocol.

Retained needle fragments can occur in intravenous drug user (IVDU), which can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. The aim of present study is to give an overview of our institutional experience and treatment protocol followed for such patients. IVDU with retained fragment of fractured needle were taken from the patient presenting in Emergency, Medicine and CTVS departments with history of IVDU, from January 2019 to December 2020. Six patients were found with retained broken needles. Detailed history, examination and investigations were done. The needle was removed under local anaesthesia successfully in all patients. IVDU with retained broken needle poses risk for catastrophic complications along with possibility of local complications. A systematic approach in managing such patients is required. These broken needles can be successfully retrieved as day care procedure. Lastly, IVDUs with fractured needles pose threat to the caregivers who should take caution to avoid iatrogenic injury.

Management of Giant Frontoethmoid Osteoma by Combined Approach.

Giant osteomas of the frontoethmoidal region often manifest early with ocular symptoms and intracranial complications. The management involves careful surgical planning of both the approach and reconstruction. In the present case report, a case of giant frontoethmoid osteoma presented with ocular symptoms and cosmetic deformity. The case was managed by a combined endoscopic and open surgical approach along with reconstruction of the sinus wall defect using a pericranial flap and titanium mesh. The outcome was found to be satisfactory with the resolution of ocular symptoms and good cosmesis.

An Unusual Case of Post-Operative Functional Stridor After Emergence From General Anesthesia.

Post-anesthesia stridor due to laryngospasm, laryngeal edema, or any other organic cause is a life-threatening condition requiring immediate intervention. The very rare functional stridor or psychogenic stridor following emergence from general anesthesia may sometimes mimic stridor due to an organic cause, but it is neither fatal nor require immediate airway management. However, if the condition is not diagnosed timely, it may lead to unnecessary manipulation of the airway, such as endotracheal intubation or tracheostomy. We report herein a case of functional stridor in a 48-year-old woman who underwent abdominal-perineal resection for carcinoma rectum. The case was timely diagnosed by the attending anesthetist, and the patient recovered spontaneously, thus avoiding any unindicated airway handling and its associated complications.

Mist nebulizer versus heated humidifier on endotracheal tube patency in spontaneously breathing intubated patients: A prospective, randomized controlled trial.

Background and Aims: Using a humidifier in intubated patients is now a standard of care as the humidifying effect of the upper airway is lost. We conducted this study to compare the efficacy of a heated humidifier (HH) with the more commonly used conventional mist nebulizer on overnight intubated and spontaneously breathing post-operative patients. Material and Methods: This prospective, randomized control trial included 60 post-operative overnight intubated and spontaneously breathing patients, of which 30 patients were allocated to the HH group and 30 to the mist nebulizer group. The reduction of endotracheal tube (ETT) patency was measured quantitatively by the difference between the pre-intubation and immediate post-extubation ETT volume and compared between the two groups. Also, the characteristics of secretion, the temperature of inspired gas at the Y-piece, and the frequency of refilling the humidifier chamber were recorded and compared. Results: The reduction of ETT volume was significantly more in the mist nebulizer group compared to the HH group (P-value 0.00026). The mean temperature of the inspired gas (°C) was higher in the HH group (P-value < 0.0001). More patients in the mist nebulizer group had thicker (P-value 0.057) and drier secretions (P-value 0.005) compared to the HH group. None of the patients in the HH group required refilling of the humidifier chamber while the mean frequency of the refilling was 3.5 times per patient in the mist nebulizer group. Conclusion: HH may be preferred over mist nebulizer as the latter requires more frequent refilling which may not be practically possible in a busy recovery room rendering the patient at the risk of inhaling dry gas and consequent thick and dry secretions with decreased ETT patency.

Focal hand warming for post-anaesthesia shivering control: A simple and safe non-pharmacological approach in resource limited-area.

Post-anaesthesia shivering is a common complication and has multiple deleterious effects. Sometimes multiple non-pharmacological interventions applied together may not control post-anaesthesia shivering adequately, necessitating the use of drugs in some cases. Hand warming is commonly used to warm up the body since time immemorial but its role in preventing post-anaesthesia shivering has not been evaluated. This case series describes the application of this simple and safe method of focal hand warming along with other non-pharmacological measures to suppress post-anaesthesia shivering, whereby possible use of drugs could be avoided.

A rare case of misoprostol hypersensitivity.

Medical abortion using mifepristone-misoprostol regimen has been considered to be a safe and effective method for pregnancy termination. Misoprostol is a frequently used well tolerated drug with mild and transient side effects. Considering the safety profile mifepristone-misoprostol regimen has also been advocated by many for home-based medical abortion. However, we report herein a rare case of hypersensitivity reaction to sublingual misoprostol administered for first trimester medical abortion, where timely diagnosis and prompt intervention prevented life-threatening airway obstruction. The possibility of such rare event should be kept in mind and included in patient counselling and information especially for those who opt for outpatient abortion care so that they can seek medical help at the earliest.

Role of Coagulation Profile in Predicting Disease Severity Among Patients of COVID-19.

Background Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), affects the coagulation cascade. In this retrospective study, we aimed to analyze the association of different coagulation parameters including that of D-dimer, fibrinogen, prothrombin time (PT), and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) with severity in COVID-19 patients. Methodology A total of 90 patients positive for SARS-CoV-2 on real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) were included in the study. The patients were categorized as severe and non-severe, and their D-dimer, fibrinogen, PT, and aPTT values on admission were evaluated. The association of the coagulation parameters with disease severity was analyzed by independent t-test and Chi-square test. The cut-off values of these parameters were calculated to predict the disease severity by receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve. Results Out of 90 patients admitted, 42 patients were categorized as severe and the rest 48 patients were categorized as non-severe. D-dimer, fibrinogen, and PT in the severe group were significantly higher than the non-severe group with p-values of <0.001, 0.005, and <0.001, respectively. Cut-off values of 0.99 mg/L for D-dimer,349.5 mg/dL for fibrinogen, and 13.05 seconds for PT were predictive of disease severity among COVID-19 patients. Conclusion Severe COVID-19 patients showed significantly higher levels of D-dimer and fibrinogen and prolongation of PT as compared to non-severe COVID-19 patients. Higher levels of D-dimer and fibrinogen, and prolonged PT are predictive of increased disease severity among COVID-19 patients.

An Observational Study on Arrhythmia During Cesarean Section Under Spinal Anesthesia: Incidence, Risk Factors, and Effects on Immediate Post-delivery Neonatal Outcome.

INTRODUCTION: Various types of arrhythmia have been reported during cesarean section under spinal anesthesia. But the possible causative factors and the effects of arrhythmia on immediate post-delivery neonatal outcome are not well established. METHODS: This prospective observational study was conducted over a period of one year in a tertiary care hospital on women undergoing cesarean section under spinal anesthesia. The objectives of the study were to determine the incidence of arrhythmia, its types, the possible factors influencing arrhythmia, and the immediate post-delivery neonatal outcome. Data collected were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 21 (IBM Corp. Armonk, NY). RESULTS: In our study, the incidence of arrhythmia was 31.9% during cesarean section under spinal anesthesia; and sinus bradycardia was the most common type. Arrhythmia occurred more in women with hypotension, when maximum block height was above T4 level and dose of intrathecal hyperbaric bupivacaine was more than 2.2 mL (P value <0.05). Also, uterine manipulation led to sudden bradycardia and transient cardiac asystole in two patients which was preceded by subjective symptoms of pain and discomfort. None of the neonates required cardiopulmonary resuscitation or neonatal intensive care unit admission within an hour of birth. APGAR (Appearance (skin color), Pulse (heart rate), Grimace (reflex irritability), Activity (muscle tone), and Respiration) scores at 1 and 5 minutes were similar in all the newborns born to mothers with or without arrhythmia. CONCLUSION: The occurrence of arrhythmia during cesarean section under spinal anesthesia, though very common, is rarely life-threatening. Keeping maximum level of block height between T4 and T6, using lower possible drug dose to provide adequate level of sensory block, prompt management of hypotension, and strict monitoring during uterine manipulation may reduce the overall incidence of arrhythmia. Intraoperative arrhythmia, however, does not adversely affect the immediate post-delivery neonatal outcome.

Significant physiological impact of wearing PPE inside operation theatre: A challenging scenario in this COVID-19 pandemic.

Owing to COVID-19 pandemic, wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) and N95 mask inside an operation theatre has become a common practice. Subjective symptoms of suffocation, headache, dizziness, and lack of concentration while on PPE may at times become significant enough requiring oxygen therapy, removal of mask, or even doffing of PPE, which may increase the risk of being infected and at the same time compromising patient care. The reason behind such subjective symptoms may be multifactorial. We report here a 52-years-old anesthetist with a high body mass index, wearing PPE for a prolonged duration inside an operation theatre during a high-risk surgery encountered a similar episode. Being the lone anesthetist, he decided to oxygenate himself in an innovative way, thus, avoiding doffing and any undesirable event. With pandemic expanding rapidly such scenarios may be encountered often, identifying factors predicting such events and finding methods of oxygenation while wearing PPE may be extremely beneficial.

Maternal and Perinatal Outcomes in Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy and Factors Influencing It: A Prospective Hospital-Based Study in Northeast India.

Introduction Hypertensive disorders frequently complicate pregnancy and contribute substantially to maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Identification of risk factors for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) can help determine the particular patient group which requires appropriate intervention. Methods This prospective cross-sectional hospital-based study conducted from January 2016 to January 2019 included all pregnant women beyond 20 weeks of gestation complicated by HDP. The objectives were to determine the incidence of HDP and associated maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity rates along with factors influencing it. Data collected were entered in Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA) and analyzed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 21 (IBM Corp. Armonk, NY). Results In our study, out of 5460 deliveries, 402 (7.4%) cases had HDP, 27.6% had gestational hypertension, 27.6% had mild preeclampsia, 33.6% had severe preeclampsia, and 11.2% had eclampsia. Fifty-four (13.4%) cases required admission in the intensive care unit and 12 (2.9%) ended in maternal deaths. The cause of maternal mortality was cerebral hemorrhage in eight (66.6%) cases and pulmonary edema in four (33.3%) cases. All maternal deaths occurred in women with severe preeclampsia and eclampsia and eclampsia was significantly higher. Maternal deaths were more when systolic blood pressure (SBP) was ≥ 160mmHg, diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was ≥ 110mmHg, significantly more with 3+ proteinuria, but no association was found with age, parity, booking status, socio-economic status, gestational age, or mode of delivery. All mothers with HDP received treatment with antihypertensives. There were 60 (14.9%) cases of perinatal mortality. Perinatal deaths were more in unbooked cases and preterm HDP, significantly more with SBP ≥160 mmHg, DBP ≥110 mmHg and ≥2+proteinuria, but no association was found with parity or mode of delivery. Besides mortality, there was a significant burden of maternal and perinatal morbidity, which was more in women with severe preeclampsia and eclampsia. Conclusion Routine antenatal screening for HDP in all pregnant women with appropriate and timely interventions in women at risk may help reduce HDP-related maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality.