Career opportunities and guidance among early-career anaesthesiologists - A questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey.

Background and Aims: The opportunities to work for early-career anaesthesiologists are in various sectors such as teaching institutes, private practice, and corporate hospitals in India or abroad. The primary aim of the survey was to determine whether early-career anaesthesiologists wanted to work in India or abroad. The secondary objectives were to determine the proportion of early-career anaesthesiologists who wished to pursue further studies and what degree they wanted to pursue. Methods: A validated questionnaire containing questions related to career preferences was circulated by social media among early-career anaesthesiologists via Google Forms. The survey questionnaire focussed on whether the respondents wanted to work in India or abroad or pursue further studies. The survey results were tabulated in an Excel sheet. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data, and the Chi-square test was applied where appropriate. Age-group preferences and gender preferences were also analysed. Results: A total of 684 responses were received. The mean (SD) age of the respondents was 31.4 (2.8) years. Among the respondents, 64.1% were female, and 35.9% were male. Of the respondents, 309 (72.5%) were in a job, 50 (11.7%) were pursuing Society-recognised fellowships, and the rest were pursuing super-specialisation degrees or University-recognised fellowships. Two hundred and eighty-six respondents (75.5%) wanted to study outside India. Only 155 (36.6%) had career guidance from immediate contacts or mentors. Conclusion: Early-career anaesthesiologists want to pursue further degrees and fellowships after their graduation in anaesthesiology. Career guidance is an important aspect of anaesthesiology training.

Evaluation of indocyanine green tracheobronchial fluorescence (ICG-TBF) via nebulization during minimally invasive esophagectomy.

Surgical manipulation of the tracheobronchial complex is a contributing factor in pulmonary morbidity of esophagectomy. Accurate dissection between membranous trachea and bronchi with esophagus is essential. This study tests the feasibility of delivering indocyanine green (ICG) in an aerosol form to achieve tracheobronchial fluorescence (ICG-TBF). Patients with esophageal and esophagogastric junction carcinoma (N = 37) undergoing minimally invasive esophagectomy (McKeown type) were included. ICG was aerosolized by nebulization in supine position before thoracoscopy. ICG-TBF was observed with real-time fluorescence-enabled camera. Intra- and postoperative complications related to ICG were the primary focus. ICG-TBF was identified in 94.6% (35/37) of patients with median time to fluorescence identification of 15 minutes (range 1-43). There were no airway injuries in the study. The ICU median stay was 2 (range 2-21) days. No intra- or postoperative complications attributable to ICG were observed. Grade 3 or 4 pulmonary complications were seen in total 8.1% patients. No 90-day postoperative mortality was seen. ICG delivered in aerosol form was found to be safe and effective in achieving ICG-TBF. It aided in accurate dissection of esophagus from the tracheobronchial complex. Further studies on effect of ICG-TBF in decreasing pulmonary complications of esophagectomy are needed.

Global Cancer Surgery: pragmatic solutions to improve cancer surgery outcomes worldwide.

The first Lancet Oncology Commission on Global Cancer Surgery was published in 2015 and serves as a landmark paper in the field of cancer surgery. The Commission highlighted the burden of cancer and the importance of cancer surgery, while documenting the many inadequacies in the ability to deliver safe, timely, and affordable cancer surgical care. This Commission builds on the first Commission by focusing on solutions and actions to improve access to cancer surgery globally, developed by drawing upon the expertise from cancer surgery leaders across the world. We present solution frameworks in nine domains that can improve access to cancer surgery. These nine domains were refined to identify solutions specific to the six WHO regions. On the basis of these solutions, we developed eight actions to propel essential improvements in the global capacity for cancer surgery. Our initiatives are broad in scope, pragmatic, affordable, and contextually applicable, and aimed at cancer surgeons as well as leaders, administrators, elected officials, and health policy advocates. We envision that the solutions and actions contained within the Commission will address inequities and promote safe, timely, and affordable cancer surgery for every patient, regardless of their socioeconomic status or geographic location.

Recent advances in paediatric anaesthesia.

Recent development in science has led to a significant improvement in safety for the anaesthetic management of children. Enhanced recovery after surgery is one of the novel approaches aiming to enhance paediatric surgical outcomes and their quick recovery. Preoperative counselling, minimal fasting, and no routine pharmacological premedication are critical components of enhanced recovery after surgery. As anaesthetists, management of airway is our priority and introduction of paraoxygenation in addition to preoxygenation has resulted in reduction in desaturation episodes during periods of apnoea. Safe care has been made possible by improvements in monitoring, equipment, medications, techniques, and resuscitation protocols. We are motivated to collect more evidence regarding ongoing disputes and issues, such as the effect of anaesthesia on neurodevelopment.

A randomized controlled study to compare analgesic efficacy of sublingual buprenorphine and intravenous tramadol in patients undergoing mastectomy.

Sublingual (SL) buprenorphine is approved for managing acute postoperative pain, characterized by easy administration, good pain relief and good patient compliance. We hypothesized that SL buprenorphine would be a better perioperative analgesic compared to intravenous (IV) opioids like tramadol in patients undergoing mastectomy surgery for breast cancer. After institutional ethics committee approval, we randomized 60 patients with breast cancer into 2 groups. In buprenorphine group, patients received 200 µg of SL buprenorphine thrice daily and in tramadol group patients received 100 mg of IV tramadol thrice daily. The analgesic efficacy of SL buprenorphine was comparable to that of IV tramadol. Visual Analogue Scale scores had no significant difference between the two groups at various time frames (0, 1, 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 hours) at rest and movement except at 0 and 3 hours during movement when the score was lower in the tramadol group than the buprenorphine group. Four patients in the buprenorphine group received rescue analgesic (IV morphine 3 mg). Analgesic efficacy of SL buprenorphine appears comparable to IV tramadol for managing postoperative pain after mastectomy. SL buprenorphine can be administered sublingually, which is an advantage.

Ultrasound-Guided Continuous Transmuscular Quadratus Lumborum Block for Postoperative Analgesia in Patients Undergoing Radical Nephrectomy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Introduction Ultrasound (US) guided transmuscular quadratus lumborum block (TMQLB) has been widely used as regional anaesthesia (RA) technique for managing postoperative pain after intraperitoneal and retroperitoneal procedures like nephrectomy, percutaneous nephrostomy, cholecystectomy, and also for hip surgeries. Although continuous epidural analgesia is considered the gold standard for most of these procedures, alternative techniques such as transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block and continuous rectus sheath block have also been used successfully. US-guided TMQLB seems to have more advantages than TAP block as it blocks the visceral afferents. With more cephalad spread of the local anaesthetic into the thoracic paravertebral space, it might block somatic pain from T6 to L2 as well. Methods After institutional ethics committee approval, we recruited 64 consecutive patients in the study and randomized them into two groups. Patients in the study group received bupivacaine (0.125%) and the control group received normal saline as a continuous infusion for 48 hours. Both groups were compared for 48 hours morphine consumption, time to first analgesic, hemodynamics, postoperative nausea/vomiting (PONV), sedation, and other adverse events. Results Data from 60 patients were analyzed. Forty-eight hours of morphine consumption in group A (study) was less than group B (7.4 ± 4.57 mg versus 11.86 ± 5.58 mg) and the time to first morphine requirement was 240 min (105-500) in group A compared to 90 min (90-225) in group B which was statistically significant. Demographic data, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status, hemodynamics, Ramsay sedation score (RSS), and PONV were comparable in both groups. Conclusion Continuous US-guided TMQLB appears to be a safe and effective RA technique for managing postoperative pain after nephrectomy for up to 48 hours. Trial registration: German Clinical Trials Register-DRKS-ID: DRKS00014611.

Pneumomediastinum: A Rare Complication of Epidural Analgesia.

Pneumomediastinum is a rare complication following epidural block using the loss of resistance (LOR) technique with air. It is speculated to result from the opening of potential space connecting the epidural space and the posterior mediastinum via intervertebral foramina through fascial planes. To date, only two cases of pneumomediastinum after epidural block have been reported. An incidental finding of pneumomediastinum two days after the procedure has not been reported before. Epidural block as a cause should be considered among multiple causes while interpreting the imaging of this life-threatening complication in the postoperative period.

Management of Malignant Ascites by Indwelling Tunnelled Catheters in Indian Setup: A Case Series.

Malignant Ascites (MA) poses significant symptom burden in patients with peritoneal malignancies at the end of life. Various treatment options are available and Indwelling Tunneled Catheters (ITC) have the advantage of increased patient comfort being soft on abdomen, less painful, easy to tap fluid, and less chances of infection etc. A total of 5 patients underwent insertion of ITC after proper counseling and assessment. Insertion was done in operation theatre under combined ultrasonogram and fluoroscopy guidance. Results: 4 out of 5 patients had favorable outcomes in terms of symptom free days spent at home at end of life. ITC's are a suitable option to manage symptoms in patients with terminal malignant ascites. Careful patient selection and proper education of the caregivers will increase the success rates of procedures.

Regional anesthesia prevents cancer recurrence after oncosurgery! What is wrong with the hypothesis?

Several studies have investigated the hypothesis of the efficacy of regional anesthesia (RA) techniques in preventing cancer recurrence when used perioperatively during oncological surgeries. Although theoretically, the association appears beneficial, the patient outcomes after cancer surgeries with or without RA were comparable, that is, the use of RA did not improve patient survival or prevent cancer recurrence after surgery. Another problem with this data is its retrospective nature which makes its interpretation difficult. Moreover, there are a lot of other confounding factors like comorbidities, tumor biology, nosocomial infections, duration of hospital stay, and baseline immunity, which is not comparable, and hence make standardization for a well-designed prospective study difficult. Return to intended oncologic therapy (RIOT) involves treatment in the form of radiation or chemotherapy which, if received on time after the planned oncosurgery, could provide a better chance of preventing cancer recurrence and improved survival. However, none of the retrospective studies have correlated cancer recurrence with delay in RIOT or not receiving RIOT as a cause of cancer recurrence. This paper discusses why even a well-designed, prospective trial could possibly never establish the efficacy of RA in preventing cancer recurrence and improving survival due to the complexities involved in a patient undergoing oncosurgery.

Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy the Standard of Care: Experience from a Tertiary Care Cancer Center from India.

For localized esophageal cancer, esophageal resection remains the prime form of treatment but is a highly invasive procedure associated with prohibitive morbidity. Minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) by laparoscopic or thoracoscopic approach was therefore introduced to reduce surgical trauma and its associated morbidity. We thereby review our minimally invasive esophagectomy results with short- and long-term outcomes. From January 2010 through December 2016, 459 patients with carcinoma esophagus and gastro-esophageal junction undergoing minimally invasive esophagectomy were retrospectively reviewed. The morbidity, mortality data with short- and long-term results of the procedure were studied. Patients were stratified into two arms based on the approach into minimally invasive transhiatal esophagectomy (MI-THE) and minimal invasive transthoracic esophagectomy TTE (MI-THE). Thirty days mortality in the whole cohort was 3.5% (2.5% in MI-THE vs. 5% in MI-TTE arm). Anastomotic leak rates (5 vs. 4.9%), median intensive care unit (ICU) stay (4 days), hospital stay (9 days), were similar between both the approaches. Major pulmonary complications were significantly higher in MI-TTE arm (18.9% vs 12.5%) (p 0.047). Cardiac, renal, conduit-related complication rates, vocal cord palsy, chyle leak, re-exploration, and late stricture rates were similar between the groups. The median number of nodes resected was higher in the MI-TTE arm (14 vs. 12) (p 0.002). R0 resection rate in the entire cohort was 89% (87.4% in MI-THE, 92% in MI-TTE arm p 0.12). The median overall survival and disease-free survival were also not different between MI-THE and MI-TTE arms (34 vs. 38 months, p 0.64) (24 vs. 36 months, p 0.67). Minimally invasive esophagectomy either by transhiatal or transthoracic approach is feasible and can be safely accomplished with a low morbidity and mortality and with satisfactory R0 resection rates, good nodal harvest, and acceptable long-term oncological outcomes.

Single-Dose Prophylactic Antibiotic Versus Extended Usage for Four Days in Clean-Contaminated Oncological Surgeries: a Randomized Clinical Trial.

The optimal duration of prophylactic antimicrobial usage in clean-contaminated elective oncological surgeries is not clear. This single-center randomized trial evaluated the effectiveness of single-dose antimicrobial prophylaxis in clean-contaminated surgeries for the reduction of surgical site infection (SSI). Between April 2018 and January 2019, 315 patients undergoing major oncological clean-contaminated surgeries where the gastrointestinal or genital tract was opened under controlled conditions were randomized into 2 groups i.e., single dose versus extended dose groups. The single dose group received a 1.5 g dose of cefuroxime immediately before surgery while the extended group received the same dose of cefuroxime thrice daily for 4 days from the day of surgery till postoperative day 3. In addition, patients undergoing esophageal and colorectal surgeries received metronidazole. The overall SSI rate of the single dose group was not significantly different from that of the extended group (11.3% vs. 14.7%, respectively, p 0.40), with absolute difference of 3.4% and relative risk of 0.85 (95% C.I, 0.59 to 1.22). The rate of remote site infection was also not different between the two groups (14.4% vs 10.2%, p 0.31) with absolute difference of 4.2% and relative risk 1.19 (95% C.I, 0.89 to 1.59). In univariate analysis, parameters like nodal dissection, colorectal surgery, smoking, and hospital stay were significantly associated with SSI. In multivariate analysis, age, smoking, nodal dissection, and hospital stay retained significance. Single-dose antimicrobial prophylaxis is as effective as extended usage for 4 days in the prevention of postoperative SSI in patients undergoing clean-contaminated major oncological surgeries. Trial was registered with the clinical trial registry of India (CTRI/2018/06/014344).