The effect of erector spinae plane block on postoperative analgesia and respiratory function in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy: A double-blind randomized controlled trial.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) causes moderate-to-severe postoperative pain. Postoperative pain is one of the leading contributors to respiratory dysfunction following surgery. This study investigated the effect of erector spinae plane (ESP) block on postoperative analgesia and respiratory function in patients undergoing LC. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, controlled trial. SETTING: University of Health Science. PATIENTS: Sixty-eight adult patients undergoing LC. INTERVENTIONS: Both groups received a standardized analgesia protocol. Patients assigned to the ESP block group received an additional bilateral ESP block. MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome was assessed as postoperative pain intensity associated with a lower opioid requirement and significant respiratory function improvement. MAIN RESULTS: Numerical rating scale (NRS) scores both at rest and during coughing were significantly lower in the ESP block group than in the control group at all time intervals (p < 0.001 in each) except for hour 2 postoperatively (p = 0.06 and p = 0.13, respectively). Tramadol consumption at 2 h and 24 h postoperatively was significantly lower in the ESP block group than in the controls (p < 0.001 for each). There was significant preservation in forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) in the ESP group in comparison to the control group at 2 and 24 h after surgery (p < 0.05 in each). FEV1/FVC and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) values were similar in each time interval. CONCLUSIONS: Bilateral ESP blocks provides adequate analgesia, allowing for a lower opioid requirement and significant respiratory function improvement after LC; therefore, we concluded that ESP block could be added to the multimodal analgesia protocol in LC.

Relationship between weather conditions and admissions for ischemic stroke and subarachnoid hemorrhage.

AIM: To assess impacts of different weather conditions on hospitalizations of patients with ischemic strokes and subarachnoid hemorrhages (SAH) in South Florida. METHODS: Diagnostic data of patients with spontaneous SAH and strokes were recorded between June 2010 and July 2013. Daily synchronous forecast charts were collected from the National Weather Service and the whole data were matched prospectively. The incidence rate ratio (IRR) was calculated. RESULTS: Increased incidence rate of ischemic stroke was consistent with the daily lowest and highest air pressure (IRR 1.03, P=0.128 and IRR 0.98, P=0.380, respectively), highest air temperature (IRR 0.99, P=0.375), and presence of hurricanes or storms (IRR 0.65, P=0.054). Increased incidence of SAH cases was consistent with daily lowest and highest air pressure (IRR 0.87, P<0.001 and IRR 1.08, P=0.019, respectively) and highest air temperature (IRR 0.98, P<0.001). Presence of hurricanes and/or tropical storms did not influence the frequency of SAH. We found no relationship between the presence of fronts and the admissions for ischemic stroke or SAH. CONCLUSION: Higher number of ischemic stroke and SAH cases can be expected with the daily lowest and highest air pressure, highest air temperature. Presence of hurricanes or tropical storms increased the risk of ischemic stroke but not the SAH. These findings can help to develop preventive health plans for cerebrovascular diseases.

Red cell distribution width as a novel predictor of postoperative respiratory adverse events after adenotonsillectomy.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory adverse events are commonly observed after adenotonsillectomy in children with sleep-disordered breathing. Preoperative prediction of these events enhances quality of care and resource management in facilities while encouraging precautions against them. Red cell distribution width, a measure of erythrocyte size variability, has recently been linked to adverse outcomes in a variety of disorders. Red cell distribution width has also been found to be associated with severity of obstructive sleep apnea in adults due to hypoxia-mediated inflammation. AIM: The objective of this study was to evaluate whether elevated red cell distribution width is associated with postoperative respiratory adverse events in children with symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing. METHODS: A prospective, observational, assessor-blinded study was conducted with consecutive children undergoing elective adenotonsillectomy for treatment of sleep-disordered breathing. Under general anesthesia, adenoidectomy was performed by curettage, and tonsillectomy was carried out by dissection. The primary outcome was the occurrence of an adverse event during emergence or in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU). RESULTS: Among 287 patients, with mean ± sd age 7.49 ± 3.21, the frequency of respiratory complications during emergence was 62 (22.30%) and in PACU was 56 (20.14%). Mean ± sd red cell distribution width was 14.36 ± 1.06 in patients with complications and higher than that in those without complications 13.53 ± 0.59. Red cell distribution width had an adjusted odds ratio 7.28 (95% CI: 4.30-13.28) and area under the curve value 0.74 (95% CI: 0.67-0.81) to predict postoperative complications. A cutoff value for red cell distribution width was found to be 14.7. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that preoperative elevated red cell distribution width is associated with an increased risk of respiratory adverse events in children undergoing adenotonsillectomy for sleep-disordered breathing.