How to set up a standard regional anesthesia service?

The practice of regional anesthesia is getting more popular after the introduction of ultrasound technology in anesthesia practice. The biggest obstacle in conducting regional anesthesia is the delay in operation room time. This brief report focuses on the set up of the so called "block room".

Ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane block: description of a new technique and comparison with conventional systemic analgesia during laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

BACKGROUND: The transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block is usually performed by landmark-based methods. This prospective, randomized, and double-blinded study was designed to describe a method of ultrasound-guided TAP block and to evaluate the intra- and postoperative analgesic efficacy in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy under general anaesthesia with or without TAP block. METHODS: Forty-two patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy were randomized to receive standard general anaesthetic either with (Group A, n=21) or without TAP block (Group B, n=21). Ultrasound-guided bilateral TAP block was performed with a high frequent linear ultrasound probe and an in-plane needle guidance technique with 15 ml bupivacaine 5 mg ml(-1) on each side. Intraoperative use of sufentanil and postoperative demand of morphine using a patient-controlled analgesia device were recorded. RESULTS: Ultrasonographic visualization of the relevant anatomy, detection of the shaft and tip of the needle, and the spread of local anaesthetic were possible in all cases where a TAP block was performed. Patients in Group A received significantly less [corrected] intraoperative sufentanil and postoperative morphine compared with those in Group B [mean (SD) 8.6 (3.5) vs 23.0 (4.8) microg, P<0.01, and 10.5 (7.7) vs 22.8 (4.3) mg, P<0.05]. CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasonographic guidance enables exact placement of the local anaesthetic for TAP blocks. In patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy under standard general anaesthetic, ultrasound-guided TAP block substantially reduced the perioperative opioid consumption.

Pain relief following thoracoscopic sympathectomy for palmar hyperhidrosis: a prospective randomised double-blind study.

BACKGROUND: Acute pain management following thoracoscopic sympathectomy (TS) has been described in the literature. The combination of interpleural (IP) injection of bupivacaine and intramuscular injection. (I.M) NSAIDs has not been reported. Therefore we conducted this randomized controlled trial to compare this technique to other reported techniques described for postoperative analgesia following TS. METHODS: 40 patients scheduled to have TS under general anesthesia for the treatment of hyperhidrosis were randomly allocated into 4 groups. Group 1 received 1.5 mg/kg b.w I.M pethidine at end of surgery. Group 2 received ketoprofen 100 mg I.M at end of surgery. Group 3 received 0.4 ml/kg b.w interpleural bupivacaine 0.5%. Group 4 received a combination of I.M ketoprofen (100 mg) in addition to interpleural bupivacaine (0.4 ml/kg). Postoperative pain was assessed using the 11- point numeric rating score (NRS) at 7 different intervals. First, immediately on admission to PACU, every 2 hours for the next 8 hours then at 12 and at 24 hours. Pain was assessed at rest, during deep inspiration and while coughing. ANOVA was used for statistical analysis and Chi-square test for comparing of the data where P values <0.05 were considered significant. RESULTS: The NRS at rest was 3.2 (1.9), 2.4 (1.6), 3 (1.9) and 0.7 (0.9) at Groups 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively with significant difference in Group 4 versus other Group (P < 0.05) at 2 hours postoperatively and up to 24 hours postoperatively. The same trend was also found during maximal inspiration and while coughing. Opioid consumption in 24 hours was significantly reduced in Group 4 compared to other Groups. CONCLUSIONS: Combination of IP bupivacaine and I.M ketoprofen provided superior analgesia when compared to each modality alone and was better than intramuscular pethidine injection in terms of NRS and the consumption of rescue morphine postoperatively. Further studies are needed on large sample size to confirm our results.

Endoscopic third ventriculostomy: anesthetic implications.

Endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) is one of the recent neurosurgical advances for the treatment of obstructive hydrocephalus. There has been number of publications, which have established the role of ETV in neurosurgical practice, particularly in hydrocephalus. ETV has developed into a therapeutic alternative to shunting for the management of patients with non-communicating hydrocephalus. This procedure requires a general anesthetic and necessitates violation of the brain parenchyma and manipulation via neural structures to access the floor of the third ventricle. This discussion will focus on the anesthetic implications during ETV.

Blood biochemistry following endoscopic third ventriculostomy.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) is now an accepted treatment for obstructive hydrocephalus. Anandh et al. have reported postoperative hyperkalemia following ETV. However, due to small sample size (20 patients), the authors could not confirm their hypothesis (8). Therefore, we have conducted the present study in order to investigate postoperative blood chemistry following ETV. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The computerized database and the medical records of 50 patients who underwent ETV under general anesthesia were studied. Blood chemistry for all patients was done preoperatively as well as for three consecutive days postoperatively. Preoperative and peak postoperative serum blood chemistry variables were compared by using Student's t-test for paired samples. A p value of < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Preoperative serum K+ concentration mean value was 4.8 +/- 0.7 mmol/l. In the consecutive two postoperative days serum K+ levels mean values were 4.4 +/- 0.8 and 4.3 +/- 0.8 mmol/l with significantly lower levels compared to preoperative values (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Although significantly lower K+ values have occurred in our series postoperatively, they were of no clinical significance. Moreover, our results were in contrast to Anandh et al. who used lactated Ringer's (LR) as irrigation fluid which led to postoperative hyperkalemia. We recommend the use of normal saline as irrigation fluid instead of LR.

Anaesthesia for morbidly obese patients: a study of haemodynamic changes during bariatric surgery.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Morbid obesity with body mass index (BMI) > 40 kg/m2 requires surgical correction if the diet program fails. Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) (bariatric surgery) is the standard surgical procedure. The haemodynamic effects of the typical pneumoperitoneum had been studied but, the additional effects of morbid obesity and the consequences of LAGB surgery had not. Therefore, we conducted this study to determine the haemodynamic changes under anaesthesia during bariatric surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Under general anaesthesia, 7 patients (4 males) were studied. Their mean age was 36.2 yr (range 25-50 yr) and mean BMI was 49.7 kg/m2 (range 39.3-67.3). Besides routine monitoring of vital signs, non invasive cardiac output monitor (NICO, Novametrix, Wallingford, CT, USA) was used to monitor cardiac output (CO), cardiac index (CI) and stroke volume (SV). All the haemodynamic variables were taken at three phases: A) after induction of anaesthesia, B) during pneumoperitoneum and C) after gas deflation. RESULTS: The mean HR and BP showed significant high values during phase B compared to phase A. The mean values of CO were 7.2 +/- 1.1 and 9.06 +/- 2.6 L/min during phases A and B respectively with significant differences. The mean values of SV were 91.1 +/- 12.3 and 123.2 +/- 42.6 ml during phases A and B respectively with significant differences. The mean values of CI during phases A and B were 3.1 +/- 0.7 and 3.4 +/- 1.09 L/min/m2 respectively with significant differences. CONCLUSIONS: We have reported high CO and CI during pneumoperitoneum, which may be due to increased heart rate induced by sympathetic stimulation.

Right vs left side thoracoscopic sympathectomy: effects of CO2 insufflation on haemodynamics.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Currently, few reports of the haemodynamic impact of intrapleural CO2 insufflation in the clinical setting are available. Therefore, we conducted the present study to compare the haemodynamic changes between right and left side thoracoscopic sympathectomy (TS) for treatment of palmar hyperhidrosis (PH) under general anaesthesia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 20 adult patients (17 males) undergoing TS were randomly allocated to two groups (each 10); group A, right side and group B, left side TS procedures were performed under general anaesthesia with single-lumen endotracheal tube. Besides the routine monitoring of vital signs, non-invasive cardiac output monitor (NICO) was used to record the stroke volume (SV), cardiac output (CO) and cardiac index (CI). Intrapleural CO2 insufflation was used. Anaesthesia was maintained with 1 MAC sevoflurane in 50% nitrous oxide in oxygen with incremental doses of sufentanil and atracurium when required. Haemodynamic parameters were obtained every 3 min then averaged over the time of surgery at phases; I) after tracheal intubation, II) after CO2 insufflation and III) after CO2 deflation. RESULTS: The CO, CI and SV showed decreased trend in both groups during phase II compared to phase I with significant differences (P < 0.05). Comparing the CO and CI variables revealed lower values in group A compared to group B but with non-significant differences (P > 0.05). While the SV variable showed significant low value in group A compared to group B (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to left side TS, direct compression by CO2 against the venae cava and right atrium and ventricle during right side TS caused reduction of the venous return and hence low CO, CI and SV.

The incidence of bradycardia during endoscopic third ventriculostomy.

UNLABELLED: The incidence of bradycardia during endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) is unknown. In an attempt to determine that incidence, we studied 49 pediatric patients with obstructive hydrocephalus who underwent ETV during general anesthesia. The median age was 54.5 mo (range 1-108 mo) and the median weight was 12.2 kg (range 2.4-22 kg). The heart rate was measured continuously in which four stages were identified for data analysis. Stage A is the preoperative phase, stage B is 5 min before perforating the floor of the third ventricle, stage C during perforation, and stage D after perforating the floor of the third ventricle. Three readings were recorded at each stage, then averaged. The mean values of the heart rate at stages A, B, C, and D were 146 +/- 27, 151 +/- 26, 87 +/- 32, and 143 +/- 24 bpm respectively. A significant decrease in the heart rate was determined in stage C compared with stage B (P: < 0.05). The incidence of bradycardia was 41%. Alerting the surgeon to perforate the floor of the third ventricle or withdraw the scope away from it was sufficient to resolve the bradycardia. We concluded that serious bradycardia might occur during ETV, mostly because of mechanical factors and can be resolved without medications. IMPLICATIONS: The use of endoscopy for treating pediatric patients with increased intracranial pressure is a new surgical procedure. These patients require general anesthesia with continuous heart rate monitoring. We have observed a high incidence of decrease in heart rate. If a decrease in heart rate occurs, alerting the surgeon to speed the procedure would be an effective treatment.

Spontaneous chylothorax--case report.

A-19-year old male patient complained of shortness of breath. Aspiration of the pleural fluid revealed chylothorax. Right chest tube was inserted. His ABG showed hypoxaemia with relative hypercarbia. He underwent right thoracotomy and thoracic duct ligation under general anaesthesia and double lumen endobroncheal intubation. During surgery he lost 1.5 L of blood and 4 L chyle. He was transferred to the SICU intubated and on mechanical ventilation. On the subsequent days chyle leak was reduced to a minimum of 10 ml/hr. On the 9th postoperative day the patient was extubated. He was receiving TPN 2600 kcal/day. He was transferred to the normal floor on the 15th day. After 7 day he was readmitted, his chest showed severe lung fibrosis and consolidation. His ABG showed severe hypercarbia (PaCO2 = 126 mmHg). The patient was intubated. His condition deteriorated and he was considered for lung transplantation. No donor was available. Later he arrested and died. Anaesthesia and surgical management of spontaneous chylothorax is challenging. The mortality rate is high.

Arteriovenous fistula in chronic renal failure patients: comparison between three different anesthetic techniques.

The creation of arteriovenous fistula is an established form of therapy for patients with chronic renal failure. Anesthetic management in such patients is governed by the presence of risk factors such as hypertension, ischemic heart disease, diabetes, chronic pulmonary disease, anemia, coagulopathy, metabolic acidosis and/or hyperkalemia. In an attempt to improve the quality of anesthetic care and outcome we designed the present study to compare the different anesthetic techniques which are used for creation of arteriovenous fistula. Retrospectively we reviewed 164 patients who underwent creation of arteriovenous fistula. We retrieved the data concerning the age, sex, ASA class, and coexisting diseases. The patients were classified into three groups depending on the anesthetic technique received. Group A (n = 48) patients received general anesthesia; group B (n = 39), patients received brachial plexus block and group C (n = 77), patients received local infiltration anesthesia. Chi-square test was used to compare between the percentages among the different groups. The percentages of cardiac patients showed significant differences between groups A and B and also between groups A and C. There was a significant difference between the groups A and B also between the groups A and C but not between groups B and C concerning age. ASA classes were not significantly different among the groups. Among the total number of patients, 34 were diabetics and 75 patients were cardiac. Axillary brachial plexus block was complete in 70% of patients and incomplete in 27% and failed in 3% of patients. We conclude that chronic renal failure patients are at increased risk during anesthesia. We conclude that brachial plexus blockade or local anesthetic infiltration are good alternatives to general anesthesia in these patients undergoing creation of arteriovenous fistula. Age, ASA class and cardiac status were the three determining factors for the choice of the anesthetic technique. Further multivariate prospective study are needed to confirm these results.

Endoscopic third ventriculostomy: a study of intracranial pressure vs. haemodynamic changes.

Fourteen paediatric patients with obstructive hydrocephalus were studied. They underwent endoscopic third ventriculostomy under general anaesthesia. Their ages ranged from 1 to 144 weeks (mean 34+/-36 weeks) and weight from 2 to 22 kg (mean 10.2+/-5.4 kg). In an attempt to identify the possible mechanisms of the intraoperative haemodynamic changes associated with endoscopic third ventriculostomy, we studied the intracranial pressure measured in the third ventricle versus the haemodynamic changes. The intracranial pressure was measured using a pressure transducer attached at one end to the endoscope and the other end to the monitor. The mean third ventricle pressure value was 10.2 mmHg (+/-3.5). Bradycardia occurred in six (43%) of our patients. The mean value of the lowest heart rate reading intraoperatively was 81 beats/min (+/-31.8). Negative correlation was obtained between the intracranial pressure and the haemodynamic changes. Alerting the surgeon to perforate the floor of the third ventricle or withdraw the scope away from it was sufficient to resolve the bradycardia. We concluded that serious dysrhythmias might occur during endoscopic third ventriculostomy, the majority of which can be resolved without medications.

Pulse oximetry: an added criterion for discharge from the post-operative care unit.

Based on the observation that the degree of wakefullness measured by Post Anesthetic Recovery (PAR) score in some patients does not correlate with their oxygen saturation, the authors decided to carry on a study to validate that assumption. Three hundred patient ASA I & II were studied. Oxygen saturation and PAR score were recorded from the time of arrival till their discharge by the recovery room staff nurses. Thirty one patients out of one three hundred (10%) were found to be hypoxic (saturation < 95%) despite their high PAR score. The degree of wakefullness as measured by PAR scores cannot be used to establish an end point for oxygen supplementation. Oxygen supplementation and SpO2 monitoring are recommended in all patients recovering from anesthesia.

Critical incident reports.

We describe a retrospective analysis of critical incident reports in two teaching hospitals. We included significant observations, involving unsafe practices during cardio-pulmonary resuscitation intensive care management and during anesthesia. Of the 143 critical incidents reported, 87% did not lead to negative out-come, out of these 13% were reports on deaths of patient resuscitated by CPR team or emergency department, underwent surgery, and or managed in the intensive care unit. Human errors and lack of communications were common factors for the majority of the incidents. Wrong drug labeling and irresponsible behavior were the most frequent among the human errors. The analysis aimed to regularize the method of reporting and also to determine the causes of complications, offer solutions and prevent occurrence of such incidents in the future.