Unexpected difficult airway due to severe upper tracheal distortion: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Difficult airway is a significant cause of anesthesia-associated death and disability. Currently, physical examinations of thyromental distance, mouth opening, Mafampaii classification, etc. combined with X-ray, computed tomography (CT), and other imaging technologies are mainly used to evaluate difficult airways. However, in many special cases, i.e., emergency surgery, imaging examinations cannot be completed preoperatively. Such patients' airway can only be evaluated through general physical examination, which inevitably increases the likelihood of an unexpected difficult airway during anesthesia. CASE SUMMARY: We report a rare case of difficult intubation because of severe upper trachea distortion after induction. Emergency holmium laser lithotripsy was performed under transurethral ureteroscopy because the patient had anuria for 4 d and a creatinine level of 890 µmol/L. Due to the urgency of the condition, chest radiography or chest CT was not examined before surgery and the anesthesiologist did not evaluate the airway adequately, resulting in an unexpected difficult airway. CONCLUSION: The incidence of tracheal malformation and tracheal stenosis is extremely low, but the risk of hypoxia and even death due to difficult airways is extremely high for such patients. It is recommended to complete preoperative imaging examinations of the airway. For life-threatening emergency patients, a pre-anesthesia reassessment should be performed and surgeons should be prepared to prevent and manage the difficult airway.

Nano-Carbon-Based Application of Parecoxib Sodium Combined with Hydromorphone in Preventing Anesthesia Hyperalgesia Caused by Remifentanil after Thyroidectomy.

Nano-carbon is often used as a tracer in thyroidectomy, to improve the accuracy of the operation. Remifentanil is the most commonly used anesthetic during thyroidectomy, but the use of remifentanil can sometimes cause patients with anesthesia hyperalgesia. Therefore, auxiliary anesthetics are often used in surgery to prevent remifentanil from causing anesthesia hyperalgesia. The purpose of this article is to explore the specific application effect of the fusion agent of hydromorphone and parecoxib sodium after thyroidectomy based on nano-carbon in the prevention of remifentanil-induced anesthesia hyperalgesia. Taking 60 patients who underwent thyroidectomy based on carbon nanotechnology in our hospital as the research object, the patients were divided into the parecoxib sodium group, hydromorphone control group and hydromorphone and parecoxib sodium fusion agent group. All patients were injected with remifentanil before surgery for general paralysis. Ten minutes before the end of the operation, the parecoxib sodium group was injected with quantitative parecoxib sodium, and the hydromorphone control group was injected with quantitative hydromorphone, hydromorphone and the parecoxib sodium fusion medicament group was injected with a quantitative combination of parecoxib sodium and hydromorphone. The patient's comfort, calmness, pain, adverse reactions and recovery time of consciousness were counted. The results of the study showed that the sedation score of the hydromorphone and parecoxib sodium fusion drug group was (15.8±1.5), the pain degree score was (1.9±0.5), lower than the other two groups, and the postoperative recovery time was (38±5.0) )min, lower than the other two groups. It can be seen that the use of a fusion agent of hydromorphone and parecoxib sodium after thyroidectomy based on nano-carbon is effective in preventing and reducing remifentanil-induced anesthesia hyperalgesia.

Effect of Ultrasound-Guided Fascia Iliac Compartment Block on Serum NLRP3 and Inflammatory Factors in Patients with Femoral Intertrochanteric Fracture.

Objective: To investigate the effects of ultrasound-guided fascia iliac compartment block (FICB) on patients' postoperative pain and inflammatory factors as well as nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat (NLR) family, pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) in femoral intertrochanteric fracture. Methods: This single-blind randomized controlled study included 231 patients with femoral intertrochanteric fracture treated in our hospital from January 2017 to December 2020. All patients were randomized into two groups, the FICB group (n = 116) and the general anesthesia group (control group, n = 115). The serum NLRP3 levels and inflammatory factors were evaluated. The heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and SpO2 values were recorded. Pain condition was measured by the visual analogue scale (VAS) score. Harris score was performed for positive hip function. Results: The values of HR and MAP were significantly lower after anesthesia induction in FICB groups compared with the control group. However, no significant difference was found for SpO2. Compared with the control group, the VAS scores within 72 h after surgery were all markedly lower in the FICB group than in the control group and showed no significant difference at 1 week after surgery. The levels of NLRP3 and interleukin 6 (IL-6) were significantly lower in FICB patients at 1 h, 6 h, 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h after surgery compared with the control group. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) showed a significant lower level in the FICB group at 1 h and 6 h after surgery, and significant lower levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) were found at 1 h and 24 h after surgery compared with the control group. Positive correlation was found between NLRP3 and IL-6, as well as CRP and VAS scores after 1 h of the surgery. No significant difference was found for both Harris score and postoperative complications between the two groups. Conclusion: Fascia iliac compartment block could reduce the postoperative pain, which might be associated with the decrease of the serum levels of NLRP3, CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α in femoral intertrochanteric fracture patients.

Protective mechanical ventilation with optimal PEEP during RARP improves oxygenation and pulmonary indexes.

BACKGROUND: This trial aimed to evaluate the effects of a protective ventilation strategy on oxygenation/pulmonary indexes in patients undergoing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) in the steep Trendelenburg position. METHODS: In phase 1, the most optimal positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) was determined in 25 patients at 11 cmH2O. In phase 2, 64 patients were randomized to the traditional ventilation group with tidal volume (VT) of 9 ml/kg of predicted body weight (PBW) and the protective ventilation group with VT of 7 ml/kg of PBW with optimal PEEP and recruitment maneuvers (RMs). The primary endpoint was the intraoperative and postoperative PaO2/FiO2. The secondary endpoints were the PaCO2, SpO2, modified clinical pulmonary infection score (mCPIS), and the rate of complications in the postoperative period. RESULTS: Compared with controls, PaO2/FiO2 in the protective group increased after the second RM (P=0.018), and the difference remained until postoperative day 3 (P=0.043). PaCO2 showed transient accumulation in the protective group after the first RM (T2), but this phenomenon disappeared with time. SpO2 in the protective group was significantly higher during the first three postoperative days. Lung compliance was significantly improved after the second RM in the protective group (P=0.025). The mCPIS was lower in the protective group on postoperative day 3 (0.59 (1.09) vs. 1.46 (1.27), P=0.010). CONCLUSION: A protective ventilation strategy with lower VT combined with optimal PEEP and RMs could improve oxygenation and reduce mCPIS in patients undergoing RARP. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR ChiCTR1800015626 . Registered on 12 April 2018.

LncRNA MALAT1 promotes neuropathic pain progression through the miR­154­5p/AQP9 axis in CCI rat models.

The present study investigated the role and molecular mechanism of long non­coding RNA (lncRNA) metastasis associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript (MALAT)1 in neuropathic pain in rat chronic constriction injury (CCI) model. Reverse transcription­quantitative PCR and western blot analysis were used to detect the expression levels of MALAT1, microRNA (miR)­154­5p and aquaporin (AQP)9 in spinal cord tissue and microglia of CCI rats. ELISA and pain behavioral assays were used to observe the effect of MALAT1 on neuropathic pain and neuroinflammation in model rats, and to verify its molecular mechanism through bioinformatics and luciferase experiments. The results of the present study identified that the expression levels of MALAT1 and AQP9 were upregulated, while miR­154­5p was downregulated in spinal cord tissue and microglia of CCI rats. MALAT1 knockdown in CCI model rats significantly induced the occurrence of neuropathic pain, while the upregulation of miR­154­5p could reverse this process. The present study also identified that miR­154­5p was the target gene of MALAT1, and AQP9 was the target gene of miR­154­5p. AQP9 knockdown promoted the occurrence of neuropathic pain. In conclusion, lncRNA MALAT1 promotes the progression of neuropathic pain in rats by reducing miR­154­5p and increasing AQP9. The MALAT1/miR­154­5p/AQP9 axis can be used as a new therapeutic target for neuropathic pain.